Roundabouts
The Texas Heritage Parkway corridor has been engineered to provide enhanced safety and operations at the major intersections. The roundabouts built along Texas Heritage Parkway have an expected design life well beyond year 2040. Please help the THPID to spread roundabout awareness and education by sharing a link to this webpage, following the keys to success driving a roundabout, and engaging others in the community regarding driver safety and awareness.
Modern Roundabout Facts
Roundabouts are termed a “proven safety countermeasure” by the Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety. Due to the reduction of fatal and injury crashes at roundabouts, compared to conventional intersections, these types of intersections are gaining popularity in the United States. Over the past 25 years there have been over 7,000 roundabouts built in the United States. In Texas there are over 300 roundabouts that have been built over the past 20 years.
Keys to Success Driving a Roundabout
- Choose your appropriate lane well in advance of the roundabout intersection. For left turns and thru movements, position your vehicle within the inside (left) lane along Texas Heritage Parkway. For right turns and thru movements, position your vehicle within the outside (right) lane. This is called ultimate lane assignment and helps to mitigate the issues that arise when drivers try to make last-minute lane changes near an intersection.
- Slow your vehicle to a comfortable speed, typically 10mph-15mph, prior to the roundabout.
- Pay attention for bicyclists and pedestrians that may be crossing at the crosswalk prior to the entry of the roundabout and especially for on-street bicyclists.
- Look to your left for oncoming circulating/conflicting traffic already in the roundabout. As a motorist you need to yield to other traffic that is already present within the roundabout. This includes yielding to both lanes if the roundabout has two circulating lanes to the left of your entrance to the roundabout.
- Enter the roundabout only when there is a safe and adequate gap in traffic. Roundabouts are not intended to operate under a “merge” condition like an interstate ramp.
- Remain in your respective lane within the roundabout. If you have chosen your lane correctly in advance you should not need to change lanes once within the roundabout. The lane will guide you to your respective exit.
- Just prior to exiting the roundabout, signal with your right turn blinker and pay attention for pedestrians that may be crossing the roadway just beyond the roundabout.
- Yield to pedestrians that are within the crosswalk just beyond the roundabout.
- Once beyond the crosswalk, resume the posted speed.
Roundabout Information Videos
FHWA Office of Safety – Information Video: Modern Roundabouts: A Safer Choice
FHWA Office of Safety – Information Video: Modern Roundabouts: An Innovative Solution to Intersection Safety Concerns
Montgomery, Ohio – Rules of the Roundabout PSA video
Roundabout Education
| Emergency Vehicles at Roundabouts (PDF) | Proper Lane Choice (PDF) |
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| Yield (PDF) | Roundabout Children’s Activity Book (PDF) |
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| Roundabout Driving Tips Poster (PDF) |
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Roundabout Frequently Asked Questions
| English Version (Feb 2021) (PDF) | Spanish Version (Feb 2021) (PDF) |
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Roundabout Resources
Federal Highway Administration
Texas Institute of Transportation Engineers (TexITE) Roundabout Committee
Sugar Land, TX