Roundabouts have been around for about 250 years. An early version is Paris’ La Place D’Etoile (renamed Place Charles de Gaulle) built in 1777 where up to ten lanes of traffic encircle the Arc de Triomphe. Of course that was originally for horse drawn carriages and it was not until the 1960s that the modern roundabout designed for vehicles became commonplace.
There are several versions of what is also called the circular or unsignalized intersection, including the mini roundabout that has single lanes going in and out of the circle and a small central island that can be partially driven over. This type is most common in light traffic, rural areas.
Multi-lane roundabouts are the most common version with the inside lane used to make right turns and through movements while the outside lane is used to make exit turns. One version of this is the turbo roundabout where road users are forced to choose a lane before entering so as to discourage lane changing once on it. There are also enormous roundabout versions, the largest in diameter being in Putrajaya, Malaysia spanning 3.5km. Then there is Swindon’s Magic Roundabout which has five smaller satellite clockwise roundabouts while vehicles travel counterclockwise around the inner circle. Just to drive through this must be like a horizontal rollercoaster.
But the goal is the same for all: to facilitate the uninterrupted flow of traffic through junctions. While Britain pioneered the roundabout’s modern design, the real impetus to their deployment was the adoption of the “priority” or “yield at entry rule”. Once the driver under-stands this then he or she behaves “in accordance with gap acceptance theory;.drivers waiting to enter the major stream must wait until a suitable gap is found, and enter when it can be done safely. The minimum gap that an average minor movement driver would accept, is called the critical gap.” (Erlend Aakrea, Arvid Aakrea 2017)
This requires a certain skill in averaging the distance and speed of cars in the circle, and for novice drivers this can be daunting but is quickly learnt. One of the countries with the most roundabouts currently is France with over 30,000. On the other hand America with only 4,800 as of 2015, has been slow to adopt them and one wonders if there is something in the psyche of the American driver that is averse to the concept.
This is despite the overwhelming benefits, and probably the most important of these is that of safety. A 2000 Kansas University study showed “39% fewer vehicle collisions, 76% fewer fatalities, and 90% fewer serious injuries” compared to traditional intersections which are always prone to drivers ignoring traffic lights/stop signs or even signal malfunction.
Also there are simply so many opportunities to crash badly and head on in such intersections while on roundabouts vehicles all go in the same general direction. Roundabouts also enforce speed limits by sheer physics since you must navigate them at a limited speed or else suffer the effects of centrifugal force.
As for traffic flow, anyone can appreciate that the roundabout on the Kitty Seawall has had a marked beneficial effect compared to the previous inter-section’s format. It is encouraging to see the new government building on the coalition’s initiative and we look forward to the Mandela Avenue round-about being completed. There may be other inter-sections suitable to accommodate mini round-abouts within central Georgetown.
Finally there are the aesthetics, since the central island offers the opportunity for beautification. In this regard the roundabout at Timehri is a delight-ful welcome to visitors with its trees and flowers. If only the rest of the journey along the East Bank was similarly pleasing. On that note it is sad to see the paving of the median on the East Coast Highway when flowers would have been a better idea. We are an oil producing nation now and can afford and deserve such niceties.
Roundabouts actually help cultivate better road manners. While some among us like to drive aggressively and selfishly – “big and bad” – else-where, on the roundabout they are compelled to be momentarily more considerate.
However, they do have some drawbacks including that they take up a lot of space. That is why one sees fewer in high density cities. In the case of Manhattan the grid system (like Georgetown), which was designed in 1811 in order to commodify the island’s real estate into standard blocks has precluded roundabouts, with Columbus Circle being one exception.
The other issue is at times of very heavy traffic, backups on entry roads do occur as the circle becomes so congested the critical gap shrinks to a level drivers are not comfortable with. However, even here most drivers trying to enter the circle simply lower their comfort factor while drivers already in the circle are routinely seen to actually accommodate cars trying to enter.
But perhaps there is a deeper significance to the roundabout that is worth exploring. Traffic lights command you to “Stop” or “Go” based on techno-logy and the country’s traffic authorities. You wait, you watch, you fiddle with your radio, you glance at the numbers counting down and then if it’s Guyana you listen for the pre-green honk from the car behind you, a friendly heads-up that it’s time to drive off. Traffic lights are symbols of authorita-rianism and objects of resentment.
In contrast a roundabout is this communal space in which courtesy and caution collude (not collide). When they work well they are harmonies in loco-motion. Their very shape is conducive to driving: a circle is easily understood by all motorists and so we navigate them intuitively. The “yield to enter rule” that governs them is also easily learnt as one can see in Guyana where the roundabout is a relatively new infrastructure but has been embraced quite naturally. They need no policemen to direct traffic, or lights to be maintained. You simply build them and we the drivers do the rest.
Just as public parks encourage the idea of common spaces and equal access to all citizens, so the roundabout affirms the belief that humans do not always need to be told what to do and that we are at our very core a co-operative species. Something to ponder next time you enter one.
