5.3 Roundabouts
Key Takeaways
Traffic on a Barbados roundabout circulates clockwise, and you give way to traffic coming from your right.
To take the first exit to the left, signal left on approach, use the left lane and keep signalling as you leave.
To go straight ahead, do not signal on approach, use the lane the signs or markings show, and signal left after passing the exit before yours.
To turn right or go full circle, signal right on approach, use the right lane, and change to a left signal after passing the exit before yours.
Expect cyclists and long vehicles to take unusual lines, and do not overtake them on the roundabout.
Roundabouts keep traffic moving at junctions where many roads meet. They are common on the island's main roads, including the ABC Highway. Because Barbados drives on the left, traffic circulates clockwise, and drivers entering give way to traffic coming from the right, which is the traffic already on the roundabout or about to pass across the entry. Rental-car guidance for the island summarises it as "traffic on the right is always right," and Barbados regulation-test questions follow the same rule.
Approaching
- Read the signs early. The warning triangle shows a roundabout ahead, and map-type direction signs show which exit leads where.
- Mirror, signal, position. Decide your exit, check your mirrors, signal if required, and choose the correct lane.
- Slow down in good time. "REDUCE SPEED NOW" signs often stand before busy roundabouts.
- Give way at the give-way line to traffic from the right. Look right, but also check ahead for vehicles stopping in front of you.
Signals and lanes
Where signs or lane markings show what to do, follow them. Otherwise use this standard method:
| Your exit | On approach | Lane | On the roundabout |
|---|---|---|---|
| First exit (turning left) | Signal left | Left lane | Keep signalling left and leave at the first exit |
| Straight ahead | No signal | Left lane (or as marked) | Signal left after passing the exit before yours |
| Turning right, or going full circle | Signal right | Right lane | Keep the right signal until you pass the exit before yours, then signal left and leave |
Barbados test papers ask how to signal for a left turn at a roundabout. The answer is simply signal left.
Cyclists, motorcyclists and long vehicles
- Cyclists and horse riders may stay in the left lane even when going right round the roundabout, signalling right. Give them plenty of room and do not cut across their path when they pass your exit.
- Long vehicles often cannot follow the normal path. They may use both lanes, or swing left on approach to turn right. Barbados test papers ask which vehicle "will not take a normal turn at a roundabout." The answer is a long vehicle. Stay well back and do not overtake it on the roundabout.
- Motorcycles are small and fast. Look twice to the right before entering.
Pedestrians and stopping
Pedestrians often cross at the entries and exits of roundabouts. Check for them before you enter and as you leave. Do not stop on a roundabout except to avoid a collision or when traffic is queuing. Do not stop within 10 metres of a corner (reg. 31(9)(a)), which in practice includes the corners where roads meet a roundabout.
Common mistakes
- Entering without giving way because "the gap looked big enough." If your entry makes a circulating driver brake, you have obstructed them, contrary to regulation 31(7).
- Wrong signals. Signalling left for straight ahead before the roundabout confuses drivers waiting to enter.
- Changing lanes on the roundabout without checking your mirrors and signalling.
- Forgetting to cancel a signal after leaving.
A worked example
You are approaching a three-exit roundabout and want the third exit, which is a right turn. Check the mirrors, signal right, and take the right-hand lane. Slow down and give way to traffic from the right. Enter when there is a safe gap and circulate clockwise in the right lane, keeping the right signal on. After passing the second exit, check your left mirror, signal left and leave by the third exit, watching for pedestrians crossing it. Then cancel your signal.
Multi-lane and busy roundabouts
Large roundabouts on the island's main highways often have two or more lanes and heavy traffic at peak times.
- Follow lane arrows and map-type signs. Where they show which lane serves each exit, they replace the general method in the table above.
- Stay in your lane while circulating. If you must change lanes, check your mirror and blind spot and signal first.
- Watch the vehicle beside you. A driver on your left in a two-lane roundabout may be going further round than you. Do not assume they will leave first.
- Do not overtake on a roundabout, and give large vehicles, which may need both lanes, extra room.
- Missed your exit? Go round again. Do not stop, reverse or cut across lanes.
Exam traps
- "Give way to the left." That is the rule in countries that drive on the right. In Barbados you give way to traffic from the right.
- "Traffic on the roundabout must let me in." Circulating traffic has priority. You wait for a safe gap.
- "Signal right to go straight on." Straight-ahead traffic does not signal on approach. It signals left after passing the exit before its own.
When you enter a roundabout in Barbados, which traffic do you give way to?
Traffic waiting at the next entry
Traffic coming from your right
Traffic coming from your left
Only buses and goods vehicles
How should you signal when taking the first exit to the left at a roundabout?
Signal left on approach and as you leave
No signal at all is needed for the first exit
Signal left, then right, then left again
Signal right, then left as you pass the first exit
Which vehicle is most likely to need more than one lane, and an unusual path, at a roundabout?
A long vehicle such as a bus or articulated truck
A private car with an automatic gearbox
A motorcycle carrying a pillion passenger
A taxi carrying four passengers
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.