Intersections

Many agencies confuse roundabouts with traffic circles and are hesitant to try them. The designs are quite different. A traffic circle is often very large, traffic enters and exits at a high speed, and complex entry and exit points can lead to more crashes rather than less.

Modern roundabouts, mostly developed in the United Kingdom from the 60s onward, provide many advantages over these old, outmoded traffic circle designs. Roundabout design reduces circle size and slows vehicle entry and exit speeds.

Each roundabout has a central island, 15 feet or larger in diameter. The island may be round, square, or some other shape.

Each entry/exit point has a splitter island that is triangular. This keeps drivers from entering the exit area and gives pedestrians a safe haven as they cross.

Vehicles enter and exit by turning right at a slow speed of 12 to 25 miles per hour, depending on the type of street.

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