Summary: Willow Park does not have roundabout traffic circles, but neighbors Hudson Oaks, Aledo, and Weatherford do. And TXDoT says there are around 500 across Texas and more are coming. According to TXDoT roundabouts are significantly safer than intersections. So during National Roundabout Week, 16 to 20 September 2024, head over to our neighbors and practice roundabout-ing, just in case...
Latest Update: 12 September, 2024
""Wrap your mind around Texas roundabout safety and benefits," Willow Park neighbors have. And remember 16 Sept. 2024 National Roundabout Week.
Willow Park does not have roundabout traffic circles, but neighbors Hudson Oaks, Aledo, and Weatherford do. And TXDoT says there are around 500 across Texas and more are coming. [2]
In fact, roundabouts, aka traffic circles, are as old as the USA, when Pierre Charles L'Enfant designed the D.C. roadways of circles and spokes, in his 1791 master plan that transformed a patch of swamp and farmland into the capital of the United States. [1]
And according to the Texas Dept. of Transportation TXDoT, roundabouts are significantly safer so they are encouraging more. [2] Here are some tips for the next time you enter a roundabout:
• Slow down.
• If there’s more than one lane, use the left lane to turn left, the right lane to turn right, and all lanes to go through, unless directed otherwise by signs and pavement markings.
• Yield to pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Yield at the entry to circulating traffic.
• Stay in your lane within the roundabout and use your right turn signal to indicate your intention to exit.
• Always assume trucks need all available space — don’t pass them!
So during National Roundabout Week 16 to 20 September 2024, head over to our neighbors and practice roundabout-ing, just in case...
Willow Park Civics Sources and Resources
[1] A Brief History of Pierre L’Enfant and Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Magazine, 30 April 2008; The Devil and Monsieur L'Enfant, ThoughtCo. 22 January 2020
[2] Wrap your mind around Texas roundabout safety and benefits, Texas Dept. of Transportation TXDoT, Excerpts
There’s no doubt about it, roundabouts save lives, and TxDOT is looking to build more of these innovative intersections to increase safety on Texas roads.
If you’ve driven around Texas, you might have noticed some new intersections called roundabouts. There are around 500 across the state and more are coming. Instead of traffic signals, roundabouts allow traffic to circulate (literally—counterclockwise) using only yield signs.
The Federal Highway Administration calls them a “proven safety countermeasure” because they substantially reduce crashes that result in serious injuries or death. According to a National Academy of Sciences study, roundabouts lead to a more than 90% reduction in fatalities, 76% reduction in injuries, 35% reduction in all crashes, and the slower speeds at roundabouts are also usually safer for pedestrians.
TxDOT deputy executive director Brandye Hendrickson is the executive sponsor for a new roundabout task force at TxDOT and supported the creation of a new position to help the department understand and implement more so Texas can realize their benefits.
“Elevating our roundabouts culture and competency is going to be helpful to helping advance more projects and getting them built,” Hendrickson said.
From 2017-2019, Hendrickson served as Acting Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). During that term, she helped found National Roundabouts Week, which provides a time every year for organizations across the country to promote roundabouts. In 2023, National #RoundaboutsWeek is Sept. 18-22.
How do they lead to an overwhelming reduction in fatal and severe injury crashes? They essentially eliminate the most dangerous types of intersection crashes - the T-bone collision. They also lower speeds at the intersection to just 15 to 30 mph, so when crashes do happen, they are less severe.
Roundabouts also save money in the long run and provide resiliency benefits in a power outage—no traffic signals are powered—and reduce pollution because they lead to fewer idling vehicles. They also often require less paving and maintenance, since the center island is not used by vehicles.
Nevertheless, a lot of drivers more accustomed to traffic signals may be nervous about how to navigate roundabouts. So here are some tips for the next time you enter one:
• Slow down.
• If there’s more than one lane, use the left lane to turn left, the right lane to turn right, and all lanes to go through, unless directed otherwise by signs and pavement markings.
• Yield to pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Yield at the entry to circulating traffic.
• Stay in your lane within the roundabout and use your right turn signal to indicate your intention to exit.
• Always assume trucks need all available space — don’t pass them!
Many drivers also may think roundabouts can be more dangerous, but studies show they provide major safety benefits. Here are a few more myths about roundabouts:
• Roundabouts can’t handle a lot of traffic – roundabouts can actually handle upwards of 20,000 cars a day at a single lane roundabout and upwards of 50,000 cars a day at a multilane roundabout. At higher traffic volumes, roundabouts often prove to be nearly as efficient as traffic signals.
• Roundabouts can’t handle big trucks – almost all modern roundabouts are designed to handle standard semi-trucks, buses, fire trucks, etc.
• Roundabouts only belong in urban areas – roundabouts at rural intersections provide the same safety benefits as they do at urban intersections, and often provide even more benefit due to higher speeds found in rural situations. Roundabouts can be designed to accommodate rural vehicles such as farm equipment, large trucks, horse trailers, etc. They are often appreciated by communities after they’re installed because people notice the traffic-calming effects -- especially not having to wait at red lights in the middle of nowhere.
• National Roundabout Week / Roundabouts Save Lives2024 National Roundabouts Week Factsheet, US Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
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