What’s with Ottawa’s love-hate relationship with roundabouts? [Video]

Ottawa has 85 roundabouts, which earns it second place for the number of roundabouts in a Canadian city, just behind Calgary. 

The roundabouts are popping up more and more in Ottawa’s suburbs as an alternative to traditional intersections controlled by traffic lights.

But despite being so commonplace, they remain contentious. 

As CBC’s This Is Ottawa found out, the safety concerns aren’t necessarily backed up by statistics.

How do roundabouts work?

When approaching a roundabout, drivers are expected to slow down, yield the right of way to pedestrians and cars already within the roundabout, travel in a counter-clockwise direction, stay in the same lane until exiting, and signal their intentions.

The City of Ottawa has a webpage dedicated on the ins and outs. Its video on roundabout use is one of its most viewed.

Why so many?

According to Emmett Proulx, a specialist in development review and roadway modification at the City of Ottawa, they aren’t as dangerous as one might think.

The City …