Roundabouts have proven safer than traditional intersections, keeping vehicles, pedestrians, and bikers moving and avoiding one another. That’s why Eagan and Dakota County have added a number of them over the years. The two newest roundabouts opened in late August on Diffley Road — one at Daniel Drive and another at Braddock Trail.
Whether you’re a driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, now’s the time to refresh your roundabout skills.
Driver:
- Slow down when approaching; for multilane roundabouts, get into the appropriate lane.
- Yield to pedestrians in crosswalk, both when entering and exiting; it’s the law.
- Yield to vehicles already in the roundabout and merge into traffic when safe to do so.
- Once you’re safely driving in a roundabout, don’t stop or pass.
- Exit roundabout immediately for emergency vehicles and then pull over; don’t stop in a roundabout.
- Give large trucks extra space in a roundabout.
Pedestrian:
- Cross only at crosswalks and always stay on designated walkways; use pedestrian crosswalk flasher when possible.
- If there’s a median at the crosswalk, stop and check for traffic again before continuing.
- NEVER cut across a roundabout to the interior ring.
Bicyclist:
- Ride with traffic inside roundabout or use crosswalks and ramps (especially for bikers who may ride much slower than traffic).
- Follow the same rules as vehicles and yield when entering a roundabout.
Find out more information about the Diffley Road upgrades at dakotacounty.us and more information and videos about roundabout safety at dot.state.mn.us/roundabouts.
