03/29/2024
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RALEIGH – The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured in NCDOT Now, the department’s weekly newscast.

National Roundabout Week

Roundabouts can be intimidating upon first approach, but they are designed to be safer and more efficient than traditional intersections.

NCDOT’s Traffic Safety Unit found that roundabouts, which replaced intersections with 55 mile-per-hour speed limits, helped reduce crashes by 41% and fatal and injury crashes by 79%.

Though they are becoming more popular on North Carolina roads, not everyone feels comfortable using a roundabout. To help you during your next trip, follow these simple tips:

  • Yield to any traffic already in the roundabout, entering only when you see a gap in traffic.
  • Never enter a roundabout while an emergency vehicle with lights and sirens is passing through. If you are already in the roundabout, exit as soon as possible and pull over.
  • Bicyclists should always stay in the middle of their lane while in a roundabout.
  • Drivers should never pass bicyclists while in a roundabout.

For more roundabout safety tips, visit NCDOT’s roundabout page.

Passenger Ferry Season Totals

The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry allows riders to skip the vehicle ferry waits and cruise directly between Hatteras and Ocracoke Village.

For its third season, which began June 21 and ended on Labor Day, 16,594 people took advantage of the service. On average, 213 passengers who rode the ferry each day more than doubles the average of 97 people who rode the ferry each day during the 2020 season.

Passenger surveys showed the ferry is a popular option, with 94% of passengers rating it as either “excellent” or “good.”

The Ferry Division is planning to bring back the Ocracoke Express next summer. For more information, visit ncferry.org.

For more information about NCDOT Now, contact the NCDOT Communications Office at (919) 707-2660. Additional news stories from throughout the week can be found on NCDOT.gov.

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