86% of Americans now work from home because roundabouts are replacing traffic signals

A little foot stomping about the safest form of at-grade intersection that everyone loves to hate.

At some point over the last several years, modern roundabouts eclipsed sex, religion, and politics as an issue guaranteed to rile up an audience. The big difference is that Americans are generally united in their views about roundabouts. 

• "As a police officer, I don't like them."

• "As a drunk driver, I don't like them."

• "As a cyclist, I don't like them."

• "As a pedestrian, I don't like them."

• "As a traffic signal sales rep, I don't like them."

The most common retort in my LinkedIn and Twitter feed is “well, that depends on how the roundabout is designed, so actually they might be quite dangerous.”

Of course design matters. Just like some square intersections are wayyyy too big. In fact, the alternative design to a single-lane roundabout isn’t a tight single-lane traditional intersection, it’s a bloated danger zone. Double left-turn lanes, multiple through-lanes, free-flow right turns. 

I won’t convince everyone that roundabouts are the safest form of at-grade intersection. The US Department of Transportation has been posting that data for decades. Facts and figures alone won’t change minds. 

Andy Boenau @Boenau

Data: "Roundabouts slow traffic and save lives." America: "I don't believe it, so no they don't."

If you’re taking the time to read my work, chances are good that you’ve got a bias for human-scale design. So even if you groan at the thought of a circular intersection, at least consider the amazing safety record of modern roundabouts.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says roundabouts are a safer alternative to traffic signals and stop signs. Here’s a snapshot from one of their many research projects.

Minnesota has about 200 roundabouts, and like any other group of skeptics, they've been documenting the results.

Another gripe about roundabouts is how pedestrians and bicyclists are treated. A quick internet search will point you to a ton of local, state, and federal research on this. Bottom line, roundabouts (when designed properly!) are safer for all road users because they (1) reduce the number of conflict points, and (2) slow down the cars. 

Source: SmartCityMemphis.com

Sticking with the Minnesota example, here’s the result of their before-and-after analysis of roundabouts:

roundabouts are not presenting an overall greater risk to pedestrians and bicyclists in regards to collisions with motor vehicles.

...roundabouts may be offering an overall higher performance of pedestrian safety.

One of the roundabout’s virtues is short crossing distances for people walking combined with the slow vehicles at those conflict points. There are fewer places for cars hitting people, and in those instances that it does happen, it’s a much faster path to recovery.

You don't get the standard red-light/green-light behavior of drivers between lights. As the Beastie Boys and I say, “Slow and low—that is the tempo.”

Roundabouts have a phenomenal life-saving track record. I’ll leave you with some helpful Federal Highway Administration resources. Maybe you’ll become a roundabout advocate or maybe you won’t. But if you’re on a mission to create happy, healthy communities, please take a serious look at their potential.

1. https://highways.dot.gov/safety/intersection-safety/intersection-types/roundabouts

2. https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-06/fhwasa11028.pdf

3. https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-06/fhwasa14098.pdf

4. https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-06/fhwasa15016.pdf

When it comes to taboo subject matter, I don’t care about your preferences in church aisles, voting booths, or bedrooms. I do care about your intersection design preferences, and roundabouts offer incredible satisfaction.