City adding new signage to Fredericton roundabout, hoping to reduce confusion

A year after Fredericton’s first multi-lane roundabout opened at the top of Smythe Street, city staff hope new signage will reduce the number of collisions.

City of Fredericton traffic engineer Jon Lewis says there have been 30 minor collisions reported to the Fredericton Police Force since September 2015. Lewis says accidents are reported that result in more than $1,000 damage.

“We have had 30 collisions, but only two of them have resulted in injuries and both of those were very minor at that,” Lewis said.

He says some drivers are still struggling to learn how to navigate the roundabout and says the city is working to install new signage, based on what other municipalities have done.

“When drivers enter the roundabout they don’t just yield to the outside lane, they need to yield to both lanes,” Lewis said.

Lewis says new signage will be installed underneath the current yield signs. He says the signs will tell drivers they need to yield to both lanes of traffic.

READ MORE: Drone video helping Fredericton officials monitor Smythe Street roundabout

He says while the uptown traffic circle meets all national traffic safety standards, the city has been looking at what regions such as Waterloo, Ont. do to educate drivers on their roundabouts — which gave them the new idea.

Lewis also says drivers should give trucks plenty of space and ensure they are in the correct lanes before they get into the roundabout — to eliminate lane changes inside the rotary.

“If you want to make a left turn, you need to be in the left lane going in, if you want to make a right turn, you need to be in the right lane,” Lewis said.

Fox Subaru Fredericton sales associate Marc True tells Global News the dealership moved to the “top of the hill” in March and says this week he saw three collisions in a 20-minute period.

“We hear the horns, lots. Every hour all the time,” True said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We hear the horns, lots. Every hour all the time," True said.

True says customers often come in frustrated and stressed after having to use the roundabout to get to the dealership. He says he often has people call his office to ask if there are ways to get there that don’t involve using the traffic circle.