First Roundabout Merge Shock at the End of Girne Pass
At the end of Girne Pass, the approach to Girne’s first roundabout creates a sudden shift in driving logic. The descent feels complete, visibility opens, and speed stabilizes. Risk appears when the roundabout is treated as a continuation of the pass rather than a new decision space.
As vehicles leave the downhill section, drivers carry momentum and expectation. Lanes compress, priorities change, and yielding replaces flowing. The visual field widens, but the rules tighten. This mismatch produces hesitation followed by abrupt commitment.
Timing sharpens the effect. Between 16:30–19:30, inbound traffic stacks quickly. Vehicles already aligned for the roundabout hold speed to claim position. Others arrive undecided, slowing late or drifting across lanes to correct. The merge becomes reactive instead of planned.
A familiar local sequence repeats. A vehicle exits the pass at steady speed and reaches the roundabout entry without a clear lane intention. Braking begins inside the approach zone. A following driver, still reading the road as open, reacts late. Contact, when it happens, is usually shallow but disruptive, spreading congestion backward onto the descent.
This pattern is not new. The geometry has been stable for years. Signage is visible. What persists is the assumption that pass behavior applies one moment longer than it should.
At the end of Girne Pass, the risk is not the roundabout itself,
but failing to reset from descent mode to yield mode in time.