roundabouts

Modern roundabouts (not traffic circles) have been known to reduce accidents by 38%, and fatal accidents by 90% compared to traffic lights.

The original traffic circle, Colombus Circle, built in NYC in 1905, but modern roundabout require all entering traffic to yield to the traffic circling.


As there are 25,000 roundabouts in Britain many people first encountered roundabouts while trying to drive on the opposite side of the road. A double whammy.

The first modern U.S. traffic roundabout was constructed in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990. Does anyone know where it is located?

Quote: Pacomartin

The first modern U.S. traffic roundabout was constructed in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990. Does anyone know where it is located?

I'm quite sure you know, but that is right by my house! I go through that traffic circle almost every time I leave the house. An interesting thing about it is that it cuts right through a bigger circle, Village Center Circle.

However, I'd like to know how a traffic circle is different than a roundabout. There is well-known "traffic circle" in Long Beach that I know predates the Summerlin one by decades.

Quote: Wizard

However, I'd like to know how a traffic circle is different than a roundabout. There is well-known "traffic circle" in Long Beach that I know predates the Summerlin one by decades.

The U.S. Department of Transportation adopted the term modern roundabout to distinguish those that require entering drivers to give way to others.
Other types of intersections are called traffic circles or rotaries.

The terminology is not universally accepted as the roundabouts near Summerlin Hospital are labeled as traffic circles.

Modern roundabouts are designed to slow traffic down as the cars entering must yield to those in the circle. They are considered energy efficient and greatly reduce the possibility of a side impact collision. It has been estimated that 25 percent of all car crashes involve a side impact collision. Of those collisions, roughly 27 percent involved passenger vehicle occupant deaths.

Americans almost uniformly hate roundabouts or traffic circles or rotaries.



Then there is the Ethiopian solution


Carmel Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis, has 125 roundabouts now, and eventually, all lighted or signed stop intersections will be roundabouts. Population: 91,000. In Carmel, where roundabouts have replaced signals or stop signs at intersections, the number of injury accidents has been reduced by about 80 percent and the number of accidents overall by about 40 percent.

The 100th roundabout in Carmel.

I have no problem with the Summerlin roundabouts. The alternative would be waiting at red lights and a greater chance of a serious accident. I think there is some natural progression, based on traffic, between:

1. Intersections with stop signs.
2. Roundabouts.
3. Traffic signals.

Quote: Wizard

1. Intersections with stop signs.

It is difficult for me to imagine every 4 way stop intersection replaced with roundabouts, simply because of the need for more land.

There is (no kidding) a roundabout appreciation society in Britain who highlights quirky roundabouts like the one with wooden hedgehogs.



They hold a primary place in Tijuana where cultural heroes like Abraham Lincoln and Cuauhtemoc are seen by millions of cars per year.


I remember the Pearl roundabout in the Middle East, which was near our hotel. The Occupation encampment occured at Pearl Roundabout, Manama, Bahrain, March 4, 2011. |

They are putting in "compact urban" roundabouts in here in places. As the name suggests, they use less land.

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/meet-urban-roundabout-and-don-t-freak-out

Rotaries are different in that they have a much larger radius than the much smaller roundabout allowing for greater speeds within the circle so it's much harder for cars trying to enter said circle and causing worse accidents when they do occur.

Call 'em whatever, I love them. Good thing I moved to Massachusetts.

I'm still trying to figure out what it take for my municipality (~11,000) to replace less than a dozen traffic lights and four way stops with roundabouts.


I'm also trying to figure out if drunk drivers late at night will just drive over these mini-roundabouts.

I see that in the UK some double roundabout are being replaced with traffic lights.

I love roundabouts. They changed a busy intersection near me to a roundabout a few years ago. The longest amount of time I've had to wait to get through the roundabout is still WAY WAY WAY shorter than the average wait time to get through the intersection when it had traffic lights.