{"id":7913,"date":"2021-04-01T15:13:16","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T15:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imegcorp.com\/?p=7913"},"modified":"2021-04-01T15:13:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T15:13:16","slug":"roundabouts-increase-safety-when-designed-to-be-user-friendly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imegcorp.com\/insights\/blog\/roundabouts-increase-safety-when-designed-to-be-user-friendly\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundabouts increase safety when designed to be user-friendly"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Corey Stout<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For many years, roundabouts have proven to be much safer than a tradition<\/span>al<\/span>\u00a0intersection.\u00a0<\/span>With a limited number of con<\/span>tact\u00a0<\/span>points, reduced vehicle speed, and\u00a0<\/span>smoother\u00a0<\/span>angle of cars passing through,<\/span>\u00a0severe car crashes are much less likely to happen in a roundabout \u2013 in fact, studies have shown the severity\u00a0<\/span>to be reduced by about 80 percent compared to a traditional intersection<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Left turns are typically the culprit of\u00a0<\/span>most intersection crashes<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Traditional inter<\/span>sections have 32 contact points, 12 of which are left turns. Roundabouts have only eight contact points\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>completely eliminate<\/span>\u00a0all left turns and crossing conflicts. With cars moving slower through the\u00a0<\/span>roundabout<\/span>\u00a0and no sharp angles,\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>hese intersections<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are\u00a0<\/span>generally much<\/span>\u00a0safer.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, I\u2019ve noticed a trend of increasing the\u00a0<\/span>number of\u00a0<\/span>lanes in roundabouts<\/span>\u00a0to two or three<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0with multiple entry and exit lanes<\/span>. The addition of the third lane<\/span>\u00a0tends to create confusion<\/span>\u00a0and driver error<\/span>, as d<\/span>rivers are unsure of when to yield and turn<\/span>\u00a0and where to enter and exit,<\/span>\u00a0and often change lanes without proper signaling.<\/span>\u00a0This can lead to an increase in roundabout crashes\u00a0<\/span>(even though t<\/span>he number of severe crashes is still significantly less than those in traditional intersections<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s be<\/span>st<\/span>\u00a0to have a single<\/span>–<\/span>lane roundabout<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>where adequate capacity can be maintained and the level of service of the roundabout is not compromised.\u00a0 E<\/span>ven two lanes are better than three. Regardless, it\u2019s important to educa<\/span>te drivers\u00a0<\/span>on<\/span>\u00a0the correct way to enter, change lanes, and leave a roundabout<\/span>. This can be accomplished<\/span>\u00a0through clear signage and pavement markings<\/span>\u00a0(including overhead signs designating lane choice and \u201cyield to both lanes\u201d signs)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>R<\/span>educing the number of entry lanes and contact points\u00a0<\/span>can be accomplished by partial and full right-turn bypass lanes. A<\/span>dding delineators such as splitter islands and median barriers<\/span>\u00a0are also highly beneficial.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When traditional intersections have high crash rates, are transition points for traffic calming, or have high left-turn volumes,<\/span>\u00a0r<\/span>oundabouts\u00a0<\/span>can be the better choice<\/span>, but only if they are designed with\u00a0<\/span>ease-of-use in mind. Complicat<\/span>ing them<\/span>\u00a0will only lead to confused drivers<\/span>, more accidents,<\/span>\u00a0and potentially costly revisions, so it\u2019s important to get the design right the first time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Roundabouts can be much safer than traditional intersections, but only when they are designed to be easy for drivers to navigate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3,265,264],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","category-civil-engineering","category-municipal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n