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Local Items: New Traffic Rotaries For Bonaire,
Bonaire Talk: Local Items: Archives: Archives 2009: Archives 07-01-2009 to 12-31-2009: New Traffic Rotaries For Bonaire,
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #21917) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 8:22 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thursday, September 24, 2009
New Traffic Rules for Bonaire’s Rotaries
Since June, the island has been diligently preparing a new traffic rotary at the intersection of Kaya Internashonal and Kaya Industria, which traditionally has been an intersection causing many traffic accidents. It’s hoped that the new rotary will alleviate the problematic intersection, and the rotary is scheduled to open later this afternoon.

The Island Government has issued a statement that all drivers need to note: With the opening of the new traffic rotary, the rules governing right of way for Bonaire’s rotaries will change and will now comply with international rules for such rotaries. Drivers are cautioned to carefully note the street signs and also the signs on the road itself to comply with the changing rules. Basically, the traffic that is in the rotary has right of way, while those entering should yield to traffic in the rotary.

It should also be noted that these rules will also apply to the the traffic rotary located on the northern hotel row, at the intersection of Kaya Amsterdam and Kaya Gobernador N. Debrot. Since this is a change to past right of way rules, initially caution should be used at this location.

At the end of January, 2010, work will begin on the third rotary at the intersection of Kaya Emerenciana, Kaya Nikiboko Sùit, and Kaya International. (Source: Island Government)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3873) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 8:30 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

This should be an interesting few days. Too bad the traffic dept did not start to make the changes in the Hato Rotary two months ago to allow the people to get some "Rotary Practice" in advance.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2389) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 11:49 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

hey, how about a new webcam at the rotaries...that would make for some interesting viewing. i don't know how long the hato rotary has been there (since before we have been going to bonaire i think) but people have been observing that traffic pattern for years and now they are expected to adapt to the new rules overnight...this should be very interesting.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3874) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 1:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Was just watching it a few minutes ago..the have painted the pavement with arroweheads, installed some signs and added a warning about Dengue fever.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2391) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 2:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

michael, do you know how long the rotary has been in hato? i'm just thinking that hoping that people will change their driving habits over night is a pipe dream...until they get used to the new traffic rules, dengue will be the least of their worries.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin W. Williams (Bella Vista Estates) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #649) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 6:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I know it's been there for over a decade. It's a true rotary as we speak.

What few visitors to the island seem to realize is that the little triangles painted on our roads actually mean something. If you are facing the point of a triangle, you are in the lane that is required to yield. They've remarked all the triangles at the northern rotary to indicate that entering traffic must yield.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #566) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 6:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bonaire gets visitors from all over the world...so conforming to the norms is a rather good idea. And a little triangle painted on the road is not the norm, even if it is correct.

When I moved to Belgium (many years ago) there was absolute priority of the right, including on rotaries and from little roads leading to very large roads. Oh, and no driver's licenses. Great fun. Driving in Bonaire has made me nostalgic.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Trevor Hibdige, Lac Bay Villa (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #156) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 2:48 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Britain gets visitors from all over the world and conforming to the local regulations is rather a good idea rather than expecting the norm. (We drive on the other side remember !) It is a good idea to familiarise ones self with local driving laws an any unique legislation.

When renting a car it might be a nice free leaflet to include the local speed limits and signage.

Anyone have contacts at Budget and Avis etc to see if this might get some support ?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rose Hall (BonaireTalker - Post #76) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 4:25 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Guessing a "rotary" is the same as what we have here in the UK but we call them "roundabouts"

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2447) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 6:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We call the little triangles painted on the road surface by intersections & the rotary "sharks teeth". If they're facing you; beware!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3877) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 8:15 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

The rental agencies are aware of the potential problem and will address it. I am glad to report that so far only a few panic stops at the Hato Rotary....so far

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Jolly (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1589) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 11:59 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I guess I have always given the right of way to vehicles in any roundabout - even at the Hato one over all the years. Guess that sounds odd to have to publicize that rule which is what I have experienced and observed at any roundabout I have encountered around the world.

A webcam would be most interesting for sure.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3878) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 5:58 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Just found out that goats do not read or obey traffic signs. A small herd just took over the green area for a snack..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JOBY (BonaireTalker - Post #81) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 10:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I think the goats feel safe there because they don't get Dengue

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fid Chinoy (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #166) on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 10:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The rental companies will likely make a fortune off people losing their deposits.........

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Davis, InfoBonaire, Bon. Insider (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #347) on Saturday, September 26, 2009 - 8:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Dan, if you yielded at the Hato roundabout before, then you may have been the one of the folks we were swearing at, when all of us locals had to slam on the brakes because a car stopped in front of us for no reason........that roundabout has been there for the last twenty years that I know of, and until Friday morning, those on Gob. Debrot had right of way.

I myself almost got rear-ended on Friday morning, when I stopped to yield to traffic in the rotary and obviously the person behind me hadn't yet heard the word.........and I know friends told me that they yielded at the new rotary, waiting for a break to enter, only to find people stopping in the center of rotary and frantically waving them into the rotary. Obviously another case of someone who hadn't heard the word yet.

So, perhaps you can see that it is important to publicize the change in rules.........perhaps a visitor was always careful, but the locals who actually knew what the rules were before are definitely used to something different.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3879) on Saturday, September 26, 2009 - 8:31 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I still vote for the goats...even if they dont have dengue...Fid, as always, you look on the bright side, eh?? See you in December..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By CaribJim (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 3:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I live on Bonaire 6 months of the year. Just before the recent change in the rules concerning the Hato roundabout, I was riding with a “tourist” and when he started to violate the North-South right-away system by driving in front of somebody with the right-away, I told him to stop-stop-stop! And he did. Then he asked why I told him to do that and I explained the system to him, which totally surprised him, as it does most tourists. Before the change in the rules, I always tried to determine whether a car coming at me was a local car or a rental tourist car. If it was a rental tourist car I was very careful about pushing my “right-away”. Now since the change, if the car is a local, I’m very careful about pushing my new “right-away”.
One further note. The Hato roundabout is reasonably large and seems to be working rather well with the new rules. However, the new roundabout going out to the airport is much smaller. Which means you can check the circle, determine that there are no cars in the circle that you have to give way to, but just then a car enters the circle from your left and that car is now in front of you with “right-away” almost before you can slam on the brakes. I think more accidents are going to happen at the new one than at Hato. However, I will say that the traffic does flow better now at the new one than it did before they put the roundabout in. CaribJim

 


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