Roundabout, traffic circle, rotary, or circular one way road.  No matter what you call them, roundabouts are common in Prince Edward Island.

Some just have painted lines, some have small raised sections similar to speed bumps, while other have a full curb which may include a decoration in the centre.  Some roundabouts have a single lane like in the picture above.  Others have two lanes which make navigation a little trickier.  There are usually sign before the roundabout to indicate which lane to take to go straight through or to make the equivalent of a left turn.  The government of PEI has a video on how to navigate roundabouts.

Experts say that traditional intersections present dozens of conflicts with crossing or turning vehicles and pedestrian traffic.  Roundabouts reduce these to just a handful, provided you remember the main rule: after pedestrians, the vehicle in the roundabout has the right of way.

Prince Edward Island has 16 roundabouts and likely more to come in the next years.  On a per person basis, that is one per 10,000 inhabitants – likely the highest density in Canada.  Some might argue the PEI is becoming the roundabout capital of Canada.

If you would like to join the movement, contact @MenBlackTShirts on Twitter.

So if you hear someone say “I’m going for a drive round-about PEI”, maybe it does not mean exactly what you think. When you are planning your visit here, include a refresher on navigating roundabouts.