# St Barts Forums > St Barts Island Main Forum >  >  No left turn leaving the airport

## JEK

Une signalétique routière en mutation
_A la sortie de laéroport, il faut désormais remonter jusquau rond-point de la Tourmente pour prendre la direction vers Saint-Jean._
Sil est un élément troublant lorsque des habitudes sont prises, cest sans nul doute la modification de la signalétique routière. Ce constat peut ainsi être fait à hauteur de lentrée vers Super U, à Saint-Jean, où les usagers de la route en provenance de Saint-Jean ne sont plus autorisés à tourner directement sur leur gauche. Une nouvelle réglementation peu respectée. Quelques mètres plus haut, les personnes qui sortent de la zone de station- nement de laéroport ne peuvent plus tourner à gauche et ainsi engager leur véhicule en direction de Saint-Jean. Ils doivent remonter jusquau rond-point de la Tourmente, en faire le tour puis redescendre vers Saint-Jean.
Et puis il y a les travaux, presquinnombrables, entrepris sur lîle. Ceux-ci saccompagnent de changements temporaires qui ne manquent pas de dérouter les usagers. Lexemple parfait est Corossol puisque, même en affichant la plus sincère bonne volonté, il est parfois difficile de sy retrouver. Quoi quil en soit, dans chacun de ces cas, des panneaux indiquent aux conducteurs la marche à suivre. Il est donc parfois utile - et pré- férable - de lever le nez de son volant, de son guidon ou de son téléphone portable pour jeter un il sur les indications qui pré- cèdent ou suivent les zones de travaux.



Mutation road signage


At the exit of the airport, it is now necessary to go back to the roundabout of the turmoil to take the direction towards Saint-Jean.
If it is a disturbing element when habits are taken, it is undoubtedly the modification of road signage. This observation can thus be made up to the entrance to Super U, in Saint-Jean, where road users from Saint-Jean are no longer allowed to turn directly on their left. New regulations that are not very respected. A few meters higher, people who leave the airport station can no longer turn left and thus engage their vehicle towards Saint-Jean. They have to go back to the turmoil roundabout, go around and then come back down to Saint-Jean.
And then there is the work, almost innovative, undertaken on the island. These are accompanied by temporary changes that do not fail to confuse users. The perfect example is a corossol since, even by displaying the most sincere good will, it is sometimes difficult to find your way around. In any case, in each of these cases, panels indicate the drivers the procedure to follow. It is therefore sometimes useful - and pre -skid - to lift the nose of your steering wheel, handlebars or mobile phone to take a look at the indications that prevail or follow the work areas.

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## cec1

. . . and my recent experience was that le Tournament has become much more crowded . . . imagine a busy roundabout in Paris, on a smaller scale.

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## Jeanette

I understand why they are making this decision. Making a left from the airport parking lot can be very intimidating and no doubt the site of many accidents. That being said, we've been at the la Tourmente while it was backed up in one direction from the circle to the airport and in the other direction from the circle through Gustavia. The only other safety measure I can think of is traffic signals, which would be a huge stretch for the island.

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## Cwater

> I understand why they are making this decision. Making a left from the airport parking lot can be very intimidating and no doubt the site of many accidents. That being said, we been at the la Tourmente while it was backed up in one direction from the circle to the airport and in the other direction from the circle through Gustavia. The only other safety measure I can think of is traffic signals, which would be a huge stretch for the island.



I agree.  The no traffic light ambiance of our happy place has been replaced by an inundation of traffic.  I am ready to accept systems that allow flow.

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## Max1030

That poor P'tit roundabout could barely handle the traffic already, now we are going to send all the cars to the merry go round. 
We all know human nature, people will not sit in traffic to avoid a left hand turn out of the airport or into the grocery. I think we will see many breaking this new rule.. 


A reminder to use your signals when exiting the roundabout. 
Makes for such a safer more efficient way to utilize.

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## amyb

Good point about signaling!

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## Happycamper

In Boston, we say that signaling is just giving advantage to your opponent, or, in the original dialect "No blinkah for you!"

But on vacation I enjoy using the blinker just to experience different cultures. It is very curious to signal for a lane change and have the other cars makes space to let me in rather than speed up to block me out.

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## cassidain

> That poor P'tit roundabout could barely handle the traffic already, now we are going to send all the cars to the merry go round.



we have many times used ronds-points in merry go round fashion (round and round and round) as Mme Cassidain and I discuss (argue about) navigational decisions  :cool:

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## alachick

Put a round-about at the airport exit if possible

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## JEK

> Put a round-about at the airport exit if possible





Two roundabouts in 200 feet? Perfect solution for those coming down the hill!

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## alachick

If that's what it takes to keep things moving

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## alachick

You won't have as many people coming down the hill if you don't send them up the hill

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## Dennis

> we have many times used ronds-points in merry go round fashion (round and round and round) as Mme Cassidain and I discuss (argue about) navigational decisions



I've been in that car.

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## andynap

> Two roundabouts in 200 feet? Perfect solution for those coming down the hill!



Car going the wrong way

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## JEK

God Save The King

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## cassidain

> I've been in that car.



And, people look at you like youre crazy, right?  :cool:

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## Happycamper

> Car going the wrong way



After landing in England after a long transatlantic flight, I came to a roundabout at 5AM and had NO idea whether they are clockwise or counter clockwise in the UK.  So I just sat there for 5 or 10 minutes by myself, in the dark, until headlights approached from the opposite side and I happily followed them around and I was all set.

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## Dennis

> And, people look at you like you’re crazy, right?



One person, for sure.

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## davesmom

Try driving around L'Arc de Triomphe...and around and around..I wanted to make a tee shirt that said, "We survived driving around L'Arc de Triomphe!"  The signal idea is fabulous, though.  Mostly I hung out our window trying to make people let us get across lanes

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## amyb

Trafalgar Square was a driving challenge as we left London for Bath.

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## Leon

I just hope some (a lot) of newcomers will get tired from St Barth (traffic jams and all) and will start going somewhere else and that will be the organic solution for the excessive traffic. But as John Lennon said "Maybe I am a dreamer".

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## cec1

> Trafalgar Square was a driving challenge as we left London for Bath.



Funny, Amy . . . we came driving into London after visiting Bath, numerous years ago, & similarly got caught in a circle — a memorable nightmare!  Fortunately, it’s a humorous recollection today!

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## JEK



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