Assessment of Drivers’ Perception of Quality of Service on Urban Roundabouts

Abstract

Modern roundabouts are a type of intersection which is used successfully in many countries globally due to their advantages. More specifically, it is widely accepted that owing to their geometrical and operational characteristics the roundabouts enhance traffic capacity, cause an important reduction in delays and improve the road safety levels, for the benefit of the users. Moreover, their formation assures not only financial benefits, but environmental too, compared to other junction types, like signalized intersections. The engineering society launches research projects to develop guidelines for the assessment of such facilities in order to improve them. As a result, the concepts of level and quality of service have been introduced. The Level of Service (LoS) evaluates the traffic handling ability of a transportation facility and it is estimated by the use of specific techniques. The Quality of Service (QoS) assesses the performance of a transportation facility, as the drivers and the users perceive it. In this paper, the meaning of Quality of Service (QoS) of roundabouts is examined. A questionnaire’ s survey aimed at collecting data from users in Greece, regarding the factors that affect drivers’ satisfaction, during their driving through a roundabout. The results of the survey show that the quality of service perception on urban and rural roundabouts is influenced by several factors, such as the clarity of road signs, the presence of on-street parking, the lightning etc.