May 16 AMATS Policy Committee meeting
Covered by Documenter Benjamin Rexroad (see his notes here)
AMATS members recently released a report studying Akron-area roundabouts and their effectiveness. Documenter Benjamin Rexroad attended the May 16 meeting and learned how the area’s 28 roundabouts have improved or hampered traffic flow.
The AMATS report states, “Understanding and embracing any new concept takes time, especially for something as radically different as a roundabout. Transportation officials and the public alike are all over the spectrum on their level of enthusiasm or disdain for roundabouts. Few concepts in the transportation world elicit such strong reactions as roundabouts.”
That said, Planning Administrator Matt Stewart said this report aims to provide an objective analysis of roundabouts as a traffic intersection alternative.
What’s a traffic circle? What’s a roundabout?
Key differences between modern roundabouts and traffic circles | ||
| Modern roundabout | Traffic circle | |
| Size | Smaller — typically under 200 feet in outside diameter | Generally much larger — most are over 200 feet, some significantly larger |
| Traffic control | Yield control for all entry points | Typically stop or yield control for points of entry; some require circulating traffic to yield to entering traffic |
| Pedestrian movement | Access is allowed only across the legs of the roundabout, behind the yield line | Can be similar to roundabouts, but some circles allow pedestrian access to the center island |
| Speed | Designed to slow traffic, typically 10 to 15 m.p.h. | Can be higher speed, especially on larger circles |
| Circulation | All vehicles flow counterclockwise | Typically counterclockwise, but some neighborhood circles allow left turns/clockwise flow |
“We focused on the 28 existing roundabouts on our federally funded roadways and arterials,” Stewart said. “We did a crash comparison analysis on 17 of the 28, and the reason for that is because some roundabouts are too new.”
Several of the roundabouts excluded from the study are in Green because many were completed within the last year or are still too new to study.
The report calls Green the area’s “undisputed leader in roundabouts.”
Akron-area roundabouts reduce crashes, damage
Here’s what they found:
- Injury crashes were reduced on 15 of the 17 roundabouts.
- Property damage crashes (no injuries) were reduced on nine of the 17 roundabouts.
- Overall crashes were reduced on nine of the 17 roundabouts.
- There was one fatal crash at a roundabout, but it was not related to actions within the roundabout. An impaired driver drove off the roadway while approaching the roundabout.
On the property damage crashes, Stewart said, “This is about what we expected or a little better. Roundabouts are about reducing the severity of crashes.”
Report shares data for all roundabouts in Akron area
Find crash data for each roundabout starting on page 24 of the report.
The report concludes with best practices AMATS gleaned from experience and from working with communities that feature roundabouts. Ideas such as building smaller and simpler roundabouts, along with getting public input topped the list.
“It’s never been easier to fund roundabouts between our carbon reduction program and all the safety money available from ODOT,” Stewart said. ODOT is “big on roundabouts right now.”
Policy committee members approved the study at the May 16 meeting.
List to a recording of the meeting here.
