I do not share the same enthusiasm that traffic engineers and city planners have towards roundabouts increasing traveler safety and reducing traffic delays. I travel around a roundabout several times a day as I make my way to and from work/school and I have come to the notion that this concept of a roundabout is just that a concept. It appeared great on paper and in the little drawings and photos that they shared with the community but it failed to transfer from a concept to actuality.
By all accounts the roundabout seemed like a beautiful and safe way to take care of a heavily traveled and dangerous intersection but it is not being used for the purposes that is was designed for. Many cars stop and wait for long periods of time instead of yielding and many drivers don’t stop or yield at all and speed through the roundabout.
I will give the planners and engineers of the roundabout a little credit because the roundabout did save our community money in the long run by cutting future costs of the up-keep and maintenance of traffic lights and signals and it does look more appealing to the eye than what was in its place before.
However, it did not effectively reduce my travel time or others in the community. In fact, it did the exact opposite in that it now adds extra time to my daily commute and everyone else’s because it is not being used as originally intended by the engineers and planners when they were dreaming up the roundabout concept. In addition, it has made it more difficult for all drivers, pedestrians and bikers to safely enter oncoming traffic and did not increase but decrease traveler safety.
In a nutshell, roundabouts are pleasing to the eye but not so pleasing to drive around in heavy traffic on a daily basis or when you need to get somewhere in a timely manner. My take on roundabouts is that if you are in a time crunch, have a problem with road rage or you just don’t feel like wearing body armor and a helmet when crossing a crosswalk, a roundabout is not for you.
Here is a photo of a roundabout as conceptualized by engineers and planners for a community in the United States. Now close your eyes and imagine yourself trying to drive through this same roundabout during rush hour traffic!
