Listen to this song about roundabouts from streets.mn writer, Joe Totten. If you ever needed to know:
1) How to drive through a roundabout
2) Why roundabouts are seen as safer
3) Why roundabouts are seen as more environmentally friendly and reduce driver delays, or
4) Roundabout (neighborhood traffic circle) use in traffic calming, this song is for you!
Very nice. I agree with the benefits of roundabouts for traffic flow, safety, and energy use. I still have a gut feeling that they are less safe and less convenient for bicyclists and pedestrians. Are there good resources (or songs) that address this?
The benefits are more pronounced for motor vehicles, but on balance, they’re still an improvement over signals. The most difficult pedestrian experiences come from multi-lane roundabouts. (Source)
Roundabouts still decrease conflict points for pedestrians and limit how much they have to cross at once. Pedestrians generally have to walk farther, but have immediate right-of-way without waiting for the signal to change. (At complicated stroad signals, that can be a real time savings.)
One of the biggest criticisms I’ve heard is that they’re more difficult to navigate for blind pedestrians. I think they also are somewhat awkward for on-street bike lanes, where bicyclists must either use the sidewalk or merge into mainline traffic.
Roundabouts can work quite well for bicycle riders if the riders are on well designed bikeways. Riding through them with traffic can be quite dangerous though as you visually disappear (vs a much larger car).
More: http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2014/05/the-best-roundabout-design-for-cyclists.html
Well, I’ve found my new ringtone.
It’s hard to make a t-bone using only an O.
Joseph. Awesome!
Catchy and instructive. Thanks!