New two-lane Wakarusa roundabout may be a little confusing at first, but it’s safer, city official says

The Wakarusa roundabout intersecting Inverness and Legends drives has been twisting tongues and traffic in the three weeks since its completion.

While the articulate person may be able to say “Wakarusa roundabout” three times fast, it would take a pretty experienced driver to lap the new interchange at high speeds.

City Engineer David Cronin said that’s the reason roundabouts are preferable to traffic lights or four-way stops: safety. The roundabout’s design keeps speeds low and reduces the number of “conflict points,” or opportunities for collision, thus reducing the likelihood of an injury accident, Cronin said.

Motorists maneuver the new multilane roundabout on Wakarusa and Inverness drives. Inverness Drive turns into Legends Drive on the west side of the roundabout.

A diagram showing collision points in a roundabout versus in an intersection.

The multilane roundabout, which opened Jan. 2, is the first of its kind — and the largest roundabout — in Lawrence. Before its installation, the intersection was a four-way stop.

“An intersection with a signal has 32 conflict points with all the turning movements,” Cronin said. “A roundabout just has the entry and exit conflict points.”

And that’s good news for accident rates.

“The typical accident or crash that you see at a roundabout is a rear-end, whereas at an intersection, it’s a high-speed 45-degree T-bone,” Cronin said “There are rear-ends at intersections, but they’re at high speeds.”

Some Lawrence drivers doubt that, pointing to the confusion they experienced when approaching the two-lane roundabout.

“People don’t know how to drive in roundabouts, so they get to the circle and stop, look both ways and then enter,” Lawrencian Kaelyn Seymour said. “Then they don’t know which lane to get in to go the direction they want and the whole thing becomes a mess.”

The concept of roundabouts is relatively new in this area, which may be a factor in the confusion. The first roundabout in Kansas was built in Manhattan in 1997, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation, and many experienced drivers, like Lawrence resident and Kansas University professor Barbara Barnett, were never taught how to maneuver them.

“I’m not sure how this multilane roundabout is supposed to work, and I’ve been driving for 45 years. I hope someone pans to give us directions,” Barnett said. “The stop signs seemed to work fine, so I’m not sure why this had to change.”

City engineers proposed installing the multilane roundabout while planning Wakarusa Drive’s reconstruction to account for future growth, Cronin said.

When commissioners approved its construction in 2013, they agreed that the intersection didn’t meet the traffic volumes that require a roundabout but that it would be less expensive to build it while streets were already dug up for repaving.

But without seeing the volume of possible future vehicles, some Lawrence residences did not understand the point of adding the roundabout to the road that Cronin said currently hosts about 10,000 vehicles a day, which is just a third of the amount that Iowa Street sees.

“My coworkers and I were hoping the president would drive through there (during his Lawrence visit Thursday) and say, ‘This is stupid,’ and demand it be taken out,” Seymour joked. “I absolutely hate that darn thing.”

But Lawrence High School teacher Brandon Lytle said once drivers know how to use the roundabout, they can appreciate the fluid traffic flow that the system creates.

“It’s pretty easy to maneuver, although I could see the double lanes being confusing for some,” Lytle said. “(Lawrence) can be pretty annoying with the amount of stops on every street, so I guess it is nice to keep things moving.”

For a refresher in how to drive in multilane roundabouts, KDOT provides the following tips and driving rules:

While approaching the multilane roundabout

  • Slow down and decide which exit you’d like to take.
  • Check for other drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
  • Enter the right lane if you wish to turn right, and the left lane when going left or making a U-turn. Either lane can be used for going straight.
  • Do not enter next to vehicles in the roundabout because they may be planning to use the next exit.
  • Yield to drivers already inside the roundabout.

While driving in the multilane roundabout

  • Stay in your lane for as long as possible. Many times, you can get through the roundabout using the same lane.
  • Don’t change lanes in the roundabout unless necessary for an exit.
  • Don’t pass other vehicles in the roundabout.
  • Look out for drivers crossing lanes in front of you.

Exiting the multilane roundabout

  • Use your right turn signal to notify other drivers of your intent to exit.
  • If the lane is not clear to cross, take another loop around and exit when the way is clear.

Driving around large trucks in a roundabout

  • The center apron around the island is designed to give tractor-trailer trucks and buses extra room if necessary. It’s OK if you see large vehicle’s wheels roll up onto the apron. Average-sized vehicles should stay off the apron.
  • Give trucks space. They may need to use both lanes while circling a roundabout.