McKenzie Towne Roundabout

Remember - Right-of-way rules for roundabouts are simple: yield to pedestrians and yield to vehicles on the left. 

Entering from the East arm of McKenzie Towne Blvd:

Entering from McKenzie Towne Gate:

Entering from Inverness Gate:

Entering from the West arm of McKenzie Towne Blvd:

Entering from Prestwick Boulevard:

The McKenzie Towne Roundabout has been operational since 1999 and was one of the first multi-lane roundabouts in Canada. Roundabouts, with yield on entry, are fundamentally different from traffic circles due to their lower speeds on entry and pedestrian crossing locations. Collisions that do occur at roundabouts result in lower severity outcomes since right-angle collisions are eliminated and speeds are dramatically reduced compared to a conventional intersection.

A traffic study was done in 2019 that showed roughly 16,500 cars and  318 pedestrians use this roundabout on an average day! Collisions at the roundabout are reviewed periodically and consistently show there are half as many collisions as at comparable traffic signals.  The collisions that do occur are generally of a lower severity  (3.6% resulting in injury) than at equivalent signalized intersections (9.6% resulting in injury). The majority of collisions are rear-end collisions so slow down and expect to stop as vehicles in front of you need to yield to pedestrians or other vehicles.

Revisions to traffic control were made in 2014 to clarify the operation of the roundabout and a Rectangular Rapid Flashing beacon was added in 2017 on the west leg of Mckenzie Towne Boulevard to enhance the crossing where the most active transportation users are present. Right-of-way rules for roundabouts are simple: yield to pedestrians and yield to vehicles on the left.

Engineering practice has advanced since the roundabout was built and opportunities will be explored to further enhance safety and operations in conjunction with future work such as pavement resurfacing.