The City of Hilliard is committed to making our streets safer, especially for people who walk and bike, and roundabouts are an important tool that is used to accomplish this because roundabouts lower vehicle speeds at intersections and reduce the severity of crashes.
The City of Hilliard opened its first roundabout in 2006 at the intersection of Hayden Run Road and Britton Parkway. Approaching two decades later, we now have a total of 16 roundabouts with more to come that are in the planning or design stages.
Safety is our highest priority, and roundabouts are a safer intersection solution than traffic signals or traditional unsignalized intersections. Because of the slower vehicle speeds, the chance of a fatal or serious injury crash at a roundabout is very small. At two-way stop controlled or signalized intersections, speeds are much higher. The T-bone crashes (where the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another) that are common at these types of intersections can be devastating, sending many drivers to the hospital.
Safety translates to pedestrians at roundabouts too. Vehicle speeds at the crosswalks are typically under 25 mph, and lower vehicle speeds are the No. 1 factor in pedestrian safety. Since Hilliard opened its first roundabout in 2006, there have been no crashes involving pedestrians at any of our roundabouts.
Simply put, roundabouts save lives.
While single-lane roundabouts are easy to navigate, we understand that multi-lane roundabouts may be a little confusing to drivers who are not experienced in driving this kind of intersection. The City of Hilliard is committed to helping drivers understand the rules of the road at roundabouts. In 2019, the City launched its “#RoundaboutRules” campaign to teach and reinforce two key rules in navigating multi-lane roundabouts. The video above explains the #RoundaboutRules.
There are two key rules to navigating multi-lane roundabouts:
Check the signs and choose the correct lane. Similar to a traditional intersection, check the signs and road markings to choose the correct lane before you enter a roundabout. Typically, the right lane is for through movements and right turns, and the left lane is for through movements and left turns. But each roundabout may be different, so check the signs. Maintain your lane. You should not switch to the outside lane to “exit” the roundabout.
Yield to both lanes. The traffic inside the roundabout has the right-of-way, so make sure you yield to both lanes before entering. A roundabout entry is not the same as a freeway entry, so resist the urge to merge.
The City of Hilliard partnered with the Ohio Department of Transportation to develop the following educational resources for use in the driver’s education curriculum guide. These videos explain how to navigate various types of roundabouts that you might encounter in Hilliard and throughout the State of Ohio.
Over the past few years, the City of Hilliard completed a series of modifications at several roundabouts to reduce the frequency of fender-bender crashes and reduce vehicle speeds. These changes have included reducing the number of lanes, simplifying lane assignments, modifying lane markings, and installing raised crosswalks.
In 2024, the roundabout at Britton Parkway and Davidson Road will be modified. The changes will include:
In the future, the City will focus on building more roundabouts with single-lane entries and exits because they are simpler for drivers to navigate and result in fewer crashes than roundabouts with two-lane entries and exits on all legs of the intersection.
Do you have questions? Please contact us!
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Hilliard, OH 43026
(614) 876-7361
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Hilliard, OH 43026
(614) 334-2348
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Hilliard, OH 43026
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Hilliard, OH 43026
(614) 876-7694
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3800 Veterans Memorial Dr
Hilliard, OH 43026
(614) 876-5200
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