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The Arizona Republic May 1, 2004

Taking the roundabout way home

State transportation officials have just approved putting in roundabouts in 15 locations in the state. These new kind of intersections, alternately called traffic circles or rotaries, take some time to get used to.

They do change traffic flow, and the roundabout at Happy Valley Road functions with the same efficiency and effectiveness as a Grand Avenue six-way intersection. In other words, pack your lunch; you're going to be there for a while.

I work on Seventh Street just south of Happy Valley Road. Currently, the only roundabouts in the Valley are at Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road. There are two - one on each side of the interstate. So, if I take Happy Valley Road from Peoria, I encounter the first one where you'd normally hit a traffic light. To go through and proceed over I-17, you just swerve slightly, pretty much a half-moon shape, and continue to the next one on the east side of 1-17, where you do it again.

If you wanted to get onto the freeway, you'd go about a quarter of the way around the half-moon shape and get onto the freeway's entry ramp.

Easy and safe, according to the state, which says it slows traffic and reduces severe accidents.

Well, I can guarantee it slows traffic. Sometimes the traffic moves so slowly that it's motionless.

When the roundabouts first went in they were great. No problems. But as growth has caught up to the area and traffic increased on Happy Valley, they've turned into a nightmare. When the road is packed with vehicles, drivers are unsure of when they are allowed to go and when they are supposed to yield. This definitely causes some problems.

For example, on the approach from the east, there are two lanes of traffic on Happy Valley Road as you enter the roundabout. In theory, the cars in the right-hand lane start around the half-moon and then bear to the right and get onto the I-17 ramp and go north.

But many, if not most, drivers either don't know that or don't care. They get frustrated at the traffic backing up as people pull up and stop and wonder what to do. So, instead of waiting their turn, they get into the right-hand lane, ignore the I-17 on-ramp and blow through the half-moon. The resulting sudden compression of traffic going from two lanes to one as you drive around a half-moon shape is quite exciting. According to the paper, they have a lot of "fender benders" there. No kidding?

Maybe this could be solved with a design change for future roundabouts. Maybe it could be cured with driver education. I don't know.

What I do know is that traversing roundabouts is as much fun and efficient as going through a six-way intersection on Grand Avenue. So I avoid it and have found another route home.

I'm not going to tell you what streets I use now. You can wait your turn at the roundabout.

Bob Barrett is a former Arizona Republic reporter and editor. He currently is a member of the Peoria City Council representing the Ironwood District. He can be reached at bobbar@peoriaaz.com. The views expressed are those of the author.

