IIHS: Roundabouts reduce gridlock and save fuel

[pow]

http://www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr4009.pdf

[Croc]

I love roundabouts. They are putting them all over Carmel, IN and they are GREAT! Only thing is that some people are too stupid to do them right, but whatever.

[sciguy_0504]

Not a fan of them because most people do not know how to use them.

[Flybrian]

The IIHS has never been to Clearwater...

Our city built a two-lane roundabout on the beach and decided to put a gigantic reclaimed water fountain in the middle, so everyone's cars got coated with this nasty, putrid water that spotted paintjobs. The since replaced it with a giant grass area that looks like a park but isn't.

Roundabouts are fine if designed properly. I place half the blame for our joke of one on the idiots and tourists who don't get it and the other half on the city for another example of piss-poor planning.

BTW: Our roundabout has traffic signals to stop oncoming traffic from entering when it gets too congested and gridlocks. So goes the theory.

[chrominium steel]

There are a lot of them here in Europe. You have to turn and turn so much that you become sick. So I hate them.

[CSpec]

Massachusetts has rotaries everywhere. They're great when there's no traffic because you can just coast through without waiting at a light, but they're hell in gridlock. People there seem to know how they work, which is about the only thing Massachusetts drivers are good at.

[Croc]

BTW: Our roundabout has traffic signals to stop oncoming traffic from entering when it gets too congested and gridlocks. So goes the theory.

[post="45395"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

During high-peak times, this is no different than metered onramps onto freeways.

[Lance Truthhammer]

They already have some here in South Bend (though I don't know where...) but there are plans in the works, some actually drawn up by students at ND, to incorporate them into roads near campus. I am all for them, though my experience with them is limited. -E.S. Mail

[Guest Josh]

I hate the one they put in near my previous work. It's terrible and people don't have common sense these days.

[Croc]

What's terrible about it, Josh? Is it poorly designed or just the fact that people are not yet used to them? They really work well in suburban areas. I think most major arteries do best with signals.