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Roundabouts cause rifts between cities and drivers
Motorists drive past Falomo roundabout in the Ikoyi district of Lagos on March 11, 2009.
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Jeremy Hobson: Just west of Minneapolis where I-494 meets Highway 169, they are taking down the stoplights and putting in a roundabout. It's just the latest example of a growing trend in suburbs around the country. The goal is to cut down on traffic congestion as well as accidents.
And as Chicago Public Radio's Tony Arnold reports one village in Illinois is hoping a new roundabout will serve as the cornerstone for new commercial development.
Tony Arnold: When you hear the word "roundabout," you might think of a huge multi-lane traffic circle -- the kind Chevy Chase gets stuck in in "National Lampoon's European Vacation."
"National Lampoon's European Vacation" clip: It's amazing. I cannot get left. There's Big Ben, kids. Parliament.
But the recipe for a typical roundabout these days is a little different. Take an average four-way intersection. Insert four yield signs. Add a round patch of grass in the middle. And voila.
Over the last 20 years, about 2,500 roundabouts have cropped up around the U.S.
Amy Connolly: I'm Amy Connolly, planning director for the Village of Tinley Park.
Connolly's been given the task of developing Tinley Park for the foreseeable future -- and part of that future includes a new roundabout funded by a $2 million grant. It's planned for an intersection meant to connect drivers from the nearby highway to the downtown area. Connolly says it'll help clear the traffic jams that clog the intersection now, and she says it will allow construction of a new commercial development without adding extra congestion. It's also intended to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
Connolly: We sort of drive on auto-pilot these days but things like roundabouts really force you to sort of slow down and think about what you're doing, and that makes for a safer intersection.
On a recent afternoon, Connolly drives me to South Holland -- two towns over. There we find a model for the Tinley Park roundabout. She says municipalities like roundabouts because they cut down on the electricity costs of running stoplights, and insurance groups show there are fewer serious accidents.
But the real trick could be getting local residents on board. Dave Burke lives by the South Holland roundabout and is unimpressed.
Dave Burke: It doesn't slow the traffic down, nobody knows how to use it.
Not unlike Chevy Chase, who needs a whole day to finally figure out that traffic circle in London.
In Chicago, I'm Tony Arnold for Marketplace.
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I just recently moved back to the US after having lived in the UK (primarily in London) for six years. Things I find striking about driving here are how much time we spend in our cars waiting for street lights to change, and how often our car journeys consist of accelerating and breaking. I speak from experience when I say that roundabouts definitely do increase the flow of traffic. They also have other pleasant knock-on effects, such as improved gas mileage, lower amounts of air pollution, and less wear and tear on parts of the car, such as the breaks. Those in this country who oppose roundabouts deny their advantages because they claim they are too difficult to use. I can understand this objection, in a nation where drivers may only occasionally be confronted by the odd roundabout here and there. But roundabouts, with practice, really are not difficult to navigate. As their numbers increase, the ability to drive successfully around a roundabout will become second nature. At a time when many of us are complaining about the high cost of gasoline, it is worth noting that if we employed roundabouts on a national scale, the decreased fuel consumption that would result would exert downward pressure on demand and prices for gas.
Having just returned from using various sizes and configurations of roundabouts in Scotland, they seem to work very well. The sizes ranged from tiny (no larger than a normal intersection) to large (stop lights at entry points of busiest ones which seems weird...). Setting pedestrian crossings back from the roundabout seems to give drivers and pedestrians the sight lines needed to maintain safety. N. American drivers would need to adjust their heads though.....
As a professional city planner and a driver, I can say nothing positive about roundabouts. Having endured a few of them in Raleigh, NC for a few days recently, I can honestly say that they are inherently a traffic hazard. They are confusing to all too many drivers and they create their own traffic jams. I was surprised at the number of near accidents I witnessed at the roundabouts in Raleigh, NC.
I just hope roundabouts don't become yet another mindless trend as has been all too common in planning, especially transportation planning. Cities should tred softly before they commit themselves to roundabouts -- gather in-depth information about them before building any.
We have several in my city and on the whole, I think they're fine. However, I do take issue with the environmental aspect. We recently completed near me that is substantially larger in area than what was there previously, and to control the intersection well would have been, in my estimation, handled better by signals.
I'll buy safety improvements (once everyone gets the hang of it), but I'm still not convinced of many other supposed benefits given the state of the art at present.
Roundabouts just started popping up around here (Rochester NY) and I don't see what all the whining is about.
As a driver they're very easy to use. You slow down and yield to oncoming traffic; you get in; then you get out. My five year could figure out.
Also, it's way more fun than sitting at a light.
And as someone who owns a home near one of these I'll tell you they make much more pleasant neighbors than a traditional signaled intersection. They're nicer to look at; and generally quieter because you don't have idiot drivers speeding up to "catch" a changing light or idling at a red light with their music blaring (very annoying).
If NJ is removing them it's because they designed them incorrectly or something is wrong with NJ drivers. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and go with the former.
I also have a hard time believing that anyone would enter a traffic circle going the wrong way. That doesn't even make sense.
TWO THUMBS way up for roundabouts. (and no, I'm not a DOT employee).
The Town of Normal, IL just completed a successful roundabout, or traffic circle, that incorporates sustainable infrastructure into its design. The town opted for making the Circle a central feature of a revitalization project, and it incorporates public space (a park) as well as sustainable infrastructure (ways to re-use stormwater for irrigation). The town has more info on it and how it functions on their website: http://www.uptownnormal.com/.
I was worried when roundabouts started appearing in Madison and the small towns nearby. Here in Wisconsin, at least, they have worked better than I ever expected. Everyone seems to understand them, traffic flows better, and they eliminate left turns.
Mr. Greenwald, the old traffic circles NJ has been removing are only superficialy similar to modern roundabouts.
NY converted an old circle to a modern roundabout, and saw the crash rate plummet. Total crashes went down by 60%, and severe injury crashes were nearly eliminated.
In contrast, crashes often go UP after a traffic signal is installed.
Why does Planetizen link to these substandard, poorly researched articles? First, there is no real conclusive evidence (yet) to support the assertion that modern roundabouts in the U.S. are safer all around for pedestrians and motorists. And, before we analyze the effects of a roundabout v. a traditional intersection, it's important to understand the geometric and volumetric distinctions between a modern roundabout, a rotary, and a traffic circle.
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