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Anna J. Cooper Circle - Intersection of 3rd and T streets Blair Circle - Intersection of 16th Street, Eastern Avenue, Colesville Road, and North Portal Drive (This circle is only half within the District; the other half is in Silver Spring, Maryland.) Chevy Chase Circle - Intersection of Western and Connecticut Avenues, and Chevy Chase and Magnolia Parkways and Grafton Street (This circle is only half within the District; the other half is in Chevy Chase, Maryland.) Dupont Circle - Intersection of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Avenues, and 19th and P streets, with an underpass for Connecticut Avenue and an express lane for Massachusetts Avenue Grant Circle - Intersection of New Hampshire and Illinois Avenues and Varnum and 5th Streets Juárez Circle - Intersection of New Hampshire and Virginia Avenues, 25th St, and Interstate 66, with an underpass for Interstate 66. Instead of going around, Virginia Avenue cuts through the circle. Kalorama Circle - Intersection of 24th Street and Kalorama Road Logan Circle - Intersection of Rhode Island and Vermont Avenues and 13th and P streets Observatory Circle - Intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and 34th Street. The street does not form a complete circle. (See United States Naval Observatory and Number One Observatory Circle.) Peace Circle - Intersection of First Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue Pinehurst Circle - Intersection of Western and Utah Avenues and 33rd and Worthington Streets (note, this forms a semi-circle along the border with Maryland) Plymouth Circle - Intersection of Plymouth Street and Sudbury Lane Scott Circle - Intersection of Rhode Island and Massachusetts avenues, 16th Street, with an underpass for 16th St. Sheridan Circle - Intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and R and 23rd streets Sherman Circle - Intersection of Kansas and Illinois avenues and Crittenden and 7th streets Tenley Circle - Intersection of Wisconsin and Nebraska avenues, Fort Drive, and Yuma Street Thomas Circle - Intersection of Massachusetts and Vermont avenues, 14th and M streets with an underpass for Massachusetts Avenue Thompson Circle - Near the intersection of 31st Street and Woodland Drive Ward Circle - Intersection of Massachusetts and Nebraska avenues Washington Circle - Intersection of New Hampshire and Pennsylvania avenues, and K and 23rd streets with a K Street underpass Wesley Circle - Intersection of Massachusetts and University avenues, 46th and Tilden Streets Westmoreland Circle - Intersection of Western and Massachusetts avenues, Butterworth Place, and Wetherill Road (This circle is only half within the District; the other half is in Maryland.)
WOW>>>I assume they must work fine there; unless they are low traffic volume areas. Thanx for the links.
The circles (Dupont, Thomas, Logan, Scott) that are DT are in high traffic areas and are also used as parks where people sit and eat lunch or wallow in the grass. My favorite circles are Chevy Chase & Westmoreland because half of the circle is in DC and the other half is in Maryland. Same goes for Blair but it is much smaller. Some of the best architecture in DC is on Sheridan Circle which serves as a park for Embassy Row. The homes now serve as embassies but were once mansions for DC's elite in the early 1900's. Observatory Circle is cut off because it is the home of Joe Biden!
too many to count in boston, ugh. But instead of traffic circles, they are called Rotaries.
but you haven't seen anything yet until you've driven in Ireland. Hardly any stop lights or intersections. Its all roundabouts....in the opposite direction...
You mean you go around them in a clockwise direction?
actually, the WEstbank in Louisiana has very similar setups. I was kind of confused driving there because you cant turn left. you have to drive up past the intersection to designated Uturn lane and then turn around and turn right onto the intersection. It was a pain in the ass for me.
The "Michigan Left" is the most common intersection in the NOLA area and I think we had them before Michigan did. It can be a pain in the ass but it keeps traffic moving. I don't know if it is more or less efficient than a traffic circle, but people don't seem to comprehend roundabouts so it may be better.
