ALTERNATE DESIGN METHODS FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AT ROUNDABOUT ENTRIES AND EXITS: CRASH STUDIES AND DESIGN PRACTICES IN AUSTRALIA, FRANCE, GREAT BRITAIN AND THE USA

The paper and presentation discuss study results of pedestrian/vehicle crashes and design practices at roundabouts in Australia, France, Great Britain and the USA. There are conflicting roundabout design practices among transportation engineers in the USA, with alternate opinions and claims about the safe design of entries and exits for both single-lane and multi-lane roundabouts. This paper compares two recent designs constructed in the USA using alternate design methods to reduce travel speeds. The meeting presentation will illustrate various alternate design applications at roundabouts currently operating in the USA. This paper came about as the result of the authors observing roundabout designers in the USA who, in an attempt to slow exiting traffic to protect pedestrians, have constructed roundabouts with excessively tight exit radii. This practice has resulted in roundabouts with unnecessarily low capacity and high vehicle crash rates in some cases. This paper is an opportunity to make the case for the design of high capacity roundabouts that are safe for pedestrians.