Roundabouts: Planning, Design and Potential Pitfalls

Learn about the safety principles behind the modern roundabout as well as the specific design practices employed to address both simple and complex issues.

As initiatives like Vision Zero, Towards Zero Deaths, and Every Day Counts are adopted, and the concept of substantive safety takes a more prominent role in infrastructure improvement projects, it is important to understand the benefits, methodology, and engineering that occurs behind the scenes of safety countermeasures. This is especially true when considering modern roundabouts. Modern roundabouts are similar yet still very different from traffic circles, rotaries, and conventional intersections. Before recommending or designing roundabouts for local communities or clients, planners and engineers should consider a number of factors to determine if a roundabout is the right solution, they are not a "one size fits all" problem-fixer. This topic will detail the methodology, data, and processes needed to determine if a roundabout is right for your community's or client's specific needs and will provide you with the tools to communicate the benefits and opportunities for roundabouts with your local elected officials, stakeholders, and the public.