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Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

carmel.in.gov

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Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#11
My city has a lot of roundabouts, some are quite big (~150m diameter) as they are used where two or more main roads meet.

When I first came here they usually had three lanes, with the idea that you change lanes as you move through the roundabout - this meant almost daily you would see a minor RTI on a roundabout, which would cause large queues of traffic. Some roundabouts also had three lanes where you enter and exit, but they were usually signalled.

A few years ago they reduced the roundabouts to two lanes, and all exits to one lane. The idea being that for the first and second exit you need to use the outer lane, and for the third or fourth exit you use the inner lane. That inner lane becomes the outer lane after the second exit, so you just stick to the same lane once on the roundabout. The only time you need to change lanes is if you miss your exit and need to go around again. There are clear signs before you reach the roundabout saying which lane you need for which exit.

Since this change was made, I think I've seen maybe one RTI on a roundabout - when somebody was being stupid and tried to overtake a bus. It's such a simple change, but it's crazy how effective it has been. They've also started adding speed bumps to some roundabouts to slow traffic, which actually increases capacity as it's easier to join with slow moving traffic.

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#12
post #10

They put two roundabouts in here on a state highway. I've never talked to anyone who had good things to say about them. The main problems IMO are: - you can just go around again if you aren't sure which exit you need; you are forced into taking an exit, right or wrong - the radius is too small so there is not much time to make a complex decision, especially if you aren't already familiar with the exits - it's hard to…

I think the problems above are mostly for new users. Those unfamiliar with their way. But... lots of this is solved via navigation apps and even proper signage.

On there other hand they have a maximum throughput and that can only be alleviated by an interchange --even modest ones.

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#13
post #11

My city has a lot of roundabouts, some are quite big (~150m diameter) as they are used where two or more main roads meet. When I first came here they usually had three lanes, with the idea that you change lanes as you move through the roundabout - this meant almost daily you would see a minor RTI on a roundabout, which would cause large queues of traffic. Some roundabouts also had three lanes where you enter and exit…

RTI: Road Traffic Incident, an updated term for a "car accident" or "motor vehicle collision".

From a quick search, I think it's British. As an American, I'd never encountered either the acronym or the expanded form.

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#14

I've driven through an intersection almost daily my entire life. It was switched to a roundabout a few years ago. I have had more near misses in that roundabout from people not yielding or people continuing around in the outside lane than my entire life driving and never had a single issue with the intersection prior to it being a roundabout. I like roundabouts. I would like to see a study on how many near misses hap…

It requires more attention, brings more stress, in exchange for less critical accidents. I think this is pretty much a constant in road security, where putting more stress and forcing the driver to pay attention leads to overall better outputs (enforced road bumps, sound inducing road sides, fake people display on crossing paths etc.) PS: on people not yielding, speed are lower than on straight lines so it's still le…

I have long suspected that what makes roundabouts safe is that they feel like they aren’t. People speed when the lanes are wide as well. There have been some people experimenting with optical illusions that make highways feel less safe than they actually are, such as forced perspective to make obstacles off the highway look closer, which encourages the drivers to slow down and pay attention.

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#15

I've driven through an intersection almost daily my entire life. It was switched to a roundabout a few years ago. I have had more near misses in that roundabout from people not yielding or people continuing around in the outside lane than my entire life driving and never had a single issue with the intersection prior to it being a roundabout. I like roundabouts. I would like to see a study on how many near misses hap…

That's an educational problem. It's much the same here in Canada (southern Ontario to be exact), but the more roundabouts are installed, the better drivers are at navigating them. One funny story my wife told me was, she was once a passenger in a car driven by someone unfamiliar with roundabouts. Upon encountering their first one, they proceeded to drive round and round, afraid to exit. The unfortunate truth, is that…

My driving school had us drive 25 minutes just to use a roundabout situated in a small suburban town. Gave us the occasion to practice both roundabouts and highway driving in the same session.

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#16
post #10

They put two roundabouts in here on a state highway. I've never talked to anyone who had good things to say about them. The main problems IMO are: - you can just go around again if you aren't sure which exit you need; you are forced into taking an exit, right or wrong - the radius is too small so there is not much time to make a complex decision, especially if you aren't already familiar with the exits - it's hard to…

how is 1 negative? And how is 2 not solved by 1.

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#17
post #10

They put two roundabouts in here on a state highway. I've never talked to anyone who had good things to say about them. The main problems IMO are: - you can just go around again if you aren't sure which exit you need; you are forced into taking an exit, right or wrong - the radius is too small so there is not much time to make a complex decision, especially if you aren't already familiar with the exits - it's hard to…

[deleted]

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#19

Phoenix area added a bunch of roundabouts a while ago and last I heard they were in the process of taking them out. Problem is if people are used to them they work well but if you rarely see them people don’t really understand the concept and just kind of blast through them without yielding. Almost got taken out a few times when I was a cabbie, people just go full speed into them without looking. The new hotness seem…

>Problem is if people are used to them they work well but (un)friendly reminder that this goes for the people in the city plannign department first and foremost. You can't just dump one in at every intersection and expect them to work out. It only works out when there's similiar traffic volumes on the intersecting streets. Of course people just drive on through when the volumes are such that that's the prevailing flo…

2-way stops often feel stressful or unsafe if there is any significant traffic. Roundabouts seem like an improvement with the much lower chance of being t-boned.

Re: Roundabouts reduced accidents and are environmentally friendly

#20
Had to remind myself of the difference between a roundabout and a traffic circle, suspecting some local mislabeling. From https://www.ofallon.org/street-division/faq/what-is-the-diff... :

> Roundabouts are not traffic circles. Roundabouts follow a yield at entry rule, which requires approaching vehicles to wait for a gap in the circulating traffic before entering the roundabout. Roundabouts involve low speeds for traffic entering and driving through the roundabout; they use deflection to slow entering traffic and enhance safety. Vehicles in the roundabout have the right of way.

> Another distinguishing difference between traffic circles and roundabouts is that roundabouts have a smaller diameter than most traffic circles, resulting in safer conditions and lower speeds. Vehicles can enter modern roundabouts much easier than traffic circles due to flared approaches, entry angles, slower speeds on the circulating roadway and the fact that vehicles entering roundabouts always yield to circulating traffic.

> Entering a roundabout is as easy as making a right hand turn onto a one-way street.

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