Intentionally or accidentally, decisions of Belgrade authorities to "decorate" some newly created roundabouts with unnecessary or even bizarre details, in many ways diverted the public's attention from the basic function of those road.
Thus, the clock on the roundabout near Republic Square has unintentionally become a tourist attraction because it is mostly not working, so a considerable number of citizens stare at it every day, but not to see what time it is, but to catch it showing the wrong time and thus create a new opportunity to mock the incompetent city government.
The same is the case with the roundabout in Terazije, where by the order of the mayor Aleksandar Šapić, literally interpreting the name of that part of the city, it was placed monument to the scales, which, in addition to countless mocking comments, spawned hundreds of internet historians who explained to the plebs how Terasions actually got a name.
Underneath all that is the basic question - do Belgrade's roundabouts justify their existence.
The interlocutors of "Vremen", traffic experts, have a divided opinion on this.
Nothing without research
Traffic safety expert Milan Božović tells "Vreme" that without research that would show what traffic measurements were like before and after the establishment of roundabouts, it is impossible to talk about how functional Belgrade's roundabouts are.
He emphasizes that, in general, roundabouts increase traffic safety because they reduce the speed of vehicles and therefore the number of accidents with more serious consequences. Roundabouts, admittedly, have a greater number of accidents with material damage than classic intersections, but such accidents are not something that affects people's health and life.
"Roundabouts reduce the time that vehicles stay and are easier to empty because they flow better, except when they come over the capacity limit, and then they are difficult to empty. They provide the possibility for traffic to take place in all directions, which is not always the case at classic intersections, that is, it is not possible to allow vehicles to turn left at all classic intersections without causing congestion. Roundabouts allow the driver to make a U-turn, to turn left or to turn in a third direction if it exists, and so as not to slow down traffic," explains Božović.
Better than a classic intersection
He notes that as a driver he has no bad experiences with roundabouts and that it is much easier for him to function on a roundabout than on a classic four-way intersection with a traffic light.
"At a classic intersection with a traffic light, the driver often has to wait to pass the vehicles from the opposite direction when he comes to the halfway point, and when he passes them, he has to continue, but he no longer knows whether the traffic light is red or green," says Božović.
He also notes that roundabouts should be built only at intersections where research would show that their construction would improve the quality of traffic.
When it comes to the behavior of drivers in roundabouts, about which there are many complaints, he points out that Serbia is a "relatively young environment" when it comes to roundabouts.
"When someone drives for several decades in a city where there is no roundabout and then comes to a city where there is a roundabout, then he doesn't know how to behave. That's why campaigns could be launched that would explain how to behave in a roundabout, and the work of driving schools could be increased," concludes Božović.
Photo: Vreme/Katarina StevanovićA clock on the roundabout at Republic Square
The statistics are relentless.
On the other hand, the director of the Traffic Safety Committee, Damir Okanović, tells "Vreme" that thanks to the statistics, it is very easy to see that roundabouts in Belgrade have not improved traffic safety.
"They were placed at intersections where no major traffic accidents were recorded, which means that by installing roundabouts and quasi-roundabouts, the danger was not removed because it did not exist," says Okanović.
He points out that the most important things in traffic are safety and flow, with the fact that flow does not mean only the number of vehicles, but the overall picture of traffic.
Therefore, it indicates that the purpose of the roundabout should be to increase safety above all.
"When we talk about how much roundabouts and quasi-roundabouts have changed traffic safety, we have to look at the statistics that say that in 2025, 97 road users died in Belgrade, and in 2024, 94. At the same time, at the level of Serbia, the number of traffic fatalities decreased in 2025 compared to 2024. From this, it can be concluded that the measures taken in Belgrade in the past period did not reduce the number of those who died, we already got the opposite, unwanted result," says Okanović.
He adds that the problem is not only that roundabouts were made where they should not have been made, but also that resources were spent where they did not bring solutions, instead of being invested where it was really needed.
