Posted on 09/25/2022 6:42:21 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Some drivers may be confused or intimidated by roundabouts, those circular intersections where all traffic circles to the left until motorists find their exit to the right.
But drivers better get used to them — the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is sold on the improved safety and traffic flow roundabouts provide and expects to install more of them to replace traditional intersections that use traffic signals or stop signs.
The department last week released a study that reviewed 36 roundabouts that had replaced traditional intersections for at least three years. It found that deaths at those locations dropped to just one from three; serious injuries dropped 76%; minor injuries 22%; and possible or unknown severity injuries 70%. Overall, the number of crashes dropped by 9%.
Jeff Bucher, PennDOT’s division chief for highway, design and technology, said the state expected the increased safety numbers. That’s because roundabouts slow down drivers in general and eliminate left turns across traffic that lead to high-impact side crashes.
“The roundabouts are designed so people enter at a slower speed so if there is an accident, it’s usually a minor fender-bender rather than the T-bone accidents you get at traditional intersections,” Mr. Bucher said. “All the turns are right-turn movements, not left turns across traffic.”
The use of modern roundabouts began in the early 1990s and were approved and encouraged by the Federal Highway Administration in the later 1990s. Some states, such as Florida, Washington and Wisconsin, have been leaders in adopting them.
Pennsylvania is about in the middle of the pack on roundabout use, Mr. Bucher said. In addition to those included in the study, another 38 have been installed on state routes and 16 are in the design stage.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
Roundabouts, or rotaries, can be good... when they are done right.
A rotary near me was done wrong, and required a TON of money to study it, another TON to improve and fix it.
Hate’em
Each state’s DOT personnel get free trips to Europe to studying “roundabouts” so they can bring the information on how to build them back to their states and we all can pretend we’re dumbass Europeans. I guess we’ll be driving on the left once we get done with the roundabout stupidity.
Look up "diverging diamond interchange."
Drivers are poorly educated with regard to roundabouts.
New Jersey has eliminated them because they are horrible when traffic volume increases.
We call them circles of death.
Two times in the last 6 months, I was close to having incidents when people just wanted to get on the roundabouts and go through to their desired exit in the roundabout, without paying attention to others that were entering or were already in the roundabout. To some, it’s just a circular strait-away. Stop signs would do a better job with traffic flow.
I love their “Blind Drive On Right” signs.
I like them with light to moderate traffic, definitely improves traffic flow in the right situations.
They’re putting one in at a very busy intersection near my house where there’s a redlight now. Gonna be hard getting through it in certain directions due to the heavy traffic flow during rush hour and when school lets out etc.
We have quite a few of them around here (Central NC), and they work well. They help sort out the tourists, too — they hesitate.
Here’s a link to one in WA state on I-5. The NVDOT just ‘installed’ a second one near us. They intersection was already a mess. Now a bigger mess. Especially during rush hour times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnjqAwtkEkM
I hate the roundabouts.
Inner Boston suburbs like Cambridge have nightmare “traffic circles” that turn into dangerous gridlock during rush hour—and drivers that think that they always have the right of way—and turn driving into a game of “chicken”.
Then there is the sad story of Sedona, Arizona. They built beautiful “roundabouts” in the good old days when traffic was light. Nowadays it turns into comedy as huge campers join the high traffic fray—it is impossible for car drivers to see what is going on as the campers block all views. Drivers are more polite there so that everything just grinds to a halt.
I HATE THOSE THINGS! :-D
The road is criss-crossed with dotted lanes and post. I'm amazed those things are even permitted. :-(
Roundabouts take up huge amounts of real estate.
You can accomplish the exact same result by just replacing the four “Stop” signs at an intersection with four “Yield” signs.
Yield to the drivers on your left, take the right-of-way over drivers to your right, just as with a roundabout and just as quickly.
But that would be far too simple and inexpensive.
Everything government does must be intrusive, expensive and of inferior quality.
It’s the law.
Look up “diverging diamond interchange.”
We have one near my home. Counter intuitive on how to use them.
I don’t mind them, but Beau says they are a PITA to plow in the winter months.
When we got one in the town where I used to live (Pop. 3K) it was pretty confusing for the older folks. I had a lady coming straight at me, going the WRONG WAY in the roundabout. How she managed that, I’ll never know - I was busy powering OUT of the situation with my life, LOL!
Was stuck in one just this past week. There was an AMAZINGLY large load on a semi trailer and I’m not sure WHY the driver decided to take that rout into town (there are others) and he had one helluvatime negotiating his way around it while the rest of us waited for 15 minutes or so.
Maybe I DO mind them? Yeah. I guess I do!
Roundabouts are ideal for locations there a three-way or four-way stop would otherwise be used. I’m not keen on multi-lane roundabouts where vehicles must often change lanes within the circle to navigate through it. Those are accidents just waiting to happen.
I am seeing these increasingly installed on California’s roadways.
Problem is people don’t know how to use them - when and to whom to yield. What I see is they drive at speed straight into them without looking and exit without looking.
I hate the things and avoid them if possible.
It’s not the roundabouts.
That’s a symptom, not the cause.
The problem is that since law enforcement has decided to stop ticketing drivers for moving violations, roads have become Roman chariot race style free-for-alls. Including roundabouts
Enforce the damn traffic laws.
We’ll all be safer for it.
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