Search This Blog

Monday 11 September 2017

Roundabout (traffic)

Half of the world's roundabouts are on the roads of France. There were more than 30.000 in 2008; it is now estimated to be around 50.000.

France has one roundabout for every five inhabitants.

The United Kingdom has more roundabouts as a proportion of the road than any other country.

There are 124 roundabouts in the English town of Milton Keynes. All grid junctions are roundabouts, and the absence of traffic lights enables remarkably free and efficient movement of traffic.

The V8's intersection with the H9 Groveway li Milton Keynes. By Chris Nyborg 

The English town of Basingstoke is often nicknamed "Doughnut City" or "Roundabout City" due to its number of roundabouts.

Circular junctions existed before roundabouts, including the Circus in the English city of Bath, Somerset, the 1907 Place de l'Étoile around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris; the 1904 Columbus Circle in Manhattan; and several circles within Washington, D.C.

The modern world's first roundabout, the Brautwiesenplatz, was opened in 1899, in Görlitz, Germany.

The United Kingdom's first roundabout was built in 1909 in Letchworth Garden City.

The United Kingdom's first roundabout (1909) in Letchworth Garden City

In 1990, there were no roundabouts in the US; today there are over 2,000.

The Indiana city of Carmel has a total of 140 roundabouts, more than any other city in the United States. Since regular intersections were replaced with roundabouts, the number of accidents there have  reduced by 40%.  The reason that Carmel has so many roundabouts is because when city's mayor, Jim Brainard, studied at Oxford University in the 1980s, he became taken with European traffic flow.

The word roundabout dates from early 20th century United Kingdom. It is also called a traffic circle, road circle, rotary, rotunda or island,

The world’s biggest roundabout may be seen at Putrajaya in Malaysia. It is 2.2 miles in diameter. The only traffic roundabout to rival it is one in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Roundabouts reduce fatalities from accidents by approx 77%. They also lower wait times and save gas.

No comments:

Post a Comment