"The management of the traffic safety system is carried out on the basis of expert analyses, and that is why the first logical step before the construction of roundabouts is to conduct a study that will show at which intersections, from the aspect of safety and flow, there really is a need for a roundabout. However, that first step was not taken, so it is obvious that the choice of intersections where there will be roundabouts was obviously arbitrary, and that choice was made by someone who is clearly not an expert in traffic," says Okanović.
Quasi-roundabouts
He also points out that some intersections have not been converted into roundabouts, but into quasi roundabouts.
"By definition, a roundabout is an intersection with a circular flow of traffic. The characteristic of such an intersection is that you can enter it from any direction, or flow, and you can exit it in any direction, or flow. If on Terazije, when you come from Ulica Kralja Milana from the direction of Slavija, you cannot turn into Balkanska Ulica, then it is not a roundabout. Also, if you come to Trg Nikola Pašić from the direction of Bulevar Kralja Aleksandar and do not you can turn left towards the garage, it's also a quasi roundabout," Okanović explains.
He also emphasizes that there are serious problems in compliance with the law and safety during the construction of roundabouts.
"The mode of operation of traffic lights established in roundabouts is not legal, because the mode of operation of traffic lights in which there is only a red and yellow flashing light, and no green light - does not exist in our law. If someone enters a roundabout on red, there is no article of law on the basis of which he can be charged with a misdemeanor," says Okanović.
He also points out that there is a serious problem with the regulation of traffic lights in roundabouts.
"For example, at the roundabout near Ušće, during the day, when there is a yellow flashing light for drivers, it is a red light for pedestrians. Drivers who return from work every afternoon there are used to the fact that when the light is yellow for pedestrians, it is red for pedestrians, and when the light is red for pedestrians, then the light is green for pedestrians. Drivers thus acquire a conditioned reflex and therefore do not miss pedestrians at the pedestrian crossing even though the light is flashing yellow. However, in the evening, the driver also makes a decision not to pass the pedestrian at the pedestrian crossing when the light is flashing. If the pedestrian enters the pedestrian crossing and the vehicle hits him, he can see that there is no light at the pedestrian traffic light, which means that the pedestrian has the right of way and that the driver is obliged to stop. There are therefore two completely different modes of the driver's obligations at the yellow flashing light, even though he does not see the pedestrian traffic light, and even though he is not in he is obliged to watch, but only his own traffic light. Thus, the driver will hit a pedestrian at the pedestrian crossing because he does not know that the pedestrian does not have a red light after 20 p.m., because that is how the traffic lights are regulated at that roundabout," explains Okanović.
Driving schools also scheduled
He also notes that the basic rule is that if there are no problems somewhere, you should not touch anything.
"If you have an intersection like the one at the intersection of Mihajlo Pupin Boulevard and Nikola Tesla Boulevard, where there are no safety or traffic problems, then the question arises as to why it is being touched and why a roundabout was installed there. When they saw that the establishment of a roundabout collapsed the traffic flow and created a problem that did not exist before, then they invented traffic lights on roundabouts that are not in accordance with the law," says Okanović.
It also points to systemic problems when it comes to the behavior of drivers in roundabouts.
"On the driving test, you need to know whether the registration sticker is valid for five days, six months or a year, even though it says so on it, but on the driving test, you don't need to know the rules for driving in a roundabout. In driving schools, if the instructor is not an enthusiast, he is not obliged to explain how to enter, move or exit the roundabout. Also keep in mind that many cities in Serbia do not have roundabouts, and the instructors have nowhere to show them," says Okanović.
He also reminds that there are no campaigns that will explain to drivers how to move in a roundabout, which is especially important when it comes to drivers who passed their driving test a few decades ago, when there were not so many roundabouts.
"You can see a constant problem, the same way accidents occur in a roundabout: the driver in the outer lane continues to move and the driver in the middle lane continues to move and - boom, and in the past 15 years, although the problem has been constant, in terms of campaigns, nothing has been done about it," concludes Okanović.
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