Traffic Insights:
The Traffic Roundabout, in its modern design, is part of a new body of evidence-based traffic management principles being increasingly adopted by urban traffic planners. Replacing the traffic control dogma most of us learned years ago the concepts in the following articles are becoming useful themes of modern traffic management, and offer several levels of benefit for communities that embrace them.
The articles and videos below describe the advantages and successes of these new measures. The economically attractive “less-is-more” principle becomes increasingly evident.
Each article does its part to help clarify the positive, sometimes paradoxical, results when these new ideas are applied.
The articles satisfactorily address questions such as:
- How can less direction from the State (less traffic signage) lead to safer streets?
- What does confusion at a traffic “situation” mean to you?
- How can slowing down to traverse a traffic Roundabout get me to work more quickly?
- If I drive faster when I can easily see and understand the activity on the street ahead, do I slow down when I cannot?
- Is there evidence a pedestrian crosswalk is a good thing?, or not?
- What’s the role of human drama, curiosity and intrigue?
The Public Realm:
There’s quite a lot of material here. It may be new to some of you as it was to me as I first began searching through it several months ago. Read at least the first three and the last of these six articles. The Cairns item describes the baseline observations which lead to the more modern, informed traffic management and safety model. The second article is a breezy description of the application of those concepts. The Hamilton-Baillie material is a more rigorous and documented description of the proven successes these methods have enjoyed.
Why don’t we do it in the road? / Baker
Challenging Assumptions / Hamilton-Baillie
Shared Space – Safer Streets / Hamilton-Baillie
Traffic Control: An Exercise in Self-Defeat / Todd
Improving Traffic Behaviour and Safety through Urban Design / Hamilton-Baillie & Jones
— On November 17th, 2016 Carmel finished their 100th Roundabout. —
(from Safety Aspects of Roundabouts, Federal Highway Administration, 2007)
Informational Links:
Hawaii Drivers Manual, page 65
Federal Highway Administration / Research and Technology (1995>2015)
FHWA / Proven Safety Countermeasures – Roundabouts (2014)
FHWA / Roundabouts and Mini Roundabouts (2015) (see “A Safer Choice” video)