Tag: roundabout

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The Opposite Of How Roundabouts Work

Q: We’ve all driven through the roundabouts and while I feel like the general idea is to alleviate congestion I cannot help but feel like I’m fighting for a spot before I’m smashed by the oncoming vehicle. I’m curious if there has ever been any official statement or even suggestion on how to navigate roundabouts correctly? I could be wrong but it sure seems like if everyone let the car at the next entrance freely come into the circle (please just go! There is no stop sign!) we’d all move along a little more efficiently. Can you please tell me if the roundabout is set up on basic common sense and common courtesy or is it a kill-or-be-killed system?

A: Oh boy, where do I start? Let’s begin with this: I’m confident that our traffic engineers aren’t out there designing kill-or-be-killed infrastructure. Actually, when it comes to roundabouts, the data show the exact opposite. Roundabouts reduce total crashes by 37 percent, injury crashes by 75 percent, fatal crashes by 90 percent and pedestrian collisions by 40 percent compared to traditional intersections. Beyond safety, roundabouts can handle more cars per hour than a light-controlled intersection, improving transportation efficiency. They’re also more cost-effective to maintain and they still work when the power goes out.

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Getting Around a Neighborhood Traffic Calming Circle

Q: There is a neighborhood I drive through that has something I’d describe as little roundabouts, much smaller than a regular roundabout, in several intersections. It’s like they took a normal intersection, put a concrete circle in the middle of it and filled it with plants. Do I have to go around the circle to make a left turn, or can I just turn left in front of the circle? It’s such a tight turning radius if I go around the circle in my truck.

A: The intersection you just described goes by a few different names. The Washington Department of Transportation calls them Neighborhood Traffic Calming Circles, so we’ll go with that, but I’ll shorten it to NTCC because the full name is a mouthful. (Can you have a mouthful when your words are in print?)

If you had a time machine and you traveled back to Seattle at least ten years ago, then you could turn left in front of a NTCC. Of course, if you had a time machine, I think you’d find a better use for it than turning left in front of traffic circles. In a moment I’ll explain why it used to be allowed in Seattle, and why it’s not now.

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You Should Signal In Roundabouts (But Is It The Law?)

Q: I’m wondering about the rules for signaling when your car is exiting a roundabout. I rarely see people do this and so I went to the WSDOT website. The written instructions don’t mention signaling nor do the drivers in the instructional videos signal when exiting. Do you know why this is?

A: Do you want my opinion, or do you want the law? I just asked a dumb question; of course you want the law. But I’m going to give you my opinion anyway. I think you should signal your intention to exit a roundabout. However, as we all know, there is a big difference between “think you should” and “required by law.” Are you required by law to signal in a roundabout? That’s where things get tricky.

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Side Streets Vs. Interstate: Which is Safer?

Q: I believe that studies show after changing an intersection to a roundabout, there will be more crashes in the roundabout than an intersection but the crashes will be less serious in the roundabout. Could there be a similar phenomena concerning side roads and expressways? For example, if I travel from Fairhaven to the airport, would I be more apt to have a collision if I took side roads than if I took I-5, but if I had a crash on a side road, would it probably be less severe than if I had one on the expressway? 

A: You’re 83 percent correct about the studies on roundabouts and collisions (and I just made up that percentage). But the following percentages were determined by actual researchers: A national study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that roundabouts decrease fatal crashes by 90 percent, injury crashes by 75 percent, pedestrian collisions by 40 percent, and overall crashes by 37 percent. However, those studies focused primarily on single lane roundabouts.

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Roundabout Refresher

I thought we had this whole round-about thing pretty well managed, but based on the abundance of email I’ve been getting lately I guess that’s just not true. That point was driven home recently by a comment from a reader. In an article about bike boxes, I wrote that we’ll learn how to navigate them “just like the roundabouts that most of us have figured out.”

In response, a reader commented, “Hah! I’m not sure if the author meant that as a joke or not, but you gave me a nice laugh on Monday morning.” Continue reading “Roundabout Refresher”

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The World’s Craziest Roundabout

If it took some time for you to get used to the roundabouts we have here in northwest Washington, just take a look at this one in Swindon, England. Seven traffic circles combine into one roundabout, and you get to pick which direction you want to go. You’d think it would be a crazy mess, but apparently it works. Take a look at the video from Wired Magazine to see an animation of how this roundabout functions.

Traffic engineers have to balance safety and expediency when they design roads and intersections. Their goal is to get people to their destination as fast as safely possible. According to the data, this  roundabout achieves that goal. It reduce crashes and it improves traffic flow. Anyone interested in a road trip to go try it out?