Justin Kuhns
Roundabouts: The Next Big Thing
Roundabouts are a very uncommon sight throughout the United States. Some Americans are not even sure what a roundabout actually is. Many of the Americans that have heard of roundabouts and seen what they look like think that they are too complicated and difficult to maneuver. However, roundabouts can be very effective and efficient when properly used. Roundabouts aren't a common sight in the United States, but their advantages should allow them to be more frequently used. If people learn how to operate them, they will be much safer, cheaper, and more efficient than traditional intersections and stoplights that are used throughout the U.S.
To understand why roundabouts are so much more effective than regular intersections, it is important to understand how they work. Roundabouts are circular intersections in which traffic goes around a central point until the vehicles take their desired exit. According to the Federal Highway Administration, there are three characteristics that all roundabouts have. The traffic goes counterclockwise, there is a yield sign at the entry, and there is low speed throughout. Other characteristics like the number of entry points vary. “Some have as few as three legs and others as many as six.” (“Intersection Safety”) There can also be a single lane or multiple lanes, depending on how much traffic will flow through it. Though there are certain properties that accommodate specific needs of different locations, the fundamental characteristics allow for roundabouts to be much safer than traditional intersections.
Though they are uncommon in the United States, roundabouts have flourished in many European countries. “The roundabout is said to have flourished in Britain because it requires the British virtues of compromise and cooperation. The U.S.’s more aggressive, confrontational culture may explain why the roundabout has not been more widely adopted by Americans,” says British journalist Stephen Beard (Hargis). Britain is not the only country that has completely accepted the British-style roundabout. France currently has more than thirty thousand of these roundabouts, which is the most of any country in the world (Hargis). As of 2007, the United States only had one thousand roundabouts (Fromme). Many countries in central Europe have chosen roundabouts because they are sensible. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that roundabouts decrease accidents by forty percent and fatal accidents by ninety percent.
There are many benefits to using roundabouts as an alternate to regular intersections, but it has been tough to implement them in many cities in the United States. Many Americans have very negative feelings when they even hear the word roundabout. “What keeps Americans on a straight course regarding street intersections is most likely culture and experience,” says an article from The Washington Post (Noack). They do not think that there is a problem with the intersections that we already have, so they do not want to replace it. Whatever the reason for American dislike of roundabouts, it is completely unfounded. In one survey about a roundabout in Montpelier, Vermont, 68% of the respondents had a negative view of the roundabout when it was being planned. Less than 20% disapproved of it after it was implemented (Fromme). In another case, many of the residents in Clearwater, Florida were opposed to the first roundabout in the city. However, after it was put in, the residents appreciated it so much that they have converted fourteen more intersections into roundabouts (Fromme). In general, people don’t like change. However, if Americans could see the practical benefits of roundabouts, they would be more inclined to accept them as an alternative.
According to the FHA, about 25% of motor vehicle fatalities in the United States have something to do with intersections. If roundabouts were implemented they could be very effective in reducing the traffic accidents. In a report from the University of Cincinnati, Victoria Fromme showed that there were 32 possible points of collision in a regular four-way intersection. In a fundamental four-legged roundabout, there are only 8 possible points of collision (Retting 629). Logically, it makes sense that roundabouts are much safer than four-way intersections.
Not only does it make sense that roundabouts are safe, there are many studies and statistics that back it up. In a study from The Journal of Public Health, the number of traffic accidents before and after a roundabout was implemented were analyzed. These statistics came from roundabouts from all around the United States. Out of the 24 roundabouts, the average reduction in crashes was thirty-eight percent. Though the number of accidents decreased, the reduction in injuries was even greater. On average, the number of injuries caused by accidents reduced by seventy-six percent. A separate study showed that after a roundabout was put in, “the average number [of collisions] before the reconstruction is at similar level, however their severity is lower declined” (Tracz 799). This huge decrease in injuries is explained by the design of roundabouts. Roundabouts have a much lower operating speed, so while the number of accidents may decrease, the injuries from accidents will be less severe than they would at a regular intersection.
One of the biggest arguments for roundabouts is the increase in efficiency. Their design allows for traffic to flow through them in high quantities. Though the operating speeds are lower, many more vehicles can move through them at a time. This continuous movement allows for large amounts of traffic to move through. In a normal 2×2 roundabout, around 1500 vehicles travel through in an hour (Guerrieri). That amounts to one car going through every 2.4 seconds. Some roundabouts can allow for even more traffic to go through. The constant traffic makes roundabouts very efficient.
In traditional traffic signaled intersections, there is time lost in between red lights and green lights. Vehicles must come to a complete stop, and time is lost when one side of traffic finishes their turn. At that time there is no traffic in the intersection. Time is then lost because the next traffic that moves must sped up into an optimal speed. Not only is time lost because of stopping, additional time is also needed for traffic that turns left. At busy intersections, there is a time when all traffic is stopped except for two opposite sides that turn left. There is so much stoppage time in many aspects of a regular traffic signaled intersection. When used properly, there is almost no time lost in a roundabout. The yield signs allow vehicles to rarely waste time with complete stops. No matter which exit a vehicle takes, it will always take minimal time, because it only has to travel around the roundabout until it gets to its desired exit. This efficiency is huge to have in an urban setting.