APRIL 23, 2004 The Independent K'hook planners in roundabout go-round

By: MATTHEW SHEEHEY 04/23/2004

NIVERVILLE-The Planning Board watched a rerun Wednesday night of the Department of Transportation's roundabout roadshow. Engineer Howard McCulloch returned to Kinderhook Town Hall to explain how roundabouts can transform New York's intersections into free-flowing, scenic landmarks that cut down on car accidents and save people time.        Planners and councilmen saw a longer version of his presentation a month or so ago, but his presence was helpful as the board sought to reach agreement in principle on the Widewaters Group's site plan for its shopping plaza at the Route 9/9H intersection.        Mr. McCulloch and fellow DOT Engineer Rich Dillman fielded several questions, leaving the board satisfied for the most part.        "I find it interesting that here's another area where the Europeans are ahead of us," said Ed Simonsen, chairman of the board, referring to the ubiquity of roundabouts in France and the United Kingdom. "A well-designed roundabout certainly appears safe to me."        Widewaters wants to put a three-building shopping center at the intersection of Routes 9 and 9H and replace its traffic signals with a roundabout, a controversial component of the project site plan under review by the Planning Board.        Plaza opponents from Kinderhook Neighbors for Good Growth have argued in recent months that a roundabout would threaten the safety of drivers and walkers, especially students from nearby Ichabod Crane.        Just before Wednesday's workshop, the group submitted a list of questions from engineering firm Camp Dresser & McKee, prompting the Planning Board to hold off on deciding whether to support the roundabout concept.        Shelly Johnston, a traffic engineer working with the planners, will review those concerns before the next board meeting, May 13.        KNGG attorney Jeff Baker, who attended Wednesday's workshop with several members of the group, refuted Mr. McCulloch's claim that Camp Dresser & McKee's engineers were not experts on roundabouts.        Mr. Baker said yesterday the firm includes an engineer who designed two roundabouts and actually supports their use.        The potential problem with the Widewaters Group's design, he said, is its use of two lanes instead of one to send southbound traffic to 9 or 9H.        "The traffic flows and interest of safety are not the same in one- and two-lane roundabouts," said Mr. Baker, who also wants DOT to perform a study on the roundabout's impacts on nearby roads like Maple Lane.        Maple Lane residents, he said, "need the breaks [in traffic provided by a traffic light] to get onto the road." Planner Richard Anderson also raised that argument.        "The roundabout may not make it much better, but it won't make it any worse," said Mr. McCulloch.        Mr. Baker said the Widewaters site plan needs to say whether the developer will put lights at the roundabout, and he argued the DOT comparisons to a new Voorheesville roundabout were misleading because it's busier here.        Planning Board member Gerard Minot-Scheuermann said the sites Mr. McCulloch showed were mostly three- and four-leg roundabouts, not five-leg roundabouts like the Widewaters proposal.        He also worried that people will approach the roundabout at high speeds on 9 and 9H, which have 55 mph speed limits in parts.        "It's impossible," said Mr. McCulloch, reiterating the roundabout's ability to dictate speed because of its tight radius. "They slow down or lose control."        But Mr. Minot-Scheuermann, carrying homework after the previous DOT meeting, also had problems with DOT comparisons between the proposal here and a roundabout near a school in Montpelier, VT.        He said the urban Vermont school has 317 students and staff, while Ichabod Crane is home to 2,116 people, the majority of whom ride the bus and drive.        "We have a unique situation where we have a campus at our school," said the board member. "Your comparison, at best, is apples to tangerines."        Mr. McCulloch referred the board to the video he had just shown about a roundabout near a suburban school in Wisconsin, where the bus drivers, administrators, highway workers, and students all favored the traffic scheme.        Planner Mary Ellen Hern asked about the potential impact of a Dunkin Donuts proposed for the 9/9H intersection.        "That's really intersection-independent," said Mr. McCulloch, referring to potential lines of customers waiting to get into the shop on 9H or exit onto 9. "It will still handle this situation better than a signalized intersection."        Roundabouts, he said, reduce speed, the number of driver decisions and conflict points, and the severity of car accidents.        "It's pretty much like taking a right turn out of your driveway," said Mr. McCulloch.

©The Independent 2004

APRIL 23, 2004     The Register-Star

DOT takes roundabout to planning board

August 8, 2003 The Independent Planner faults circle logic

By: RICHARD ROTH 08/08/2003 EXCERPTS:

