Going Round

A new roundabout at the intersection of Stephen Hands Path and Two Holes of Water Road in East Hampton was unveiled last week, and it is a glimpse of our future.

There is always a lot of grumbling when roundabouts go in on the East End, but once they are up and running, and drivers get used to how they function, most people don’t give them a second thought. That’s the way it should be — a seamless method of traversing a formerly treacherous intersection without stress or fear of death.

And, make no mistake, despite its pastoral farm field views, the Stephen Hands-Two Holes of Water intersection was a treacherous one. Perhaps drivers who only regularly travel the much busier Stephen Hands Path didn’t see the need for this project. But drivers forced to cross that road braved a gauntlet of cars and trucks rushing past at high speeds to do so, all the while playing chicken with the vehicle facing them from the stop sign on the other side of the road. No one seemed to understand who had the right of way in that situation.

For that reason, there have been numerous accidents at this intersection over the years, including some that were fatal.

But in the short amount of time the roundabout has been operational, it has been a game changer, allowing the Stephen Hands traffic to slow and flow through the intersection while giving residents on the quieter roads a window of opportunity to pass through safely.

There is a learning curve, however, and while roundabouts are a daily part of life for Europeans, we Americans don’t naturally come with the prerequisite skill set for them.

So here’s a lesson: Cars that are already inside the roundabout have the right of way. See that white line on the road and the yield sign at the entrance to the roundabout? That means you must stop and wait if a car in the circle is approaching from the left. All clear? Go ahead.

See? It’s not so hard.

Will roundabouts reduce the amount of traffic coming to the East End? No. Will they make drivers more polite and courteous? Dream on. But they do work. And the fact of the matter is, with summer approaching we know that it will be our traffic lights and traditional stop signs that will cause the biggest backups.

Then there’s the safety issue. Drivers naturally speed up to rush through traffic lights as they turn from yellow to red. Roundabouts, conversely, slow traffic to the point that if there is an accident, it will be at a speed that is much less likely to result in injuries.

This roundabout will be a good test run. If, after a time, traffic flows through this traffic management device efficiently and without incident, it starts to look a lot more feasible at other key intersections that have long contributed to the South Fork’s often crippling gridlock.

No single solution works in every instance, but there are several places on the East End where circles have been deployed, and their unobtrusiveness is convincing evidence that they work. Travel north to Massachusetts, and you find long stretches of hamlets and villages where “rotaries” are the nondescript identifier that you’re in New England. Something so ubiquitous must have something to offer.

So get out there and practice those roundabout skills like a champ. It’s going to be a long summer.