Mike was driving through an area he was unfamiliar with late Sunday night when he went down what he thought was a side street. It was actually a rotary, in which cars drive counterclockwise through a traffic circle, and Mike noticed his mistake when he saw a car coming toward him head on.

Mike was able to avoid an accident, but his trip on the wrong side of the road still caused him trouble when Medford Police Detective Stephen LeBert pulled him over and threatened his life over his driving. Mike said it was an honest mistake—he said didn’t see any signs for the circle—and he wasn’t the first to make it.


The issue with how Mike was pulled over Sunday night has nothing to do with the actual rotary and everything to do with LeBert’s actions and attitude. But was Mike’s traffic mishap that big of a deal?

New England’s rotaries—like this rotary from hell The Boston Globe looked into—can be confusing and frustrating experiences. Business leaders and local politicians threw a party when a rotary in Chelmsford was removed. Some New England natives even wonder why they still exist at all.

Winthrop Circle recently went under construction. Medford residents said that the yield lines weren’t repainted after the road was repaved, and that signage indicating to keep right was changed.

“I’m very familiar with the rotary and it can be very confusing,’’ Medford resident Marybeth Flaherty, 53, said. She said she sees a lot of drivers make mistakes at that rotary and that it should be “updated,’’ but “It’s definitely not just signs that’s going to heal the problem.’’

Ernie Okyere, 41, said he used to drive through the area often and understands it can be tricky. “[At] any rotary you can make a mistake,’’ he said. “Especially at night and if you’re not familiar with the area.’’


To others, rotaries are just a part of the New England landscape. Ron Gittens, 37, said they’re pretty self-explanatory, and should be expected.

“If you’re not from around here, they’re probably tricky,’’ he said. “But we live in Boston.’’

15 New England road trips