I watched a gentleman yesterday at the intersection of Jackrabbit and Main spend nearly forty-five seconds looking at a blank patch of road while the entire valley’s commute sat behind him. He wasn’t broken down. He wasn’t checking a map. He was simply waiting for the roundabout to feel, in his estimation, “empty enough” to enter.

It is a circle, people. It is designed to keep things moving. When you come to a complete, dead-stop halt while the lane to your left is clear, you are not being polite. You are being an obstacle to the structural integrity of our morning flow.

I have lived in Belgrade for over thirty years. I have seen the intersections change from four-way stops to these modern, efficient loops. The logic is elegant: if you don’t see a car, you go. If you see a car, you yield. You do not need to wait until you are the only soul for three miles in any direction to justify your entry.

Some folks say they are intimidated by the geometry. To that, I say: look at the lane markings. They are painted white for a reason. If we all move with the same brisk, sensible rhythm, we might actually make it to work before the next blizzard hits, regardless of what month it currently happens to be.

Stop treating the roundabout like a parking lot. It is a tool for progress, and it only works if you actually participate in the rotation. Hesitation is the only thing currently causing gridlock in a system built to prevent it.

Gerald Fencepost has lived in Belgrade since 1991 and has strong feelings about most intersections.