Second Exit at The Circus Roundabout, 5:15 pm
It is 5:15 on a Friday afternoon and you are approaching The Circus roundabout in Basseterre from the west, heading for the eastern side of town. Traffic is heavy and the road is still wet from an afternoon shower. You are in the near-side lane at about 25 km/h, planning to take the second exit. A minibus is in the right-hand lane slightly ahead of you; its right indicator flickers on and off and it is drifting towards your lane. The car behind you sounds its horn. On the exit road you intend to use, a woman with a small child is waiting at the zebra crossing and has already stepped onto the first stripe. A scooter is squeezing through on your left. You have about 15 metres before the give-way line, and the circulating traffic is steady.
1. A gap appears in the circulating traffic and the driver behind honks again. What actually determines whether you may enter the roundabout, and how should the horn affect your decision?
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Priority at a roundabout is set by who is already circulating, not by horns. In left-hand traffic you travel clockwise, so circulating vehicles approach from your right: they keep moving and you wait. The real test is whether entering would make anyone already on the roundabout change speed or direction - if it would, it is not a gap. The driver behind cannot see what you can see and has no authority over your judgement; a horn is information about their impatience, not about the road ahead. On a wet surface leave a larger gap than in the dry, because your tyres have less grip and circulating cars may brake later than expected. Choose your lane before the line: keep to the near-side lane for the second exit unless markings say otherwise, and if you end up in the wrong lane, go round again rather than cutting across.
2. The minibus in the right-hand lane is signalling and drifting towards your lane. How do you read the situation and what is your plan?
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The minibus is a hazard to be managed, not a vehicle to beat. An indicator on a vehicle in the right-hand lane usually means it intends to leave the roundabout, which means it will cross the outer lane - your lane - on the way out. Indicators on busy minibuses can be left on by mistake or cancel late, so read the vehicle itself: the angle of the front wheels, the lean of the body, the driver's head, and whether it is gaining on you. Do not draw alongside it, because you will disappear into its blind spot at exactly the moment it turns. Either hang back and let it complete its exit ahead of you, or stay behind and go round the roundabout a second time. A signal is an intention, never a guarantee.
3. What do you do about the woman and child on the zebra crossing at your intended exit, and how does that change your decision to enter?
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The woman is already on the stripes, so she has priority and you must be able to stop before the crossing rather than on it. That has a knock-on effect at the give-way line: do not enter the roundabout if the exit is blocked, because you would end up stranded across the zebra crossing, which is both unlawful and dangerous for the child. Plan to stop short of the crossing, check your mirror first so the car behind is not surprised, and keep your foot on the brake so the brake lights stay lit. Watch the child separately from the adult - children step out unpredictably and may run ahead of the adult. Keep the scooter in view too: it may pass on your near side just as you slow for the crossing.