Topic: Rise of Roundabouts in the USA

[tpl]

A moving van can't make it through one of our little mini-roundabouts without going up the curb on one side or the other. Both of them are on major thru-roads in this town and are often impossible to avoid for delivery vehicles big or small.

Road planning? WTF is that?? 

Here's the newest one, on Pleasant Valley Rd. just a few blocks from my place. (Courtesy of Google Earth Streetview). It actually looks bigger in this pic than it really is. 

It looks to me like that inside curb is designed to be high enough to discourage cars from cutting the corner, yet low enough for a tractor trailer or large van to put a wheel over without issue. I know that's how they designed the one here.

Any idea what the planners have in mind for the middle of that roundabout? The geniuses around here decided to build ours up with a bunch of huge rocks and some trees - very pretty, but now you can't see (and plan ahead for) oncoming traffic entering the roundabout.

Those curbs are designed to be driven over by large vehicles. Sometimes ( never seen one in Canada) they have rumble strips to warn the driver that they are using some of the centre.

[tenpenny]

Roads are designed with cars in mind, not tractor trailers?  Roads that are designed as truck routes are not designed for trucks? Is that what you're saying?

If that's what I was saying, don't you think I would have said that.

Roads are designed primarily for cars. Trucks take wide right turns, but we don't design every intersection to be overlarge to accomodate them. You design the road to handle the needs of the average vehicle. That's why we have truck routes. Because not all roads are designed to handle truck traffic.

If that was what you were trying to say, why didn't you say that?  Truck routes are designed for trucks.  What I was talking about were roundabouts on truck routes. 

[wing]

Went through our big roundabout in Orleans this weekend, whoopie do, in and out in 2 seconds not sure what the fuss is about.  Works great and very easy to navigate.

[tpl]

If you get your approach speed right, assuming good sight lines, you should be able to go through a busy roundabout without touching the brakes... but this statement assumes that everybody knows how to drive around roundabouts.

[dr_spock]

Those curbs are designed to be driven over by large vehicles. Sometimes ( never seen one in Canada) they have rumble strips to warn the driver that they are using some of the centre.

Handy for oversized loads going through.

[CatsEye68]

Went through our big roundabout in Orleans this weekend, whoopie do, in and out in 2 seconds not sure what the fuss is about.  Works great and very easy to navigate.

Must not have been any traffic.

[Bubba]

I like these roundabouts in Mesa, AZ: E McKellips Rd at Red Mountain Fwy.  You can easily do 40 mph through them and they're usually dry.   

[dr_spock]

Massasschusetts have a bunch of those traffic rotaries (proper U.S. terminology) too. 

[MX5 Miata Guy]

Massasschusetts have a bunch of those traffic rotaries (proper U.S. terminology) too.

While many of the larger variety (known here as traffic circles) were named rotaries (in Canada too), the new types being introduced throughout North America (BC, AB, QC are leaders in Canada), are properly called "Modern Roundabouts"...or just roundabouts for short.  Reasons are many, mostly relating to traffic operations (rotaries had internal traffic yielding to entering traffic, which is just plain WRONG) and design elements.

[safristi]

..Rotarians...ya mean we have ta have a luncheon AND a SPEECH ...before pro_ ceeding........

[hondroid]

Roundabouts are great.  Used lots of them in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  They keep traffic moving.  However, here in Canada, most people can't drive flat, wide, straight open roads to begin with.  Throw in a roundabout and it's total confusion.

[dr_spock]

There is a term in photography and optics called the "Circle of Confusion".  Roundabouts could be renamed to that. 

[No H2O]

Interesting article in the NYT about the increasing use of roundabouts south of the border.

What, put some turns in their otherwise straight roads?

How will they be able to handle that. 

[No H2O]

There is a term in photography and optics called the "Circle of Confusion".

You've been to the DOF Master site. 

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

[dr_spock]

There is a term in photography and optics called the "Circle of Confusion".

You've been to the DOF Master site. 

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Thanks for the link.  They have an DOF calculator for the iPod. 

[rrocket]

I just went though a roundabout in Lasalle, Ont and in the middle of it it was a landscaped hill with trees and shrubs.  Because of the height of the hill, it severely cut down on how much of the total roundabout could be seen.  IMO, the center of the roundabout should be flat so you can see all the way through it.  Am I nuts for thinking this?

[Bubba]

I just went though a roundabout in Lasalle, Ont and in the middle of it it was a landscaped hill with trees and shrubs.  Because of the height of the hill, it severely cut down on how much of the total roundabout could be seen.  IMO, the center of the roundabout should be flat so you can see all the way through it.  Am I nuts for thinking this?

That's a tough one.  Really, anyone entering a roundabout should be looking left, and shouldn't be concerned with looking straight ahead.  However, I'm with you on the height of the centre"  Keep all the landscape and ornaments out of it.

[rrocket]

That's a tough one.  Really, anyone entering a roundabout should be looking left, and shouldn't be concerned with looking straight ahead.  However, I'm with you on the height of the centre"  Keep all the landscape and ornaments out of it.

Indeed...but it's sooo tall, you don't see the car into it's into the quadrant, whereas without the high rise in the middle, you could see the car coming alot sooner.  Maybe I'll snap a picture.