Roundabout not a ‘vicious circle’

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Siuta B. Ika
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Motorists on the installation who have been to the intersection of New Mexico Avenue and Sixth Street have experienced Holloman's unique road junction -- a roundabout.

The roundabout on base may be the first road junction of its kind to be seen by many members of Team Holloman, said Dan Salinas, 49th Wing Ground Safety technician.

"A lot of people here on base have never been anywhere near a roundabout," he said. "Throughout the world most people have seen roundabouts. They're in many European and Asian countries, so for those who have been stationed or deployed in those places, they've seen them, but for many this is the first time they have ever seen one."

Because some people haven't seen a roundabout, they don't know how to properly navigate the roadway, Salinas said.

"As you approach the roundabout you have to make sure you yield to people that are in it already," he said. "Another key thing you need to do is use turn signals. If you do both of those things, you shouldn't have a problem. It's fairly simple but it takes a couple of times of actually getting into the roundabout to learn how to use it."

If not properly used, there can be potential mishaps like one experienced by Tom Fuller, 49th Wing Public Affairs community relations chief.

"I approached the roundabout in my little sports car from Sixth Street and I could see a big SUV coming from New Mexico Avenue. I have been to Europe before so I know how to use it. So I entered the roundabout and I know this person is supposed to yield to me, but they didn't seem to be slowing down," he said. "So I'm thinking this person doesn't know who has the right-of-way and at the last possible moment, the SUV braked, but for a moment I thought I was going to be crushed. They had no turn signal on, their head was straight ahead and they were not slowing down at all."

When used correctly, roundabouts essentially eliminate the potential for the most dangerous crashes including right-angle, left-turn, head-on and high-speed collisions.

"Because traffic moves in a single direction, roundabouts also reduce the likelihood of rear-end crashes because drivers don't speed up to make a yellow or green light or abruptly stop at a red light," Salinas said. "The crashes that do occur at roundabouts generally are not severe because vehicles move more slowly than they do at conventional intersections because they have a sharper approach to entry, so drivers negotiating the roundabout at much lower speeds."

Once motorists know how to properly use the roundabout, they will see all of the benefits it presents, Salinas said.

"The big thing it does is it reduces traffic congestion," he said. "There's a lot of congestion on the streets here during the morning and at the end of the duty day and this can help reduce that significantly. Also, you don't have to worry about traffic lights."

To date, there haven't been any traffic mishaps in the roundabout, a good sign for the future of the road junction.

"It's been up for almost a year," Salinas said. "They put it there to try it out and see how it works and it's working out pretty well. Right now, there is very minimal traffic going through there because it's a very small roundabout, but there will be a bigger one built here in the future."

Because of the future roundabout and more people coming to the base with the mission change, people need to learn now how to use the roadway, Salinas said.

"This is a huge change for Holloman and the roundabout is one way to reduce mishaps," he said. "It's going to take practice from each and every one of us, but we need to learn the rules of the roundabout and how to use them. The key is to go out there and see it. Rather than be negative, give it a chance and once you realize all of its advantages, you will change your mind."

For more information about roundabouts, contact the 49th WG Safety office at 575-572-3793.