ROUNDABOUTS AND SAFETY-- A VERMONT PERSPECTIVE TONY REDINGTON POLICY ANALYST VT AGENCY OF TRANSPORTATION ITE DISTRICT I ANNUAL MEETING MAY 21, 2004 BURLINGTON
ONCE WORLD LEADER IN TRAFFIC SAFETY, U.S. DROPS TO NO. 9 HEADLINE WALL STREET JOURNAL NOVEMBER 27, 2003
ROUNDABOUTS FOUND IN NATIONS WITH HIGHER SAFETY LED BY THE UK WHERE THE MODERN ROUNDABOUT EMERGED IN 1966, SEVEN OF THE EIGHT NATIONS WITH LOWER FATALITY RATES ON THEIR HIGHWAYS THAN THE US HEAVILY INVESTED IN ROUNDABOUTS
INTERSECTION CRASHES 23 PERCENT OF ALL FATALITIES (2000) 8,500 FATALITIES (2000) 1 MILLION INJURY CRASHES, 48 PERCENT OF ALL INJURY CRASHES 50 PERCENT OF ALL PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES
FATAL CRASHES BY INTERSECTION TYPE 57 PERCENT SIGNALIZED ABOUT 5,000 FATALATIES (ABOUT 900 RED LIGHT RUNNING) 29 PERCENT RURAL UNSIGNALIZED ABOUT 2,500 FATALITIES 14 PERCENT URBAN UNSIGNALIZED ABOUT 1,200 FATALITIES
ABOUT 43,220 PEOPLE DIED IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN 2003, UP ABOUT 1% FROM 2002 AND THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE ANNUAL INCREASE WALL STREET JOURNAL APRIL 29, 2004
INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY 2001 ROUNDABOUT STUDY-- REDUCTIONS IN THE NUMBERS OF FATAL AND INCAPACITATING INJURY CRASHES WERE ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 90 PERCENT
BASED ON THE RESEARCH TO DATE, IT IS FAIR TO ESTIMATE THAT THE EXPANSION OF ROUNDABOUTS IN THE US COULD REDUCE OVERALL US HIGHWAY FATALITIES BY UP TO 10 PERCENT OR ABOUT 4,000 FATALITIES PER YEAR
MONTPELIER KECK CIRCLE FIRST NORTHEASTERN ROUNDABOUT, 1995; 19 TH IN US 106 (AVERAGE) FEET IN DIAMETER, THREE LEGS, ON VT 12 10,900 CARS ENTERING DAILY, 360 PEDESTRIANS
MONTPELIER KECK CIRCLE PRIOR INJURIES PER MILLION ENTERING VEHICLES: 0.17 AFTER ROUNDABOUT: 0.06 (0 DISABLING INJURIES) PERCENT CHANGE: -65%
MONTPELIER KECK CIRCLE As a stop control intersection crashes included a bicyclist, sideswipe, and knocked over utility poll. Roundabout crashes: (1) a pedestrian hit on entry crosswalk (bumps and bruises); (2) a property only damage crash (a rear end of a car waiting to enter); and (3) a car rear-ended another in the travel way which was stopped at an exit to permit a pedestrian to cross driver complained of headache and sore back. No disabling injuries.
MANCHESTER GRAND UNION FOUR LEG ROUNDABOUT, ESTIMATED ENTERING TRAFFIC DAILY, 10,050, BUILT IN 1997, 90 FEET IN DIAMETER, VT 7A INJURY RATE PER MILLION ENTERING VEHICLES: 0.164
MANCHESTER GRAND UNION One reportable crash in six years and six months. Soon after opening vehicle drove straight into the center island triggering air bags and causing bumps and bruises to driver and passenger. (Approach signing was then improved and a feature added to the center island.)
