Roundabouts in Alameda

Diagram of roundabout from NACTO urban bikeway design guide

For the latest information on the Central Avenue Safety Project construction, visit the project webpage.

Roundabouts have safety and operational benefits for all roadway users and are an important safety treatment in many of the City’s corridor improvement projects, including on Central Avenue, Clement Avenue/Tilden Way, Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Avenue, and Stargell Avenue. 

This page provides information and resources on roundabouts and their implementation in Alameda.

As roundabouts open in Alameda, here are some tips on how to travel through them in a car, on foot or on bike.

When driving:

  • Approach slowly and use caution
  • Yield to people walking and biking in crossings when you enter and exit the roundabout
  • Yield to drivers in the circle before entering
  • Drive with the flow of traffic counterclockwise around the center island
  • Use your turn signal before exiting and watch for people walking and biking in crossings

When walking:

  • Use marked crosswalks
  • You have the right of way, but always stop and look both ways before crossing

When biking:

  • As you approach the roundabout, go slowly and use signs and pavement markings to choose your path of travel. In most locations, bikeways will transition to shared paths with pedestrians with dedicated or shared crossings.
  • Go slow and yield to pedestrians.
  • Before crossing the street, look both ways to check that drivers see and yield to you.
  • You may also choose to ride through the roundabout with vehicle traffic, following the instructions under “when driving” above.

Modern roundabouts are now commonly used around the country because of their safety and efficiency. Roundabouts can reduce the types of crashes where people are seriously hurt or killed by up to 78 percent when compared to signalized intersection (FHWA).  Roundabouts result in lower vehicle speeds and fewer potential conflicts.  Crashes that occur will be less severe because of this reduced speed and the nature of the potential conflict points.  Pedestrians are generally safer at roundabouts and are faced with simpler decisions at any one time. Alameda is only installing single-lane roundabouts, which are the safest for people walking and bicycling.

Educational Resources on Roundabouts

To date, roundabouts are included in the following corridor improvement projects: Central Avenue, Clement Avenue/Tilden Way, Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Avenue, and Stargell Avenue. Locations and their expected completion dates are:

  • Mecartney Avenue/Maitland Avenue (2025)
  • Central Avenue/Third Street (2025)
  • Central Avenue/Fourth Street (2025)
  • Central Avenue/Main Street/Pacific Avenue (2026)
  • Blanding Avenue/Tilden Way/Fernside Boulevard (2027)
  • Stargell Avenue/5th Street (2028)

Due to the benefits of modern roundabouts, the City prioritized roundabout planning through the following actions:

Many Bay Area cities are implementing modern roundabouts because of their safety benefits. While you are walking, biking, or driving in the region, you can check out roundabouts and how they work. Each roundabout design is different, and Alameda’s roundabouts will each have features and details specific to its context. Examples around the region include:

Building Safer Streets

How we build, improve, and maintain streets for safety

Vision Zero

Working towards a goal of zero traffic fatalities and severe injuries

Back to top