Star: City Hall eyes traffic circles

[Tewder]

I think traffic circles/roundabouts/rotaries...it's all roundabouts and swings to me...would be useful in stopping people from running lights at smaller intersections. They slow the traffic down and then they take away the impulse because you have no light to wait for when there is absolutely no other vehicle around. They also keep the flow of traffic going and are far more attractive than intersections because they offer potential for greenspace or public art.

 

[carrefour]

I agree. But maybe it's because I lived in Europe for too long and have seen the majestic atmosphere some of them give.

 

[wyliepoon]

York Blvd in Richmond Hill (in the East Beaver Creek, Hwy 7/Hwy 404 area) has two traffic circles spaced very closely together. Quite appropriate for Richmond Hill, at the northeastern end of the York Blvd axis formed by the traffic circles is a palatial big-box Destiny bubble tea restaurant.

Link to Google Maps

 

[Lone Primate]

Oh, yeah, my dad taught me how to swear on that thing, a hundred times. I'm pretty sure it's the reason I just shudder anytime I hear any kind of arrangement like that proposed. How many times did I hear him yell "it's one-for-one, a$$hole!"? The milk of human kindness generally curdles in the anonymous heat of driving and if you're counting on it as the rule rather than the exception as a sine qua non of your traffic solution, I'm sorry, but you're just asking for trouble -- which they finally admitted in Dartmouth and tore the thing out. Give me lights and rules and clear timed access every time.

 

[jamincan]

I live in Kitchener right now and experience roundabouts regularly here. On the whole, I really like them. That said, there are some problems. Primarily, people seem to forget how to use signal lights in a roundabout. I've noticed improvements with respect to this, but if at the very least people would signal their exit, they would be far more efficient and accidents would likely be even more reduced. The other problem is that on multi-lane roundabouts, people seem to get excited and think that it is a good opportunity to overtake other drivers. Don't do this! This is particularly problematic on Ira Needles Blvd. The road is one lane in each direction for most of its length, but the roundabouts are two lanes. Impatient drivers try to use the opportunity to pass, which is generally not successful and leads to people travelling far too fast through the roundabouts on that road. Until Ira Needles is eventually four-laned, it might be a good idea to put speed bumps at the entrance to the roundabouts to force people to slow down.

 

[Markster]

Primarily, people seem to forget how to use signal lights in a roundabout. I've noticed improvements with respect to this, but if at the very least people would signal their exit, they would be far more efficient

Amen, brother! Though, I consider that the problem is more so that people simply haven't learned how signal yet. They may have been told it once, but it's slipped right out of their mind.

The other problem is that on multi-lane roundabouts, people seem to get excited and think that it is a good opportunity to overtake other drivers. Don't do this! This is particularly problematic on Ira Needles Blvd. The road is one lane in each direction for most of its length, but the roundabouts are two lanes.

Guilty as charged.
Or rather, I pass in the roundabout because the other drivers are altogether too timid when approaching them. Some people treat roundabouts virtually like 4-way stops, instead of flowing in and out! I am still reducing my speed in the roundabout, but not to the same extent as others. I spent several weeks driving abroad, and got very comfortable with navigating them!

 

[gweed123]

Was just up in Whitehorse for a week, and they have roundabouts EVERYWHERE. The ring road around Whitehorse has at least 4 of them on it. Overall, they work very well.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I agree that the biggest problems with roundabouts is the fact that nobody knows how to use them. I have seen people going around the wrong way in them (though it was a small one and was not well marked), not using indicators when leaving them, and stopping before entering them even though the roundabout was empty.

 

[Tewder]

Sure, but people will do dumb things no matter what the road configuration! In the end you're far less likely to get 'killed' in a traffic circle than you are at an intersection.

 

[gweed123]

Sure, but people will do dumb things no matter what the road configuration! In the end you're far less likely to get 'killed' in a traffic circle than you are at an intersection.

That's very true. Even if you're a complete idiot in a roundabout, pretty much no matter what you're still going to slow down to make the turn. If you're going to do something dumb, at least you'll be going slow enough that a vehicle-on-vehicle crash won't be fatal. Vehicle-on-pedestrian would depend on how the pedestrian is hit I guess.