ITE SOUTHERN DISTRICT

2016 ANNUAL MEETING

APRIL 13, 2016
NASHVILLE, TN

Ro u n d a b o u t s

Mark Doctor, PE
Federal Highway
Administration
Office of Technical Services
Atlanta, GA
mark.doctor@dot.gov

WHATS NEW???
Elvis is still dead and roundabouts are still
safer ( and people still hate them!!!)
FHWA Guides for Accelerating Roundabout
Implementation
The power of Minis
Single lane vs. Multi-lane ( a little
philosophy)

ROUNDABOUTS ELIMINATE THE CROSSING

CONFLICT POINTS

COMPARISON OF VEHICLE / PEDESTRIAN

CONFLICTS

16 Conflicts

8 Conflicts
Source: NCHRP Report 672

News Flash People still hate

roundabouts

FHWA GUIDES FOR ACCELERATING

ROUNDABOUT IMPLEMENTATION IN THE US
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/innovative/roundabouts/#re
search

FHWA GUIDES FOR ACCELERATING

ROUNDABOUT IMPLEMENTATION IN THE US
Volume 2 Assessment of Roundabout Capacity Models
Major Conclusion:

New data confirms

the HCM2010
generally
underestimates
capacity.

FHWA GUIDES FOR ACCELERATING

ROUNDABOUT IMPLEMENTATION IN THE US
Volume 3 Assessment of Environmental Characteristics
Research Objective: Develop a simplified methodology for estimating
the pollutant emissions generated at a roundabout and comparing
them to those at a signalized intersection, with the methodology based
on actual, field-collected data.
Major Conclusion:
Comparing emissions produced at a roundabout
and a signalized intersection under similar traffic
levels quantified by demand-to-capacity (d/c) ratio.
At d/c ratios < 0.7 (or when progression is poor),
signalized intersections generally produced
more emissions than roundabouts
At d/c ratios between 0.7 and 1, the opposite
was true, with vehicles traversing roundabouts
tending to produce more emissions
Once the d/c ratio exceeded 1, roundabouts
once again saw less emissions than signalized
intersections

FHWA GUIDES FOR ACCELERATING

ROUNDABOUT IMPLEMENTATION IN THE US
Vo l u m e 4 Rev iew o f Fa t a l a n d S e v e re I n j u r y C r a s h e s a t Ro u n d a b o u t s

Research Objective: Review known fatal crashes at roundabouts

(through Dec 2013) and a sample of injury crashes to determine
whether there are elements of roundabout design practice that can be
modified to reduce the likelihood of a fatality or severe injury even
further.
Major Conclusion:
Overrepresented crash types include motorcycle
crashes, fixed object crashes, and crashes involving
impaired driving.
Attention to curb design, particularly at the interior
edge of the truck apron and the splitter island;
increased visibility of the intersection; and
attention to the placement and protection of fixed
objects have the potential to reduce fatal and
severe injury crashes. Continued emphasis on
driver education and enforcement is also

News Flash People still hate

roundabouts

MINI-ROUNDABOUTS

WHAT IS A MINI ROUNDABOUT?

ICD

A single lane modern roundabout with inscribed

circular diameter (ICD) between 50-90 feet. Distinct
features are traversable geometric elements (central
island, splitter islands) to accommodate large
vehicles.

WHY A MINI?
Experience shows
mini-roundabouts can
handle traffi c demand
of 1,500 VPH (total
entering)
More effi cient than
AWSC and signals on
2-lane roadways
Safer than a signal

CASE STUDY HARFORD COUNTY,

MD

Play video clips

MINI-ROUNDABOUT TRAFFIC CAPACITY

CASE STUDY SHAKOPEE (SCOTT

COUNTY) MINNESOTA
BEFORE Condition All Way STOP

Credit Tony Winiecki, Scott County MN

CASE STUDY SHAKOPEE (SCOTT

AFTER Mini-Roundabout
COUNTY) MINNESOTA

Credit Tony Winiecki, Scott County MN

CASE STUDY SHAKOPEE (SCOTT

COUNTY) MINNESOTA
First mini-roundabout in MN and fi rst roundabout in
Shakopee
Adjacent Middle School and recreational trail
Ped safety was huge concern of public and elected
offi cials
Sized to allow school buses to turn without having to
go over central or splitter islands
Constructed in 3-weeks for $277,000 (relatively high)
Peak hour traffi c about 1300 vph in the afternoon

Credit Tony Winiecki, Scott County MN

JACKSON COUNTY GA
SR 11 at SR 124
Rural location,
high speed
approaches;
originally AWSC
Daily
congestion
problem
approx. 50 car
recurring queue
on SB SR 11

50 cars * 25 feet/car = mile queue!!!