My in-laws live in Carmel IN, which is the roundabout capital of the U.S. After two visits, I was sold. After I personally experienced the difference after a couple of traffic lights that caused half-mile-long backups were converted to roundabouts, I became a devout convert. If I had a billion dollars to spare, I'd donate it to the city of Chicago on the stipulation that they use it to convert every major intersection in this city into a roundabout, starting with all the crazy-stupid six-way intersections.
It's important to add here that when I speak of roundabouts, I mean a properly engineered, modern roundabout, not the old big clunky traffic circles frequently found in Europe and New England.
Provided there is enough traffic volume to necessitate them, roundabouts are by far a superior method of traffic control than a stop light. They are far safer and they can handle a far greater volume of traffic than a stoplight-controlled intersection. While they reduce overall speeds on thoroughfares, they actually decrease travel times by almost completely eliminating stop-and-idle waiting at intersections.
Initial opposition to them is understandable since Americans are not familiar with them. But studies have shown that overwhelming opposition eventually gives way to overwhelming approval once people learn how to use them, get used to them, and watch their travel times decrease.
Here's a before/after video of an intersection in Carmel intersection after a roundabout was installed:
We have the same problems here, plus the seasonal nature of our tourist traffic compounds the confusion. Currently the road carries approximately 40,000 cars per day, seems that is too much traffic for a roundabout design, with pedestrians and bicyclists also in the equation.
Roundabouts actually increase traffic volume versus stoplights. Heavy volume favors rather than disfavors roundabouts.
My in-laws live in Carmel IN, which is the roundabout capital of the U.S. After two visits, I was sold. After I personally experienced the difference after a couple of traffic lights that caused half-mile-long backups were converted to roundabouts, I became a devout convert. If I had a billion dollars to spare, I'd donate it to the city of Chicago on the stipulation that they use it to convert every major intersection in this city into a roundabout, starting with all the crazy-stupid six-way intersections.
It's important to add here that when I speak of roundabouts, I mean a properly engineered, modern roundabout, not the old big clunky traffic circles frequently found in Europe and New England.
Provided there is enough traffic volume to necessitate them, roundabouts are by far a superior method of traffic control than a stop light. They are far safer and they can handle a far greater volume of traffic than a stoplight-controlled intersection. While they reduce overall speeds on thoroughfares, they actually decrease travel times by almost completely eliminating stop-and-idle waiting at intersections.
Initial opposition to them is understandable since Americans are not familiar with them. But studies have shown that overwhelming opposition eventually gives way to overwhelming approval once people learn how to use them, get used to them, and watch their travel times decrease.
Here's a before/after video of an intersection in Carmel intersection after a roundabout was installed:
I was changing my opinion about roundabouts, until I saw Carmel's versions. I am sure they function well there; however, Sarasota's are in center city. There is very limited space; certaintly not enough to add elevated sections. I still am not sure how pedestrians and bicyclists can traverse them, if the traffic never stops?
Thank you for your informed input and the video.... The intersections here, have 2 roads that are at least as large as the bigger highway I see in the background; What is your traffic volume on those roads? Here one road has 40,000 and the other road, forming the intersection, has over 40,000 vehicles per day.....thatsa lot of cars...LOL.
I was changing my opinion about roundabouts, until I saw Carmel's versions. I am sure they function well there; however, Sarasota's are in center city. There is very limited space; certaintly not enough to add elevated sections. I still am not sure how pedestrians and bicyclists can traverse them, if the traffic never stops?
Carmel has about 80 roundabouts. Only a few of them are grade-separated.
Pedestrians traverse them by using the crosswalks. Cars have to yield to them. It's not that complicated. Bicyclists can either use them as a vehicle in the traffic flow following the same rules as any other vehicle, or they can use them as pedestrians.
Roundabouts actually increase traffic volume versus stoplights. Heavy volume favors rather than disfavors roundabouts.
That may be true in a generic situation....but as stated what are pedestrians/bicyclists supposed to do....if traffic "never stops", and the intersection has 80,000 vehicles per day??????
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