CLEARWATER, Fla. — There’s a new way to get through the Clearwater Beach roundabout.

What You Need To Know

  • The City of Clearwater is trying a traffic safety pilot program at the roundabout on Clearwater Beach

  • The right lane from Mandalay Ave will now force you through the roundabout and turn onto Coronado Drive

  • The change will be in place for 6 months. The city will then assess whether or not it will stay

  • More Traffic Inbox headlines, plus suggest a story

The city changed the traffic pattern there last Friday.

The right lane from Mandalay Avenue will now force you through the roundabout and turn onto Coronado Drive.

William Johnson works on Clearwater Beach and reached out to Spectrum Bay News 9 when he heard about the change.  

“It’s a love-hate relationship,” Johnson said in an interview. “I come through it multiple times a day. I’ve had times I’ve even been involved in a car accident because people don’t follow the directions or the signs.”

He supports the change but says it’s been an adjustment for drivers.

“You can see people stopping because they don’t know how to use it,” Johnson said.

The change was made with a solid painted line and signs alerting drivers.

City officials say the change is a pilot program to see if it helps traffic flow better and cut down on crashes in the roundabout.

It will be in place for six months. Officials will then assess whether or not the change will stay or go back to the way it was.

“It’s going to be a headache at first. But I think once people realize the changes and get used to it, it’s going to be our daily lives,” Johnson said.