KINDERHOOK--A member of the town Planning Board has leveled detailed technical criticisms of a roundabout proposed for the intersection of Routes 9 and 9H, State Farm Road, a key part of the proposed $10 million Widewaters shopping plaza.  "I think this whole thing is being treated too lightly," said Planning Board member Charles Shattenkirk, speaking at an informational meeting at North Pointe Cultural Center on Wednesday evening, August 6. His comments were directed at Richard Dillmann, Assistant Regional Traffic Engineer with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT); and Gordon Stansbury and William Holthoff of Sear Brown, an engineering and planning consulting firm employed by the Widewaters Group. Taking the floor after town residents were given an opportunity to confront the engineers with their comments and questions at the meeting, Mr. Shattenkirk began by telling the consultants their preliminary plan contains significant inaccuracies. "This is not a circle, it's an oval," he said, suggesting that the consultants had intentionally elongated the traffic pattern because the state-owned right-of-way is not sufficient to accommodate the 150-foot roundabout the consulting firm has proposed. In addition, he said, "You don't own enough property for the deceleration lanes." DOT officials have said that the right-of-way is sufficient, but scale drawings have not yet been filed. Sear Brown engineer William Holthoff, when pressed for an explanation, said a strip of land would be carved out of the property owned by Widewaters, the developer, if necessary. Mr. Shattenkirk directed several comments to the the state DOT engineer, Mr. Dillmann, saying that both Routes 9 and 9H are "on the federal network." Because of that, he said, the state would have to comply with federal highway standards on such features as raised traffic islands, curbing, and proper handicap accessibility. A federal regulation the DOT plan overlooks completely, he said, requires roads intersecting a roundabout to "enter at equal angles." While the entrances for Routes 9 and 9H are almost immediately adjacent on the south side of the roundabout as drawn, the angle separating Route 9 to the north and the proposed shopping center entrance to the east is greater than 90 degrees. Mr. Dillmann acknowledged that federal regulations apply but did not directly address Mr. Shattenkirk's comments. In response to another question from Mr. Shattenkirk, Mr. Dillmann said the department's regional traffic engineer would be responsible for reviewing the the proposal. Planning Board Chairman Ed Simonsen said he wanted town residents to know that decisions are not being made at the local level in any case. "Praise or blame is not for the Planning Board or the Town Board," said Mr. Simonsen. "We have not been part of the process. That's a real sore point, and it's not going to go away." Shelley Johnston of Creighton Manning Engineering, a firm employed by the Town of Kinderhook, asked the Sear Brown and DOT engineers to provide a more detailed plan as soon as possible so that its impact on adjacent property owners could be assessed. "It would be helpful to have a one-half-mile radius from the roundabout," said Ms. Johnston. "We need to look at it more as a system, not just one intersection. The engineers have said private driveways in the immediate vicinity will have to be modified, and they anticipate a reduction in the speed limit to 35 mph on Routes 9 and 9H beginning approximately half a mile from the roundabout in either direction. Numerous members of the audience offered their opinions on the roundabout, with some questioning whether it meets the goals of the town's comprehensive plan, which says the town's rural, agricultural character should be maintained. Others expressed concerns about traffic safety, with the engineers replying that accident rates typically go down "50 to 60%" after roundabouts replace traffic lights. The problem of pedestrian crossings was brought up several times. Tunnels are not a satisfactory solution, according to the engineers, because people are afraid to use them; and overhead bridges would be impractical because of the ramp length required to make them handicap accessible. The original Widewaters proposal called for access through the traffic lights currently operating at the 9-9H intersection. But the DOT determined that lights were impractical for a 5-legged intersection and proposed building a roundabout instead. Copies of the preliminary roundabout plan are available for inspection at the Kinderhook Town Hall and at the Kinderhook Memorial and Valatie Libraries. The meeting Wednesday was yet another step in a long process leading to submission by the developer of a formal environmental impact statement. The project cannot proceed without an approved impact statement.         Drawings included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the company (Widewaters) do not specify measurements. Gordon Stansbury of Sear, Brown, an engineering firm that was consulted on the project, told the audience at a hearing last month that the roundabout would be 140 feet in diameter. A "truck apron" on the center island would provide extra room for trucks and buses to negotiate the circle. The matter is entirely up to the Town of Kinderhook and the Department of Transportation, according to Dave Chapman of the Columbia County Traffic Safety Board. "There are no county roads in that area," said Mr. Chapman. The Town Board had no immediate comment on issues brought up at the meeting. The approval process is in the hands of the Town Planning Board, which must make its determination based on planning and environmental concerns.

   

WALL STREET JOURNAL | 1/18/02 | RICK BROOKS

For Safety's Sake,
Roundabouts Replaced Stop Lights,
but Pileups Began Piling Up

By RICK BROOKS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Carol Cullen had 15 years of dent-free driving under her belt when she steered a rented van last July onto a new circular intersection here. Seconds later, a delivery truck that was supposed to stay in the next lane plowed into the van, leaving Ms. Cullen unhurt but disoriented.

"The whole world is trained to look straight ahead," says Ms. Cullen, who sets up promotional displays for Hilton Hotels Corp. "Now they've got us trying to stare around curves?"

It seemed like a good idea at the time. The $8 million Clearwater roundabout would replace a dangerous tangle of streets and intersections often choked with beach-bound traffic. It would create an artistic entry point for visitors.

