Roundabouts – Can Curvy Intersections Mean Thinner Streets?
If the past few years are any indication, 2015 will see an ever-increasing number of roundabouts being retrofit along our aging local streets and highway system. Roundabouts continue to gain wider acceptance among professionals and the public for numerous safety, capacity, and environmental benefits, thanks in part to the success of the Caltrans ICE process.1 However, as roundabouts strengthen their track record as antidotes to clogged arterials, we continue to see many city- and county-wide transportation plans and development projects being planned around wide arterials with large...
Read MoreHave Roundabouts Finally Found their Place in California?
Roundabouts have been gaining popularity throughout the United States over the past several years, especially in places like Washington, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado and Florida. These states have been using roundabouts as a way to create a sense of place for all users, as showcased in “Roundabout: A Tool For Placemaking”, a recent article by Ken Sides and Rick Geller featured in Better! Cities & Towns. In years past, California, which is usually a leader in art, technologies and innovation, has been slow to embrace roundabouts as the innovative intersection control that they are. ...
Read MoreCaltrans Turns the Corner on Roundabouts
The benefits of roundabouts are turning heads and changing minds at the California Department of Transportation, better known as Caltrans. Though roundabout solutions have been steadily gaining popularity within the Department’s right of way, this Fall marked a turning point in the way Caltrans approaches roundabout solutions. On August 30, 2013, Caltrans Chiefs Dennis Agar & Timothy Craggs issued a memorandum which formalizes a new approval process for intersections projects on the state highway system. The new Intersection Control Evaluation, or “ICE”, process is good news for...
Read More