September 27, 2023 — National Roundabouts Week is celebrated across the United States every September. This year, Roundabouts Week was Sept. 18-23, and New York’s Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) did its part to promote awareness and educate New Yorkers about roundabout safety.
According to the NYS DOT Facebook page, there are 32 potential “conflict points” at traditional four-way intersections and 24 conflict points with pedestrians. With a roundabout, or traffic circle, there are only eight of each.
“While drivers are often skeptical about new roundabouts, most get used to them quickly and appreciate their benefits,” said the DOT in a press release.
PEF member Howard McCulloch is a roundabout design specialist at DOT. He cites the Route 67 corridor at Exit 12 in Malta as a successful roundabout project where traditional stop signal intersections were removed. The result is a reduction in travel time from about six-and-a-half minutes to about two minutes.
Malta has one of the highest roundabout-per-population ratios in the U.S., according to the DOT.
“The environmental benefits that roundabouts provide over traditional intersections are reduced emissions about 20 to 30 percent,” McCulloch said. “They are also unaffected by power outages.”
Keeping traffic moving, the DOT said in a social media post, cuts commute times and reduces congestion, which results in less fuel combustion and a reduced carbon footprint.
Pedestrians are also safer with roundabouts. Since roundabouts typically ask drivers to slow down to about 15 to 20 mph, the potential for accidents decreases, and injuires at those speeds are less likely to be critical or fatal.
DOT admits that not everyone is a fan of roundabouts, but they stand by the data: they are safer for everyone, drivers and pedestrians alike.
For more information about roundabouts, visit the NYS DOT Department of Transportation website or Facebook or X page (formerly known as Twitter).