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Star: City Hall eyes traffic circles

Yeah, I am against them from a pedestrian perspective as well. They may be ideal for the intersection of two concession roads out in the sticks, but they are barriers for pedestrians, especially if you are crossing the road from the right while motorists just look left to merge.
 
I don't mind small-scale traffic circles like those in random North York and Rosedale neighbourhoods, I think they're a decent alternative for 4-way stops and lightly used traffic signals. But anything bigger than collector-meets-collector, the roundabouts will become too big in an urban context for pedestrians to navigate around, unless underpasses are used. Crosswalks through the circle would defeat the purpose.

Ira Needles Blvd in K-W (that's the one you mentioned Unimaginative?) works becuase of its suburban fringe nature. But I can't see large urban Toronto interesections adapted for traffic circles.
 
There is a traffic circle south of the Montreal airport. It flows traffic off and onto highway 20. For many years, it had among the highest accident rates of any roadway in Montreal. The accident level was considerably reduced when traffic lights were intoduced.
 
flar said:
They can work in certain situations:

Here are two older ones in Hamilton:

A complex intersection at Main East and Queenston:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=e...79.799366&spn=0.005526,0.013454&t=k&z=17&om=1

At the foot of the Kenilworth Access:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=e...79.811962&spn=0.005527,0.013454&t=k&z=17&om=1


And the modern roundabout in Ancaster:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=e...80.001497&spn=0.005529,0.013454&t=k&z=17&om=1
Click to expand...

The one at Main East & Queenston is an example of where its best used - complex intersections where there are more than four possible directions.
 
The ones in Moncton and Montreal aren't modern roundabouts. If the traffic in the circle doesn't have the right of way, it's not the same thing as the article talks about. High capacity modern ones look like this:

Ira%20Needles%20Aerial09.JPG


For context, here's an old rotary being converted to a roundabout.

rndabtapp54.jpg


There aren't too many in the centres of cities in Europe but I have a feeling that's more because there's no room than for pedestrain safety. This is from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website:

Roundabouts generally are safer for pedestrians than traditional intersections. In a roundabout, pedestrians walk on sidewalks around the perimeter of the circulatory roadway. If it is necessary for pedestrians to cross the roadway, they cross only one direction of traffic at a time. In addition, crossing distances are relatively short, and traffic speeds are lower than at traditional intersections. Studies in Europe indicate that, on average, converting conventional intersections to roundabouts can reduce pedestrian crashes by about 75 percent.13,14 Single-lane roundabouts, in particular, have been reported to involve substantially lower pedestrian crash rates than comparable intersections with traffic signals.15

And this too

A 2001 Institute study of 23 intersections in the United States reported that converting intersections from traffic signals or stop signs to roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 80 percent and all crashes by 40 percent.1 Similar results were reported by Eisenman et al.: a 75 percent decrease in injury crashes and a 37 percent decrease in total crashes at 35 intersections that were converted from traffic signals to roundabouts.2 Studies of intersections in Europe and Australia that were converted to roundabouts have reported 41-61 percent reductions in injury crashes and 45-75 percent reductions in severe injury crashes.3
 
bar1967 said:
Bring them on! They are far more attractive than the typical stop light intersections. An added bonus is you can add intersting landscaping in the middle. Not to mention they actually work. How many times have you sat at an intersection when no traffic is coming and you just wait and wait for the light. Stupid.

They could build a nice big one at University and Richmond.
Click to expand...


or in the city of toronto's case they could let it fill full of weeds and grass to achieve the crappy aesthetic of the rest of the city
 
nstuch said:
or in the city of toronto's case they could let it fill full of weeds and grass to achieve the crappy aesthetic of the rest of the city
Click to expand...

Yikes, that's harsh (but your point is well taken!).

I seem to recall quite a few 'roundabouts' in London - even in the busy West End - and a lot of smaller British towns too. The entrances to the circle are regulated by traffic lights, I believe, which gives pedestrians time to proceed to a median point until the next lights change. Can't quite remember how it works but they're so common there.
 
Then there are those traffic circles that exists more for "picturesque suburban planning" reasons (eg. the one in the middle of Credit Woodlands).

Also of note: the "urbanization" of the York U campus has led its ring of circles to be eliminated one by one...
 
adma said:
Also of note: the "urbanization" of the York U campus has led its ring of circles to be eliminated one by one...
Click to expand...

That's a shame. The Hyundai Accent isn't a sports car, but those were some of the only places where its handling was a Godsend....
 
cacruden said:
A very long time ago now - Kingston ON had a traffic circle. It was eventually removed, but I seem to remember that the circle had a high accident rate -- especially among non-locals (tourists). I really don't think it is a good idea to bring them back - in that very few people know how to use them properly.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree. A bunch of yield signs that force each and every arriving motorist to have to decide if they have time to go, with the oncoming traffic unrelenting, and never even the hope of a red light giving you your chance? That's a recipe for stupid chances taken out of open-ended frustration. No thanks. They just put one of these in at St. Jacob's, and it's awful. Signaled intersections are a much better idea... that's why we replaced things like traffic circles with them fifty years ago in the first place.
 
lol...I don't see the Hyundai Accent mentioned along with good handling very often. And I own one! I think roundabouts are one reason (among many) that good handling is more important to car buyers in Europe.

Yeah, I agree. A bunch of yield signs that force each and every arriving motorist to have to decide if they have time to go, with the oncoming traffic unrelenting, and never even the hope of a red light giving you your chance? That's a recipe for stupid chances taken out of open-ended frustration. No thanks. They just put one of these in at St. Jacob's, and it's awful. Signaled intersections are a much better idea... that's why we replaced things like traffic circles with them fifty years ago in the first place.
Click to expand...
Well that's your opinion but people tend to like them once they get used to them. They're much safer than signalized intersections. I'm repeating myself but the traffic circles that were replaced 50 years ago weren't the same thing as what's being built now.
 
^^yes, the modern roundabouts are much tighter and designed to control the speed of the cars passing through. The older, larger ones allowed the cars in the circle to go too fast. The modern roundabout on Wilson St. in Ancaster is easy to use and as far as I know has not had a lot of accidents. Wilson St. is busy at times but I've never had to actually stop to get into the circle.
 
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