Short video on how a modern "roundabout" works and why it's safe. (1+min.) click The City is in early planning stages for "roundabouts" on:
- 36th Street
- West Lake Sammamish Blvd near 43th Street
- NE 116th Street (two roundabouts)
- Novelty Hill & Union Hill (2-lanes)
Last night, Council studied the utility of modern roundabouts (RAB) for possible replacement of several future intersections. The 36th Street roundabout has already been approved. They specifically studied the impact of a roundabout in the View Point Neighborhood on West Lake Sammamish Blvd and 43rd Street. It's unfunded at this time.
Richard Cole was concerned about cars driving down the streets (7) from the west onto W. Lake Sammamish. His questions about their ability to turn left were answered by David Carson. Mr. Carson lives on one of these streets and felt by using the roundabout he could make a safer and faster "left hand turn". (W. Lake Samm. Blvd. is planned for 4-lanes without a turn lane).
From my teenager days of driving "Hawthorn Circle" on the Saw Mill River Parkway in New York, I thought today's modern "roundabouts" might be dangerous. (Wrong.) When driving the Circle, I'd always get tense and stressed trying to merge into it. The cars moved so fast on the circle. I even remember my grandfather almost having a collision (and he didn't even know it!). In actuality, driving modern roundabouts is not a new skill and it's easier and much safer than driving through intersections.
The above video clip tells most of the story on how a roundabout works. According to Pat McGrady, the RAB consultant presenting to Council, modern roundabouts of today are safer than circles and intersections for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists, as follows:
- 140 roundabouts exist in Washington State, yet not one collision with a pedestrian or cyclist has been reported.
- In a comparison study of 55 sites vs. intersections, roundabouts had 35% fewer crashes and 76% of the collisions were less severe.
- Clips of a visually impaired pedestrians w/aid dog where shown crossing the street. In a RAB, vehicles approach pedestrians only from the left, yet by training, the dog looked both ways!
- Cyclists can travel faster than vehicles through a RAB since traffic flow in all one-way.
- Pedestrians don't have that silver button to hit again and again to cross.
For more information, the City has a traffic calming web page on roundabouts.
Video clip: http://www.iihs.org/video.aspx/info/roundabout
Contact: Dave Cairns, City Traffic Manager, dcairns@redmond.gov
RAB? Really, they're roundabouts. Simple, no need for shortening.
ReplyDeleteFor those of use limeys from blighty (the uk), roundabouts are significantly better, and allow for constant movement of traffic, as long as they don't put up stupid medians between lanes.
Traffic safety, traffic flow, and slowing traffic down are the three main themes for roundabouts. The question is, is there a traffic safety issue, a traffic flow issue, and why does traffic need to be slowed down. If traffic accidents are low or none existent at these locations, then the question is why is the planning department wasting our precious tax dollars putting them in. In the case of the Bel Red road WLSP intersection, the traffic light the city put in years ago made it a safer intersection because of a visibility issue from WLSP. If the roundabout is put in there, the sight distance will be diminished. I hope the city has deep pockets for the car insurance companies that will come after them when accidents begin to occurr. The city of Redmond simply cannot seem to avoid expensive lawsuits. Maybe it has to do with the decisions the planning commission makes or the city council.
ReplyDeleteWhat's all this talk about expensive lawsuits? If lawsuits were a big issue and expense to the city, you'd think they'd be published someplace or brought up during the budget process. Do you have any statistics?
ReplyDeleteI travel thru a roundabout crossing 124th St to Carnation. It is much better than a traffic light. The DOT has a camera to check the road, which can flood on the Tolt River. The traffic flow is shown at Carnation-Duvall Road N.E. (SR-203) at N.E. 124th St. http://www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/mycommute/default.aspx?camid=3®ion=2#maptop
ReplyDeleteIntersting, Richard. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete