Complete Street Policy unencumbered by political process. Walk-bike-skate-bus or rail, give street access to people, not just cars.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Laguna's Roundabout Moves Cars Not People
Here is a comparison between two roundabouts, one accommodates pedestrians and cyclists the other does not.
The city of Laguna Beach is considering a plan to include traffic roundabouts on Laguna Canyon Road at these traffic intersections: El Toro Road, Phillips Road, Anneliese Schools. The video shows an experiment where roundabouts increased car traffic flow by 20% over 4-way stops and increases car traffic safety. Notice the cars in a queue behind stop-signs disappear when the roundabout is used. Also notice the absence of walkers, cyclists in these provisions, the roundabout does not consider other transportation modes it serves mostly cars. The city's plan does not consider other transport modes in their mobility plan, but don't we have enough cars already?
For contrast here's a balanced roundabout in Amsterdam designed for all four modes.
All modern roundabouts have median islands separating incoming and outgoing auto traffic. Pedestrians don't have to find a gap in two directions of traffic, just one. This is safer for pedestrians, especially for younger or older ones, because they only have to concentrate on one direction of traffic at a time. This is what is meant by two-phase. Cross the first half, pause if you need to, then cross the second half. On multi-lane crossings pedestrian beacons or signals are often added if the auto (or pedestrian) traffic is too numerous. Here is a video example: http://tinyurl.com/rabPHB . The signals can also be two phase, requiring the pedestrian to push a second button when they get to the median. The median can also have a Z path to reorient the pedestrian to view oncoming traffic. Also, the signals usually rest in off, so they are only activated if a pedestrian needs the help crossing. This way only motorists that need to stop are delayed.
All modern roundabouts have median islands separating incoming and outgoing auto traffic. Pedestrians don't have to find a gap in two directions of traffic, just one. This is safer for pedestrians, especially for younger or older ones, because they only have to concentrate on one direction of traffic at a time. This is what is meant by two-phase. Cross the first half, pause if you need to, then cross the second half. On multi-lane crossings pedestrian beacons or signals are often added if the auto (or pedestrian) traffic is too numerous. Here is a video example: http://tinyurl.com/rabPHB . The signals can also be two phase, requiring the pedestrian to push a second button when they get to the median. The median can also have a Z path to reorient the pedestrian to view oncoming traffic. Also, the signals usually rest in off, so they are only activated if a pedestrian needs the help crossing. This way only motorists that need to stop are delayed.
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