Confusion Reigns

But since opening in December 1999, the roundabout has scared the wits out of drivers trying to navigate it. No one knows which cars are supposed to have the right-of-way. Some discombobulated motorists hug the right shoulder, making it hard for other cars to exit and causing backups at side streets. The wedding-cake-shaped fountain in the center has doused windshields and obstructed views of cars rounding the circle from the opposite side.

So far, there have been more than 500 accidents at the roundabout, which was touted at its opening as the greatest ever built in the U.S. The site "has been very good for business," says James McKeever, manager of nearby Pinellas Auto Body & Service Inc, which had one of its own tow trucks hit there. The frequency of accidents is eight times higher at the roundabout than at the intersections it replaced. City officials say the crashes are less severe, primarily because cars are now moving more slowly.

It's a similar story elsewhere. As traffic planners across the U.S. rip out stop signs to install roundabouts that can slow aggressive drivers, some cities are discovering that these so-called "traffic-calming devices" do exactly the opposite. Some drivers go the wrong way, figuring it's OK to turn left into the roundabout if you plan to hop off at the first side street. Trucks flatten curbs and landscaping. In some places, accident rates have surged after the installation of roundabouts, causing them to be razed in favor of old-fashioned traffic lights or stop signs.

The Circle Game

Roundabout designers, a number of whom are British or Australian, grudgingly acknowledge that they have a lot to teach Americans about going in circles. In April 2000, officials in Claremont, Calif., demolished the town's only roundabout just eight months after it was installed, saying drivers found it bewildering. Driver confusion at two roundabouts near Las Vegas has put them on Nevada's annual list of the worst crash spots. A video called "Roundabout Rules of the Road" was broadcast in Nashville, Tenn., for several weeks last year after a roundabout opened on Music Row.

In Clearwater, disoriented drivers smacked into each other or into the fountain at the an average of almost five a week. Tires squeal, horns honk and brakes screech as drivers try to make their way through the loop.

The nearby beach is also harder to reach without taking a spin around the circle. "It's a monster, and I was an engineer myself," says retiree Bernice Lazar, who takes a nine-mile detour to avoid the roundabout.

Roundabouts are the latest incarnation of the circular intersections that began in this country with New York City's Columbus Circle in 1905. Defenders claim the modern roundabout is a much-safer alternative to the traditional traffic circles typical of New England, which were usually larger rotaries that didn't slow cars much and gradually fell out of favor. The new roundabouts -- based on a slimmed-down British version -- are designed with a much smaller diameter, making the circle tighter and forcing drivers to lower speeds to about 15 miles an hour.

Forced Slowdown

The circles' defenders claim they are safer than typical intersections, since drivers are forced to navigate slowly. About 9,500 fatal accidents occur at traditional intersections every year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Several academic studies have shown declines in crashes where roundabouts were built, including in Europe, but federal officials say it depends on where and how the circles are built.

"You can't just put these down everywhere," says Harry Campbell, the chief transportation engineer of Orlando, Fla., which spent $25,000 to build a small circle and then concluded that four $75 stop signs would have worked better. "It's like art," he says of the roundabout-building boom. "It evokes controversy."

The controversy erupted quickly in Clearwater. As the pileups piled up, some drivers began adopting survival techniques that reduce the efficiency of roundabouts, like straddling both lanes at once to avoid side collisions. Angry drivers flooded city hall and local newspapers with complaints.

Missing Arrows

And some roundabout rules don't make much sense, including permitting cars to exit from the inside lane. At the most notorious exit point in the Clearwater circle, there still are no arrows on the pavement to point drivers in the right direction. On busy beach-going days, the roundabout has handled more than 50,000 vehicles, much more than the 32,000 it was designed for.

Clearwater is trying to turn things around. The fountain has been turned off and is likely to be demolished, and changes to lane markings give drivers a better idea of where to aim. The most recent accident reports also offer some encouragement: 23 crashes in the final three months of last year compared with 49 in the same period in 2000.

Michael Wallwork, a transplanted Australian who helped design Clearwater's roundabout, pins much of the blame on drivers. "A lot of the opposition to roundabouts comes from a very simple bias," he says. "Americans are fed a diet of speed all the way from freeways to residential streets."