From Tech Transfer Newsletter, Summer 2008 » printer-friendly

Bird Rock Roundabout Showcase and Training

December 10, 2008, San Diego

Attendees will learn how:

• The Bird Rock community of San Diego uses roundabouts effectively as part of a comprehensive traffic improvement plan.
• The City of San Diego transformed a five-lane boulevard carrying 22,000 vehicles per day that was plagued with high vehicular speeds, safety concerns, and struggling businesses into a safe, vibrant and aesthetic centerpiece for the community.
• The roundabouts on La Jolla Boulevard help improve vehicular safety, manage speeds, and enhance walkability throughout the area.

Engineers from the City of San Diego will share how they were able to:

• Overcome a history of project opposition
• Utilize a project development process that recognized community values, built consensus and effectively involved stakeholders
• Utilize design charrettes and community volunteers
• Collaborate with the disabled community to remove access barriers
• Accommodate the additional traffic from new development of condominium residences
• Develop trust and meaningful partnerships within the community
• Gain the support of local elected officials and public/private partners
• Provide results that improve pedestrian safety and ambience for residents and visitors walking to the beach or shopping in the area
• Improve economic vitality and increase the sustainability of long-term businesses in the area
• Reduce cut-through traffic on residential streets
• Improve the neighborhood quality of life

For more information and to register for the showcase

Contact Pamela Pyle at (435) 797-2931 or pamela.pyle@usu.edu Or, register online at www.pdshowcase.org/home/showcase/11

What is a roundabout?

A roundabout is a one-way, circular intersection in which traffic flows around a center island. Roundabouts are designed to meet the needs of all road users - drivers, pedestrians, pedestrians with disabilities, and bicyclists. A roundabout eliminates some of the conflicting traffic, such as left turns, which cause crashes at traditional intersections. Because roundabout traffic enters or exits only through right turns, the occurrence of severe crashes is substantially reduced. Small angle collisions that may occur as a result of a right-hand turn are typically less severe than other types of collisions.

Not all circular intersections are roundabouts. Many existing traffic circles or rotaries operate under different traffic rules and have experienced operational and safety problems.

The three safety design features of a roundabout are yield control of entering traffic; channelized approaches that deflect traffic into the proper one-way, counterclockwise flow; and geometric curvature of the circular road and angles of entry to slow the speed of vehicles. These three features are critical to the success of a roundabout because they effectively decrease driving speed to typically 48 kilometers (30 miles) per hour or less.

-Federal Highway Administration, www.fhwa.dot.gov/crt/lifecycle/roundabouts.cfm

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