Abstract
Transportation engineers and planners are becoming more interested in using roundabouts to address capacity and traffic operations, access management, and safety concerns in the transportation system. Roundabouts are preferred as a form of intersection by some communities because they allow for continuous flow of traffic and they can be less expensive to maintain and operate. However, the operational characteristics in the functional area are less well understood than other types of intersections. Therefore, although roundabouts are being used in a variety of contexts, existing research does not provide detailed guidance on how to evaluate the use of roundabouts as a form of access management. This paper provides an operational analysis of selected roundabouts in Florida and South Carolina. The operational analysis identifies four areas of concern: corner clearance, including stopping site distance and intersection sight distance; the flow of traffic and the queuing of vehicles in the functional area near roundabouts, including driveway and intersection spacing, and the use of medians; access to major activity centers; and safety of vulnerable road users, especially bicyclists and pedestrians.
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Schedule a callMore From: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
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