Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Roundabout

I remain unconvinced. Perhaps I'm getting old, but the few "roundabouts" I've been in have left me stressed as I attempt to keep up with traffic, not get hit by incoming drivers, and navigate to the exit I'm looking for while reading a bewildering array of signs arranged like a Chaos Arrow.

American drivers should learn to love the roundabout. - By Tom Vanderbilt - Slate Magazine: "Safety. Intersections are perhaps the single most dangerous environment in traffic. According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than one-fifth of all traffic fatalities happen at intersections. If you think the problem is a lack of signals, think again. Reports FHWA: 'Only 10% of all intersections are signalized, but nearly 30% (2,744) of intersection fatalities occurred at signalized intersections.'
Roundabouts are safer than traditional intersections for a simple reason: By dint of geometry and traffic rules, they reduce the number of places where one vehicle can strike another by a factor of four. They also eliminate the left turn against oncoming traffic—itself one of the main reasons for intersection danger—as well as the prospect of vehicles running a red light or speeding up as they approach an intersection to 'beat the light.'"

No comments:

Post a Comment