ClientTalk
Describe your first experience on a roundabout . . .
Today’s circular intersections, known as roundabouts, are a growing trend in the United States. Engineers and urban designers opt for roundabouts when possible to take advantage of their yield-at-entry safety component and their ability to keep ever-increasing traffic on the move. More than 800 roundabouts exist throughout the United States, and researchers predict the number of roundabout built annually to spike as high as 4,800 as traffic experts and the public become more educated and comfortable with their use.
Navigating a roundabout for the first time can be daunting, so we asked our clients across the country to tell us about their first experience with these circular sensations. Here’s what they had to say. . .
“My first experience actually driving around a roundabout myself was, in a word, "neat.” . . . First, the impatient driver in me marveled that a circular intersection is an expedient route through an intersection. Maneuvering the roundabout surely seemed quicker than being stopped dead in traffic. The second impression is probably the most vivid—roundabouts can be built to look beautiful! There's simply no contest when comparing a well-manicured and landscaped roundabout with the expanse of concrete and asphalt.”
Hal Hutchinson, City Engineer, Casper, Wyoming
“I was driving with my daughter, approaching the Thompson Road roundabouts. My daughter commented that there always seems to be a lot of horn honking going on at the roundabouts. Sure enough, as we drove through, we heard at least two honks. It seems to be related to confusion about which cars should be yielding or not, or just perhaps general nervousness. Driver education will definitely be a need as roundabouts become more and more popular.”
Barbara Feeney, Project Manager, Wisconsin Department of Transportation
“I don’t recall my very first experience on a roundabout, but they seem to make sense and work reasonably well in the Boston area where there are five or six major roads converging at a single point. But, I don’t think that they are very effective for traffic calming within residential neighborhoods when installed as a retrofit at a standard-sized intersection of two local streets. Our experience has been that they don’t slow motorists down very much. Also, the school bus drivers hate them.”
Dave Downing, City Engineer, Westminster, Colorado
"My first experience on a roundabout was in Colorado. The initial feeling I had was that it was nice to be able to continue through the intersection. Other traffic-controlled intersections often require a stop, which can be very frustrating when there are no other cars at the intersection. I enjoy the sense that you can keep moving through the intersection regardless of the amount of traffic at the intersection."
John Rask, Hans Hagen Homes, Hugo, Minnesota, (Former Hugo Community Development Director)
“The first roundabout I encountered was in London. We rented a car (with the steering on the wrong side) and entered the roundabout. We literally went round and round a few times while my wife tried to read the map. We got used to them by the end of the trip after driving through hundreds of them. Most people will probably have to encounter roundabouts a few times before becoming comfortable with them.”
Larry Kirch, Director of Planning, City of La Crosse,
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