One surprising benefit to roundabouts is the environmental impact. According to an article from the Journal of Transportation Engineering, “The fact that entering vehicles must slow down and only stop if no gap Is available, makes the roundabout more fluid and friendly to the environment” (Jacquemart). Vehicles that navigate roundabouts are more energy efficient because they do not stand by and waste gas. Vehicles are constantly moving, which greatly reduces the air pollution. Along with this, the middle of roundabouts can be transformed into anything. This could be gardens, statues, art, and could act as a symbol for the community (Fromme).
Along with air pollution, roundabouts can also reduce noise pollution. Engines make less noise because they do not have to speed up from rest. It is a much smoother process for vehicles to move in a roundabout. In traditional intersections, many cars all speed up at once, which cause loud noises. In a roundabout, cars slowly get up to the operating speed that is in place. It is a much gentler process, and that is why the noise pollution is much lower than at a regular intersection. Roundabouts also reduce the amount of paved areas, which also lowers the volume (Fromme). This is also better for the environment because there is more room for plants and natural life to grow. Roundabouts are very beneficial to the environment in almost every aspect.
One benefit that is sure to get the attention of taxpayers and lawmakers in the United States is the economic impact that they can have. Government spending is a very hot topic in the United States, and a reduction in it will be very appealing to citizens. Traffic light intersections average about $125,000 in equipment. This is for only one intersection. Not only is there the initial cost of the traffic lights, there could also be up to $10,000 dollars in operating cost each year (Fromme). It does cost money to convert intersections to roundabouts, but they do end up paying off in the end. Stoplights are very expensive to maintain, whereas a roundabout requires little to no maintenance at all. Cost efficiency should not be the main motivation for every single roundabout, but for busy urban settings, it is more cost effective to have them in almost every single case.
Roundabouts can also make an economic impact by bringing more business to an area. Golden, Colorado replaced four intersections with roundabouts in 1999, and the city’s revenue from sales tax increased by sixty percent (Fromme). The reason for the spike in sales tax revenue was that the volume of traffic increased by almost 35%, which means more customers (Fromme). Roundabouts bring a new look to communities, which causes more people to visit the area. More people visiting the community will cause more people to visit the local business which is extremely beneficial to the local economy. Roundabouts can single-handedly revive a community. They bring a fresh and nicer look to the roadways which attracts more customers. Roundabouts can put a huge dent in the economic problems that a community may have.
The greatest argument against roundabouts is that they are too complex to understand and navigate. However, with anything new and revolutionary, it takes some time to get used to, and when that happens, the results are very beneficial. Many people said that computers were too difficult to understand, but now the majority of people in the world have one in their pocket. So too would be the roundabout if they were installed all over the United States. People would have some trouble with them at first, but after the first couple of months, traffic will move much faster than it did before. With the more efficient traffic will also come the other benefits: economic, safety, and environmental impacts. Just because something is not easy, does not mean that it will not be worthwhile. With the numerous advantages of roundabouts, they are sure to pay off in the end.
It is very easy to see that roundabouts are more effective than other intersections, but it is very difficult to implement them. There must be a plan of how to integrate them with regular intersections. The first and easiest step is to start putting them in development sites where they will eventually be extremely beneficial to large amounts of traffic. Some civil engineers are already getting ready for this big movement. A civil engineer from central Illinois, Jim Crane, has had the job of designing one roundabout in the Village of Tilton. “There were not any design guidelines from the Federal Highway Administration or the State of Illinois, so [I] did a Google search and used design manuals/principles from the United Kingdom,” said Crane. He also said that since that project, he had seen more acceptance in the US, and he has taken some design classes on them (Crane). This is good because it means that civil engineers are learning how to design roundabouts.
The next step to integrating roundabouts in the United States is deciding where to put them. As stated before, development sites and areas of growth are the first places that they can be implemented. However, with careful planning, old stoplight intersections can also be replaced with the more efficient alternative. Of course it will be difficult in some places, because of the many vehicles depending on the intersections. There are some places that are not allowed to just be closed off. Nevertheless, there are still some areas that will end up benefiting by converting intersections into roundabouts. These are places that are somewhat busy, but can handle being closed off for a couple of months to increase traffic efficiency. Little by little traffic can be improved by putting these roundabouts in.
Roundabouts are up and coming in the United States. They will be a terrific solution to many traffic problems throughout the country. Perhaps they could even help reduce the ongoing traffic problem in Atlanta. These roundabouts will provide lasting benefits that will help everything involved. Local economies will be much better off after they are put in. Traffic will be optimized unlike any other time in the history of motorized vehicles. Environmental effects will be seen as well. The air pollution and noise pollution will both be reduced. Most importantly, there will be a sharp decline the number of traffic fatalities everywhere. Roundabouts will slowly but surely improve the lives of millions of Americans. It is time to stop looking at a roundabout as a question and start looking at it as the answer.
Works Cited
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