THE ROUNDABOUT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE THE INTERSTATE ED WADDELL, P.E. PLANNING DIVISION MICHIGAN DOT
FIRST U.S. ROUNDABOUT LEGISLATION VERMONT 2002: Legislative Support for Roundabouts: The Legislature finds that installation of roundabouts at dangerous intersections cost efficient, and has enhanced the safe operation of vehicles The Agency of Transportation is directed to pursue the opportunities for construction of roundabouts at intersections determined to pose safety hazards for motorists.
BRATTLEBORO KEENE TURN FIRST TWO-LANE ROUNDABOUT IN THE NORTHEAST, OPENED, OCTOBER 1999, FIRST INTERSTATE INTERCHANGE ALSO 29,250 VEHICLES ENTERING DAILY, ABOUT 20% LARGE TRUCKS DESIGN DEFECTS CONRIBUTE TO MANY PROPERTY DAMAGE ONLY CRASHES, MOST BELOW REPORTABLE LEVEL
KEENE TURN ROUNDABOUT AT BRATTLEBORO
KEENE TURN US 5/I 91/VT 9 INTERSECTION PRIOR CRASHES 11.5 INJURIES YEARLY OVER THE FIVE YEARS 1994-1998; SIGNALS WITH PROTECTED LEFT TURN SIGNAL INJURY RATE PER MILLION ENTERING VEHICLES 1.21 ROUNDABOUT INJURY RATE (27 MONTHS) (NOVEMBER, 1999-DECEMBER, 2002) 0.00
WILLISTON MAPLE TREE PLACE PRIVATE SHOPPING CENTER INTERSECTION, ABOUT 6,000 VEHICLES ENTERING DAILY; SHORT CUT FROM INTERSTATE TO VILLAGE CENTER, ABOUT 90 FEET IN DIAMETER ONE CRASH REPORTED--TWO VEHICLES, NO INJURY, CARS NOT DISABLED CRASH RATE PER MILLION VEHICLES: 0.19
SOME CRASH INJURIES RATES INJURIES PER MILLION ENTERING VEHICLES. MONTPELIER KECK CIRCLE 0.06 MANCHESTER GRAND UNION 0.16 KEENE TURN AS SIGNAL 1.21 VT 62 (3 SIGNALS) 0.49 US 7/VT 103 (TWSC) 0.27
PEDESTRIAN CRASH FORMULAS SWEDISH PEDESTRIAN CRASH FORMULA FOR INTERSECTIONS (SIGNAL AND NON-SIGNAL) PED CRASHES = (0.00000734) X (Vehs) 0.50 X (Peds) 0.72 Vehs = oncoming vehicles per day Peds = number of passing peds per day
PEDESTRIAN CRASH FORMULAS BRITISH ROUNDABOUT FORMULA (TRL REPORT 1120) PROVIDED BY BARRY CROWN PREDICTED CRASHES YEARLY PER LEG= 0.029((ENTERING AADT IN THOUSANDS+EXITING AADT IN THOUSANDS)(PED AADT IN THOUSANDS)) 0.5
UK PEDESTRIAN PED CRASH RATES PER MILLION PED TRIPS MINI ROUNDABOUT 0.31 CONVENTIONAL ROUNDABOUT 0.45 FLARED ROUNDABOUT 0.33 SIGNALS 0.67
ROUNDABOUT MARKET POTENTIAL FOR U.S. EXTRAPOLATION OF FRENCH DATA: ROUNDABOUTS YEARLY BUILT (TOTAL) PRODUCTION U.S. 93,000 4,600
ROUNDABOUT MARKET POTENTIAL FRANCE RATES APPLIED TO VERMONT REPRESENT: 200 ROUNDABOUTS IN PLACE, AND 10 BUILT PER YEAR (VERMONT HAS ABOUT 300 SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS)
THE ROUNDABOUT IS THE PERSONAL COMUPTER OF ROAD TRANSPORTATION, BUILT WITH STONE AGE MATERIALS. THE ROUNDABOUT IS THE DUCT TAPE OF ROAD TRANSPORTATION TONY REDINGTON