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Miami-Dade have put a bunch of them in in the last few years. I think there are plenty of people that hate them, just for the fact that many Americans aren't used to them, and so don't really understand the rules with them. Yes they do make things flow better.
As far as them being safer for cyclists or pedestrians, I really don't believe that, at least here in Miami. I would be very cautious go through one as a pedestrian or biker.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PITTSTON2SARASOTA
I live in a metropolitan area of approximately 600,000 people; this figure almost doubles during tourist season.
The city of Sarasota wants to take out the traffic lights at most of our major intersections; replacing them with traffic roundabouts. Bureaucrats claim that this will expediate traffic flow and increase safety. Also, they claim it will be more bicycle and pedestrian friendly and safer and easier to cross at these intersections.
I know roundabouts work in Europe but I don't think they will work here; in fact I think the idea will make the intersections worse and is a waste of millions of dollars.
Anyone have an opinion of how roundabouts work in your city? Do they ease traffic congestion? In Sarasota, I can see some person going in circles for hours....LOL.
Also, Dupont Circle (and I believe almost all of the major circles in DC) is controlled by several traffic signals. That's not a characteristic consistent with roundabouts or even the Jersey style circles or New England rotaries
Thanx for your input...they truly are not roundabouts with lights.
And my response, as stated many, many times is that pedestrians have the right-of-way in crosswalks and that roundabouts are actually safer for them. I even laid out the reasons why. We can keep going around in circles (pardon the pun) on that issue, but the preliminary data has shown that properly engineered and marked roundabouts are safer for pedestrians. Furthermore, Dupont Circle is way, way larger than modern roundabouts. They have a much smaller diameter than your old-school East Coast traffic circles.
Sorry..I got a bit hot...thought you were antagonizing me..I think we really agree but I cannot see Florida drivers yielding......and the 80,000 traffic volume will make it difficult to yield. Florida is known for bike and pedestrian deaths...I got hit twice, on my bicycle, first year here; never hit in 33 years in Scranton/Pittston, PA.
I am emotional about it because I am already afraid to cross streets here and bicycle...there are few sidewalks here. PS..Our officials just mentioned Carmel...in their presentation , to convince "us citizens"; what a coincidence...LOL.
Miami-Dade have put a bunch of them in in the last few years. I think there are plenty of people that hate them, just for the fact that many Americans aren't used to them, and so don't really understand the rules with them. Yes they do make things flow better.
As far as them being safer for cyclists or pedestrians, I really don't believe that, at least here in Miami. I would be very cautious go through one as a pedestrian or biker.
That is my concern I understand them but do the drivers...LOL....I am worried from the pedestrian and bicycling aspect of a roundabouts performance.
LOL...THANX, I needed that...LOL.. I like St Armands...and the one in Southgate....just not at US41 intersecting Fruitville road and US41 intersecting Gulfstream Ave. If you know Sarasota...Do you think roundabouts will work at those 2 intersections??? Thanx... PS..I am not familiar with the other roundabout you mentioned.
I live in a metropolitan area of approximately 600,000 people; this figure almost doubles during tourist season.
The city of Sarasota wants to take out the traffic lights at most of our major intersections; replacing them with traffic roundabouts. Bureaucrats claim that this will expediate traffic flow and increase safety. Also, they claim it will be more bicycle and pedestrian friendly and safer and easier to cross at these intersections.
I know roundabouts work in Europe but I don't think they will work here; in fact I think the idea will make the intersections worse and is a waste of millions of dollars.
Anyone have an opinion of how roundabouts work in your city? Do they ease traffic congestion? In Sarasota, I can see some person going in circles for hours....LOL.
It depends on the engineers who are building them. But most of them here work quite well. I should not though that 600,000 is about half the population of the entire state of Maine, and 10 times the population of our largest city, so take my opinion for what it is. Of course, New England has had rotaries for ages, so most of us are familiar with them.
I don't think the results would be drastically different from here to Europe. You can't blow through a rotary at 65 miles an hour to beat a yellow light, they are build with a certain speed in mind, usually less than 25 mph. Intersections are dangerous, and most people don't slow down to the degree that they should, roundabouts help force you to slow down to a safe speed in an intersection.
As for helping traffic flow, well, when traffic is balanced in all directions, they work amazingly well, almost no backups, everyone just keeps moving from all directions. If traffic is heavily biased from one direction, than a rotary makes no sense, because it gives all roads equal priority.
If you have the opportunity to be in on your town planning them, encourage them to make them with the "spiral lanes." When they make them that way, it is impossible to get stuck on the inside lane, we have one like that in Augusta, Maine. You choose your lane prior to getting on, and follow it to your exit, you don't have to change lanes.
Umm... just takes getting used to, they are fine, esp for low traffic stops. If Nigeria can have them all through the country not sure why a U.S. city can not have them... oh wait, does FL even have a real road test for its drivers license...? lol
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