THUNDER BAY – Lois Hacio wants to be roundabout ready.
The Thunder Bay woman on Saturday joined dozens of other motorists and pedestrians at the intersection of Edward Street and Redwood Avenue, where construction workers are putting the finishing touches on a newly installed roundabout expected to open later this fall.
Hacio said she took part in the city-sponsored information session to get a better understanding of how to drive in a roundabout, a traffic calming measure not totally unfamiliar to Thunder Bay drivers used to using a similar one at the Pearl Street entrance at Marina Park.
“I’m not really concerned, it’s just good to maybe practice and get someone to show me if I’m going the wrong way,” she said.
Hacio said she’s not too concerned about other drivers, adding she’s used the Marina Park roundabout before.
“So I think I’m OK,” she said.
Javed Iqbal also stopped by on Saturday to check out the almost-finished roundabout and said he likes what he sees.
Still, one can never be too cautious when introducing something new to Thunder Bay drivers.
“It looks pretty good, but initially everybody has to get used to it, otherwise somebody is going to run into something,” he said.
The city set up a tent on a closed off section of Edward Street, across from Northwood Park Plaza, introducing information session participants to roundabouts through a short video and a brochure they could take home.
The brochure contains separate instructions for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Drivers are asked to reduce speed upon approach of the roundabout and must yield to vehicles and cyclists that have already entered the circular. When a space opens, motorists proceed in a counter-clockwise direction, signalling at their desired exit. The roundabout is a two-lane section of road.
The brochure also includes instructions when emergency vehicles approach, noting drivers should not stop inside the roundabout, but instead exit as normal, pull to the right and the let the emergency vehicle pass.
Pedestrians are advised to wait for a safe gap before crossing the street, while cyclists are advised to either drive as if in a vehicle or dismount and walk their bike across the crosswalk.
Kayla Dixon, director of engineering and operations for the City of Thunder Bay, said the information session, which could be repeated before the roundabout officially opens, said it was a good chance for those unfamiliar with roundabouts to get a quick lesson how to properly use one.
“We do have videos for people. They can watch the video before they proceed through the roundabout and basically get them a little bit more familiar and a little more comfortable using the roundabout,” Dixon said.
“It’s largely because it’s new and people are not familiar with how to properly use them. They have questions about ‘How do I turn left, how do I go straight?’ There are some valid questions out in the community that we’re hoping to answer today.”
