Facing new Loudoun traffic circles, some find it hard to shift gears

Two months after four roundabouts opened to traffic, some drivers still don't understand how to maneuver through the new traffic pattern at routes 50 and 15 at Gilberts Corner, the latest attempt to ease worsening congestion on Washington's periphery.

"Even though we have two signs at every entrance and the big, six-foot-tall word 'YIELD' hanging on the pavement, people sometimes still fail to yield," said Kenny Robinson, who managed the project for the Virginia Department of Transportation. "So we're going to put in bigger yield signs."

Still, he says, it's only a matter of time before people learn. So ubiquitous are roundabouts in Europe, supporters say, that some don't need yield signs at all.

So while many locals adopt a wait-and-see approach to the new traffic-calming measures, VDOT has begun touting the $15.8 million project as a cost-effective solution for a major choke point in southern Loudoun County and a possible model for future projects, saying the circles mitigate long backups that have been the norm during rush hour.

Officials will make these points at a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Monday at the historic Mount Zion Church in Aldie.

Federal earmarks helped pay for the project, on the idea that it could serve as a pilot for how roundabouts work in rural-turned-exurban areas. Many residents, who have sought solutions for the mess on Route 50 since the mid-1990s, opposed large bypasses or flyovers, saying that they would detract from the area's rural charm. Environmentalists and smart-growth advocates assisted them.

The idea is that traffic operates on a wave theory. A stoplight backs up traffic; roundabouts eliminate left turns and improve sightlines. Cars move more slowly, but the overall pace quickens.

Drivers on Route 50 face three roundabouts. One is where routes 50 and 15 meet. Another is east at Watson Road. The third is at the junction with Howsers Branch Drive, a new connector road built to divert 35 to 40 percent of traffic from the main junction.

The fourth is where the connector meets Route 15.

Drivers seemed cautious over the weekend, hesitantly inching into the circles, and drivers already in the circles incorrectly yielded to cars trying to merge. Others maneuvered through as if they were race-car drivers, hardly slowing down. The speed limit is 25 mph, although yellow signs suggest that motorists slow to 20 mph.

John Wood, 55, an Aldie farmer who owns 22 acres near the roundabouts, said he "vehemently" opposed the project but acknowledged this weekend that it "seems to have helped." He has seen several fatalities at the intersection of routes 15 and 50 over the years, and he's worried about a spike in slip-and-slide accidents this winter when the roundabouts get icy.

"I'm a half a convert," he said. "Something was better than nothing."