Michigan Roundabouts & Resources
Latest Posted Resources:
- Innovative storm-water treatment using a roundabout.
- Leading research on visually impaired pedestrians and roundabouts.
- Washtenaw County Road Commission How to drive a roundabout page
- USA Today Article: States embrace roundabouts for intersections
- Carmel Indiana has over 50 roundabouts. Their Midwestern Mayor introduces the city’s commitment to them in the following video.
Why roundabouts over standard signalized intersections:
- Vehicle Safety: RbTs are designed to slow speeds & reduce traffic conflict points
- Pedestrian & Bicycle safety: decreased speeds, shorter crossing distances, reduced conflict points & motorized traffic from only one direction.
- Traffic operations: Increased flow, reduced congestion and increased capacity for intersections with high volume of left turns.
- Environmental impact: benefits of reduction of fuel usage and pollution due to less stopping, starting and idling.
- Construction costs: More right of way may increase some costs, but savings are realized long-term in less maintenance associated with signal repair and accident rates.
- Aesthetics: Create a sense of place and reduce overhead clutter. Landscaped space in center of roundabouts help define a city’s unique aspects.
- Economic: improved circulation and accessibility connects people to more niche communities.
- Cut-through traffic: Can reduce the need and cause for cut through traffic, as the main corridor is less congested and perceived safety is increased.
* This list is not intended to be comprehensive. For more information and to form your own opinion, view and visit the resources linked below.
Current roundabouts or those under construction
UPDATED: July 27, 2010
As the modern roundabout is increasingly becoming the feature of choice for intersections in Michigan and Northern Michigan labors over the community decision to include them into it’s Traffic mix, it’s helpful to know where they are located.
Please help. If you driven a roundabout or just know of a roundie in Michigan, please leave a comment or send me an email with the location.
The goal is informed consent. The roundabouts proposed for Division St. and Grandview Parkway are a compromise that promises to maintain flow of motorists, most likely decreasing travel time, while ameliorating some of the issues involving 1) pedestrian/bicycle access 2) over all safety 3) context sensitivity to the neighborhoods/parkland 4) quality of life issues.
The community deserves an educated decision. Roundabout Resources:
Navigating Michigan’s Roundabouts
- MDOT’s Entry point into roundabouts
- Northwestern Connector: 8 roundabouts in Farmington Hills
- Grand Rapids Roundabout Brochure (PDF)
- Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
- Grand Rapids animation (click the mode for demonstration)
Safety & Engineering
- FHWA: Roundabouts – A Safer Choice
- USDOT: Roundabouts – An Informational Guide
- Arizona DOT: Learn how to drive a roundabout
- NY-DOT’s Roundabout First policy (PDF)
- Museum of Modern Roundabouts
- And of course, Roundabout USA
- Roundabout Q&A via Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- Roundabouts in U.S.: Safety and Operational Impacts Study (PDF) technical report from National Cooperative Highway Research Program.
- Inventory of roundabouts: currently on record in United States.
Pedestrian/Bicycle Concerns
- Do Roundabouts Work for Bicycles and Pedestrians?
- Video of pedestrians crossing & surviving a roundabout
- Pedestrian & bicycle only roundabouts (perhaps TC first)
Environmental Benefits
- Positive Effect of roundabout operations on pollutant emissions
- Emissions reduction study of NY roundabouts (PDF)
(These aren’t traffic circles)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on Roundabout safety:
Brighton, MI: Series of 3 roundabouts driven 1.5 times.
Traffic Counts for Lee Rd. 18-20,000 vehicles per day
More videos of MI Roundabouts:
- Gaylord Roundabout with Semi-truck
- Walking a Roundabout in Farmington Hills
- making a left at a signal in F. Hills
Gary
As usual you have done a great job giving us lots of information. One concern is the YouTube clips at 3X speed. I feel sea sick and nervous when I watch it. If I did not know better, it would reinforce the idea that roundabouts are like the traffic circles in Rome. How about slowing it down to 1X and show some traffic CALMING!!??
Good point, Bob. I will change that video out in 4 minutes or sooner (11:45 EST)
Roundabouts are great in the right application, for Division and the Parkway, not a good match. Here’s a nice link outlining similiar concerns:
http://www.carsarebasic.org/traffic.html
David, your link references outdated data from 2001-02 that is not supported by many sources from the last 3-4 years. The fact that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) supports roundabouts in most applications should be very compelling evidence to even “car first” people. IIHS has both actuaries AND skin in the game.
I watched some of the videos on the Cars are Basic website, and they do have some viable concerns. They are speaking up for what they see in their community and putting an opinion out there. I certainly wouldn’t criticize them for that, but I wish they had more evidence to support their positions.
As far as I can tell, the Santa Barbara County Taxpayer Association proposes that roads should be built straight and wide, and if there is a need for speed control, then hire more police officers. Those ideas may work for expressways, but not for streets running through the middle of communities where there is a need for mixed modes, context sensitivity and a need for a higher degree of creativity.