Studies say roundabouts make roads much safer

Today, there are about 3,500 roundabouts in the United States. In England, there are about 10,000. In France, there are about 20,000. Worldwide, there are many more.

Why are they built? Because they work.

Some have tried to spread the idea that horse trailers will find it difficult to impossible to negotiate roundabouts. But the city’s traffic engineers have examined this, and the proposed design for the roundabout at Candelaria and Rio Grande is adequate for large horse trailers.

The safety improvements of roundabouts are beyond question. From the New York Times (Aug. 24, 2008): “Researchers at Kansas State University found that roundabouts could reduce average vehicle delay by 65 percent, and other research has found signalized intersections generate twice the emissions as those controlled by roundabouts. … The fact that the modern roundabout is the safest form of intersection control available has been verified worldwide, and in the USA by several recent studies … .

“Probably the most comprehensive U.S. study to date, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety completed an in depth study of 24 intersections … which had been converted from stop control and signals to modern roundabouts … . This study reported reductions of 39 percent for all crash severities combined, 76 percent of all injury crashes and an approximate 90 percent in fatal and incapacity injury crashes.”

It is well known that the design speed of a road leads people to drive the speeds they do. If you design a wide four-lane road for 60 mph, simply posting 35 mph speed limits will not be very effective. That is why a speed study on Rio Grande recorded many drivers going 45-70 mph.

The former president of the Far North Valley Neighborhood Association, Steve Wentworth, stated about the roundabout built at Fourth and Roy: “Most didn’t think the roundabout would work and most assumed traffic would become a dangerous nightmare on Roy Road. … The area is used by all sorts of vehicles – bicyclists going to Bernalillo, people towing horse trailers to semi-trucks – you name it. … Accidents were all too common at this poorly designed and dangerous area.”

He goes on to say: “We were wrong about the roundabout; it works and works well. … Most who use the roundabout will admit that it was a good solution to a dangerous problem.”

Wentworth made an additional point about the responsibility of government to educate the public regarding how roundabouts work. To some extent, this issue has to do with the difference between commuters who like to drive fast through our neighborhood to get to work, etc, versus those who actually live in the neighborhoods. It is certainly not that clear cut, but keep in mind that the neighborhood associations immediately adjacent to the intersection – the Rio Grande Boulevard Neighborhood Association and the Alvarado Gardens Neighborhood Association – support the roundabout.

Councilor Roxanna Meyers has stated that her resolution to kill the roundabout would save the city a million dollars that could be used for other projects. This is simply untrue. The $1,125,000 she is referring to is federal money for safety improvements that will be lost to the city. The city has only $500,000 committed to this and Meyers’ resolution only makes $300,000 of that available for other projects. In addition, the city has already spent over $400,000 on this project. So to get $300,000 for other projects, she is willing to give up over $1.5 million. Does that make sense to anyone?

Finally, I appeal to aesthetics. This intersection is the gateway to our wonderful Rio Grande Nature Center. Let’s make it beautiful. Get rid of the traffic signals and plant some flowers.
— This article appeared on page 06 of the Albuquerque Journal