Confusing, but just keep on driving | Letters | Sept. 23

Published 4:19 pm Friday, September 23, 2011

The very first time I encountered a traffic circle was in Alsace, France, where I was piloting a German rental car. Entering this circle (or roundabout) was a confusing moment, since a French car entered it ahead of me to the right at the same time.

So, I stopped in the circle, which totally surprised the French driver. Looking at my German license plate, he must have wondered what the heck is going on? This is not how Germans drive.

This brings me to our own lone traffic circle, which is fun to navigate. But a lot of drivers, being American, seem as confused as I was the first time. I think the idea is to feed into the existing traffic if any, rather than stopping at the entry to the circle – allowing, of course, plenty of room in case there is a care already in the circle. There are no stop signs there for a purpose.

Now I got that off my chest, so look out when you see me coming.

Hank Hays

Bainbridge Island