Engineering: 4 days
Construction: 9 days
(over 3-weeks, incl. 1
weekend)
Work Completion:
7.5 weeks after
identification of
problem

Cost Breakdown:
Curbing
Labor
Equipment
Material

TOTAL
$63,353

$ 3,510
$19,490
$ 9,879
$30,474

Approx. Dimensions:
90 foot ICD
15 foot enter/exit
18 foot circulatory

MINIS ON THE CHEAP?

Proving minis can be done using temporary
devices
Allows for incremental community acceptance
Permanent features could be retrofit later

Lake Ozark MO (2014)

Roundabouts
A Little Philosophy

ZE
N
TH
E

AND
AR
T

OF INTERSECTION

SMART ROUNDABOUT DESIGN

Single-lane roundabouts designed for
low-speed operation are one of the
safest treatments available for at-grade
intersections. Drivers have no lane use
decisions to make. Pedestrians cross
one lane of traffic at a time. Roadway
speeds and widths are low enough to
allow comfortable mixed bicycle and
motor vehicle flow.
NCHRP Report 672

Due to the increased number of conflicting

and interacting movements, multilane
roundabouts often cannot achieve the same
levels of safety improvement as their singlelane counterparts. Driver decisions are more
complex at multilane roundabouts, with the
most important being proper lane selection
before entering the intersection. Pedestrians
face potential multiple-threat conflicts as
they cross more than one lane of traffic at a
time. Visually impaired pedestrians face a
significantly more complex auditory
environment that may reduce the
accessibility of the intersection without
additional treatments. - NCHRP Report 672
Despite these challenges, the overall safety
performance of multilane roundabouts is often
better than comparable signalized
intersections, particularly in terms of fatal and
injury crashes. NCHRP 672

MAXIM #1

Maxim #1 It is OK to occasionally
Fail (operationally)

DESIGN TRAFFIC FORECASTS

Common practices:
20 year Design Traffic
Apply a Peak Hour Factor to study peak 15
min
Potential problems:
Many factors (economic, etc.) unknown
Growth may not occur as projected (usually
not straight line growth)
Is vehicle demand truly unconstrained?
Influence of other transportation projects
and future improvements to alter demands
Intersections designed for
peak traffic intervals may be
compromising on safety and
other benefits during the
remainder of the day

SMART ROUNDABOUT DESIGN

If a single-lane roundabout is
found to be adequate up to 10
years after the opening year, a
single-lane roundabout should be
constructed. If a multilane
roundabout is required before the
design year, the single-lane
roundabout should be
constructed having the footprint
of a multilane roundabout and be
designed to be easily retrofitted
to a multilane roundabout
Georgia DOT Design Policy Manual
Page 8-4

MAXIM #3

Maxim #3 - Safety is about getting

people home unharmed (the car
can be fixed or replaced)
Smart intersections reduce
the risk or opportunities
for severe crashes (i.e.
conflict points)
Are smart intersections
compensation for dumb
drivers?

INTERSECTION CONFLICT POINTS VEHICLES

16 Crossing
Conflicts

INTERSECTION SAFETY FACTS

Angle crashes
account for over
40% of fatal
crashes at
intersections

MAXIM #4

Maxim #4 - There is no such thing

as a perfect intersection. You will
never please everyone and even if
you could, you probably couldnt
Smart intersection
design involves balancing the competing demands and
afford
it.
making trade-offs

News Flash People still hate

roundabouts

2x1
Hybrid
can be a
good
stepping
stone

Scottsdale, AZ
North Hayden at Northsight

News Flash People still hate

roundabouts