Roundabouts a traffic congestion solution?

– News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

The subtle but significant differences between rotaries and roundabouts
Image via the UMass Transportation Center. A

What is old is new again?

Roundabouts are a variation on what are called rotaries in these parts and with which Camel, Indiana has gone all in on much to the appreciation of its locals.

The reasons why? 

Properly designed traffic roundabouts in the right setting can both improve traffic flow while at the same time greatly reduce the need for traffic lights.

At this point, the small city that is Carmel has 142 roundabouts – mostly along its busier streets – with even more roundabouts planned, not to mention that is has more roundabouts than any other city in the United States.

How all in on roundabouts is Carmel? 

Good planning, not dumb luck
Image via clipart.com

It is on track to become a but one traffic light-controlled intersection community by 2025.

Benefits of roundabouts include a 63% in local accident rates with even greater decreases in accident rates in and around its busier roundabout intersections.

Travel time has also decreased even though lanes of traffic are often removed as well as that peak driving speeds are reduced as traffic flow is far more steady and free-flowing given the use of properly designed roundabouts. 

In turn, such also reduces motor vehicle fuel use as well as wear and tear on motorized vehicles, with both also yielding decreases in air pollution.

A chicken in every pothole in Quincy!
A Quincy Quarry News file photo

And as for further positives: with fewer lanes on its roads, Carmel has less pavement to maintain as well as so reduces urban warming caused in part by pavement.

Additional benefits include both more landscaping along Carmel’s roadways, so further reducing air pollution, as well as helping offset global climate change via the cooling benefits of plants.

Further benefits care of the reduction in lanes of traffic on local streets include that such has facilitated the development of far safer as well as also more appealing to use bicycles lanes and so further helping to moderate motor vehicle traffic.

“By going with them the feds paid for them …” A Quincy Quarry News file photo

At the same time, one can only hope that Quincy’s fool for fads mayor does not opt to get on the roundabout band wagon for a variety of reasons.

For but two, Carmel’s topography is as flat as things get in the Midwest as well as that for the most part its streets are laid out in a rational as well as consistent grid pattern.

Quincy street maps, on the other hand, can readily be viewed as resembling a Rorschach test and/or a fingerprinting made by a preschooler.

Additionally, while the population of Carmel is almost exactly the same as is the population of Quincy, Carmel is roughly half as densely populated as is Quincy on a per square basis. 

As such, Carmel so has the room to readily rework its intersections and streets to go with a roundabout design ethos with “relative” ease as well as at modest expense, all things considered.

Not a roundabout utilizing roadway
Image via bloomberg.com

Admittedly, while a roundabout roadway design does face problems as population density and community size increases, Carmel is far from from facing such concerns any time soon, if ever.

That and Carmel also strictly adheres to local property use zoning codes, unlike variance granting crazy Quincy – at least all too often is the case for the benefit of those with ties to the Koch Maladministration.

And finally, one must make special note of the fact that most drivers in at least downstate Indiana tend to be considerate of others as well as are far more traffic laws abiding whereas at least Eastern Massachusetts is full of massaholes who relay rely on a whole other set of informal regional Darwinian, if not also selfish, traditions while driving.

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