MACOMB CO., Mich. (WXYZ) — During our recent Let's Talk stop, a concerned driver came in to talk to us about roundabouts.
He said that the back of his car was clipped while driving through the roundabout at 19 Mile and Romeo Plank, near the Chippewa Valley High School ninth-grade center. He wanted us to inform people of the Do's and Don'ts of roundabouts. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay!
With more popping up all the time, throughout the Tri-County area, now is a good time to freshen up how they work.
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I recently asked drivers how they feel about roundabouts. Some hate them, and some find them useful.
“I think they’re dangerous and nobody knows how to use them," said Ken Ray from Windsor.
“I don’t mind them, I like them when you know what to do it’s very easy," said D'a Amours-Pump from metro Detroit.
But among everyone I spoke to, the sentiment remains the same: other drivers need a reminder of how roundabouts work.
“I think they’re great, I think the problem is people don’t know how to use them," said Dave Cutway from Grayling. "They see yield and they think it says stop.”
“What I don’t like is people stop and stare at it, and don’t know what to do," said Klaus Pump.
I turned to the Director of the Macomb County Department of Roads, Bryan Santo, to clear up any roundabout confusion.
“You should stop at a roundabout if there is an existing vehicle that’s in the roundabout itself; you must yield for them. The yield sign is not a stop sign, though," Bryan said.
We checked out the roundabout at 19 Mile and Romo Plank, where the trick is to keep moving. Santo told us that most roundabout crashes are caused by distracted driving, not the roundabout itself. He also pointed out some of the benefits for not only the roads department, but for drivers.
“We’re trying to promote efficiency through the intersection by not having vehicles stop," Santo said. "It’s a fuel savings, it’s an emission savings, it’s also savings as far as the accident that happens within that roundabout also.”
That's because when a traditional, two-way, stop-controlled intersection is replaced with a roundabout, there is an 82 percent reduction in serious injuries and deadly crashes, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Macomb County has 15 roundabouts. Oakland County has 44 roundabouts, the most of any county in the state. And Wayne County will be getting its first roundabout, at 7 Mile and Sheldon in Northville, in 2026.
“For me, I think it’s great," Dave said. "Keeps the flow of traffic going when people understand how it works.”
There are plans to build another roundabout north of 19 Mile and Romeo Plank, at 22 Mile and Romeo Plank, next year.
