The Unfamiliar Roundabout at Dusk
You are driving in an unfamiliar suburb at dusk in light rain. You approach a roundabout with two lanes on entry and two circulating lanes. The road you want is the third exit, past the 12 o'clock position. A sign before the roundabout shows a diagram with the third exit at the top right. Lane markings on the approach show a left-turn arrow in the left lane and a straight-ahead-plus-right arrow in the right lane. A cyclist is riding in the left lane ahead of you. A car is circulating in the right lane with no indicator showing. Your windscreen is beginning to fog at the edges.
1. Which lane should you use, and how do the markings and the cyclist affect your approach?
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Use the right lane. The third exit is beyond the halfway point, and the right lane's arrow shows straight-ahead and right movements, which is consistent with taking a later exit. The left lane is marked for left turns only and would put you in the wrong position.
However, the cyclist is in the left lane. Cyclists may travel in either lane and often position themselves for visibility. Do not squeeze past or cut across the cyclist's line on entry. If the cyclist is likely to proceed straight through, they will cross your path if you swing right. Slow early, let the cyclist clear the entry, then move to the right lane when it is clear and safe.
Also deal with the fogging: clear the windscreen before entering the roundabout, because you need full visibility of circulating traffic and lane markings. Demisting is a driving task, not a distraction to postpone.
2. The circulating car in the right lane has no indicator. How do you decide when to enter?
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Do not rely on the absence of an indicator. A vehicle may have a failed indicator, the driver may not have signalled yet, or they may be continuing around. In a multi-lane roundabout the right-hand circulating lane can continue past your exit.
Judge by the vehicle's position and movement, not its lights alone:
- Watch which lane it occupies and whether it is drifting toward an exit.
- Give way to traffic already circulating on your right.
- If there is any doubt, wait. A few seconds' delay costs little; a misjudged entry into a two-lane roundabout at dusk in rain is high-risk.
Enter only when the circulating lanes are clear of vehicles that could conflict with your path, and when your own lane position is settled.