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The
public will never accept roundabouts.
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In many cities,
proposals to construct modern roundabouts have been met with a
public outcry. Follow up surveys have universally found that most
people change their mind after they get used to modern roundabouts.
Read
the results of a public opinion survey for the Keck Circle roundabout
in Montpelier, Vermont.
(92
KB
PDF File)
In Anchorage,
the first roundabout at Washington Avenue and Southport
Drive, was blasted by some of the public. Many supported the
roundabout from the beginning. Go
to Southport comments for a full transcription of the public's
calls to the Municipality of Anchorage. In fact, while many
voiced a dislike of the roundabout, more residents expressed support
for them. See the Anchorage Daily
News web site for letters with titles like "Just Adjust!
Roundabouts are really efficient and kind of fun to drive"
or "Is driving in a circle that difficult for Anchorage motorists?"
or "Southport Drive roundabout has made for a much safer
intersection."
One of the
other cities with similar experiences is Seattle. According to
the Seattle
Times article in June 2002, a demonstration roundabout built
in a residential neighborhood at Inglewood Hill Road and 216th
Avenue Northeast has also gained public acceptance. The accident
reduction in Seattle is not unique. Similar results were recorded
in Maryland. The article noted that since the roundabout opened
in January 2002 only one accident, involving a drunk driver, has
occurred at the intersection. The article also noted that in the
prior 16 months, police logged 19 crashes at that intersection.
The following
table shows similar accident experience at a roundabout in Maryland
extracted from an October 2001 "Maryland
Roundabout Safety Experience" summary. The summary covered
8 roundabout locations-all of which experienced reductions in
crashes after installation of the roundabout.
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Period:
1/1/90 to 4/11/93
(Before) |
Period:
4/12/93 to 12/31/00
(After) |
Change
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| Average
Annual Accidents |
7.3
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Average
Annual
Accidents |
1.9
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-5.4
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| Annual
Average Injury Accidents |
4.3
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Annual
Average
Injury Accidents |
0.4
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-3.9
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These impressive
changes in accidents are one of the reasons why roundabouts usually
win over initial public skepticism. Visit the following sites
for information on public opinion of roundabouts or check out
the links page of this site:
Vail, Colorado
Kingston,
New York
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