Traffic around shopping centers can get a little congested at times. But one roundabout near the Legends at Sparks Marina is already getting some extra attention ahead of the holidays.
If you've been to Legends, you've probably driven through the roundabout on East Lincoln Way.
"The circle of death, there?" CJ Johnson said. "It would be a lot better if people learned how to use the yield signs."
Everybody we talked to said drivers need to do a better job using the roundabout the way it's designed.
"It's nice to keep the traffic flowing but still people don't pay attention anyway," Rupert Boehling said. "They just go through it and some people don't even know what the roundabout is. They stop or they go. They don't realize what they're even doing."
"It's a good idea," Matt Morales said. "I don't know that the actual practice has really lived up to expectations."
"There's always a problem and then people get mad at you because they think you're supposed to stop when you're going around," Nikki Stanonik said. "They don't understand."
In about a half-hour, we noticed the same thing. Cars inside the roundabout have the right of way, but some stopped in the circle. Others used it correctly, only to be cut off by drivers entering the roundabout, failing to yield.
"I'm going to the gym, this morning, and I got cut off by a Neon," Boehling said. "She didn't even pay attention, just cut off, right in front of me. I had to slam on my brakes and drop gears."
"I've personally been in almost 15 to 20 wrecks there," Johnson said. "Good thing I was paying attention."
That's why Sparks Police say they will start cracking down on drivers at the intersection. Not just to keep motorists safe, but pedestrians, too.
"I think it's a good idea," Morales said. "I've seen a lot of pedestrians almost get hit there. People don't notice the pedestrians when they're crossing the crosswalk."
With three lanes of traffic heading into the roundabout, people say they understand how it can be confusing if you aren't familiar with it.
"You've got people in the farther lanes trying to get over so they can go right to go to Scheels and stuff," Boehling said. "They don't realize at all. They just cut people off. Don't even care."
With so many cars, lanes, and crosswalks, some people say speed is also a factor.
"I believe it's only 25 into the roundabout but you feel like you have enough room, seeing a car way in the distance, but they're going 35 or 40," Morales said. "It's kind of hard to judge that as well."
Most people we talked to say the design of the roundabout is fine, once you figure it out. But mainly, they blame bad drivers for issues there.
Drivers who get cited for failure to yield face a $150 fine and four demerits on their driving record.
Written by Paul Nelson
