Crash prone 'modern roundabouts'

[jakeroot]

No idea what's going on in that second photo, BTW.

Traffic wise? Truck in a roundabout, nothing to see. Tandem can probably go 3 MPH on such a roundabout - and possibly up to 5 MPH if driver is in a rush and willing to take some risk...

My concern was with the person standing in the roundabout (look to the right of the rear trailer). Also, there's two cars in one lane.

There appears to be a police vehicle in the median south (top side here) of the roundabout.

EDIT: I don't know if three to five miles per hour is accurate. That is walking pace, to just above walking pace. and I definitely don't think I could walk as fast as a truck maneuvers through a roundabout. It's not a fast process, but it's not walking pace.

[skluth]

No idea what's going on in that second photo, BTW.

Traffic wise? Truck in a roundabout, nothing to see. Tandem can probably go 3 MPH on such a roundabout - and possibly up to 5 MPH if driver is in a rush and willing to take some risk...

As someone who doesn't like tandems in the first place, I don't care if they are inconvenienced by roundabouts

[jakeroot]

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1759/41012956270_c81e3bf31d_b.jpg

No idea what's going on in that second photo, BTW.

Traffic wise? Truck in a roundabout, nothing to see. Tandem can probably go 3 MPH on such a roundabout - and possibly up to 5 MPH if driver is in a rush and willing to take some risk...

As someone who doesn't like tandems in the first place, I don't care if they are inconvenienced by roundabouts

I don't think they are. I don't even think the tandem truck has something wrong with it. Besides it's a shorter tandem.

Have you been threatened by them in the past? What's the issue with tandems?

[davmillar]

Still going through the thread but jumped ahead to post this. Earlier this year there was a post on the Fort Worth subreddit about some of the changes forthcoming to our road system. One is that this situation around the corner from where I live is going to be replaced with a roundabout. If and when that happens I'll try to get some pics during construction and after.

[jakeroot]

Still going through the thread but jumped ahead to post this. Earlier this year there was a post on the Fort Worth subreddit about some of the changes forthcoming to our road system. One is that this situation around the corner from where I live is going to be replaced with a roundabout. If and when that happens I'll try to get some pics during construction and after.

Seems like the kind of intersection that would be prime for a roundabout. Single lane or multi lane? Street view seems to suggest that single-lane would be fine, with a couple slip lanes to maintain the multi-lane LV Trail.

[davmillar]

Still going through the thread but jumped ahead to post this. Earlier this year there was a post on the Fort Worth subreddit about some of the changes forthcoming to our road system. One is that this situation around the corner from where I live is going to be replaced with a roundabout. If and when that happens I'll try to get some pics during construction and after.

Seems like the kind of intersection that would be prime for a roundabout. Single lane or multi lane? Street view seems to suggest that single-lane would be fine, with a couple slip lanes to maintain the multi-lane LV Trail.

Looks like 2-lane, according to the document linked from NBC DFW.

[jakeroot]

Still going through the thread but jumped ahead to post this. Earlier this year there was a post on the Fort Worth subreddit about some of the changes forthcoming to our road system. One is that this situation around the corner from where I live is going to be replaced with a roundabout. If and when that happens I'll try to get some pics during construction and after.

Seems like the kind of intersection that would be prime for a roundabout. Single lane or multi lane? Street view seems to suggest that single-lane would be fine, with a couple slip lanes to maintain the multi-lane LV Trail.

Looks like 2-lane, according to the document linked from NBC DFW.

Very well. Here's hoping there's not too many vehicle crashes! This thread has not been too kind to multi-lane roundabouts.

If pedestrian safety improvements is the main goal, I can see the point of the roundabout. As it is, the intersection appears to be rather confusing to cross on foot, especially if someone is blind. A simplified situation could help.

[davmillar]

Very well. Here's hoping there's not too many vehicle crashes! This thread has not been too kind to multi-lane roundabouts.

If pedestrian safety improvements is the main goal, I can see the point of the roundabout. As it is, the intersection appears to be rather confusing to cross on foot, especially if someone is blind. A simplified situation could help.

Pedestrians are pretty used to it but there's a lot of confusion around right of way and a lot of people take the sharp right off of LVT really fast and cause near misses. A realignment and coping down those big bushes or trees would probably make it less confusing and a bit safer. Only time will tell...

[tradephoric]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4oltdv0i9w
^Apart from the RV blowing through the middle of that Worthington Minnesota roundabout, there has been two other pretty major events at the roundabout over the past couple weeks.

Tanker hauling cream overturns in Worthington roundabout

http://www.dglobe.com/news/accidents/4356792-tanker-hauling-cream-overturns-worthington-roundabout


These little piggies almost didn't make it to market when a Minn. hog truck rolled

http://www.agweek.com/news/4350581-these-little-piggies-almost-didnt-make-it-market-when-minn-hog-truck-rolled

Cream trucks rolling over, hogs running around the highway, some RV driver thinking they are Bo Duke... these roundabouts really give the good people of Worthington Minnesota something to talk about!

Another vehicle vaulted over the Worthington roundabout on Sunday.  The driver sustained non-life threatening injuries.  This comes a month after an RV was videotaped launching over the roundabout in early November.

Minivan vaults over roundabout Sunday
https://www.dglobe.com/news/accidents/4375814-minivan-vaults-over-roundabout-sunday

There have been 2 truck tip-over crashes, an RV flying through the middle of the roundabout captured on video, a driver sustaining non life-sustaining injuries after his min-van flew through the middle of the roundabout, and now 4 reported crashes over a few hour period on Friday.  The roundabouts are doing a stellar job at reducing crashes in Worthington.. or maybe they are doing a worthless job.

Snowpacked roundabouts result in four crashes reported Friday
https://www.dglobe.com/news/4380839-snowpacked-roundabouts-result-four-crashes-reported-friday

Yet another semi-rollover happened at the Worthington roundabout Friday morning.

A roundabout rollover

http://dglobe.com/news/accidents/4475427-roundabout-rollover

[Bruce]

I wonder how crash-prone this roundabout is.

https://twitter.com/Streetfilms/status/1023739247826632705

[kalvado]

I wonder how crash-prone this roundabout is.

https://twitter.com/Streetfilms/status/1023739247826632705

Depends on how slippery that green paint gets when it rains...

[jeffandnicole]

I wonder how crash-prone this roundabout is.

https://twitter.com/Streetfilms/status/1023739247826632705

The Villages, FL has some roundabouts on their golf-cart paths, two of which are https://goo.gl/maps/4rHP9DCNCLK2 and https://goo.gl/maps/5Xoxh38ThJQ2

[Rothman]

Man, golf cart bloodbaths must be very common down there.

[kalvado]

Can we find any pedestrian-only roundabouts?

[jeffandnicole]

Can we find any pedestrian-only roundabouts?

Do revolving doors count?

[tradephoric]

[kalvado]

Can we find any pedestrian-only roundabouts?

Do revolving doors count?

Probably not as there are only 2 approaches to that traffic feature.  If revolving door is installed at the intersection of two corridors... I still have to see such an installation, though.

PS neither is a regular turnstile

[jakeroot]

The Villages, FL has some roundabouts on their golf-cart paths, two of which are https://goo.gl/maps/4rHP9DCNCLK2 and https://goo.gl/maps/5Xoxh38ThJQ2

Some of the nearby vehicle roundabouts have some seriously dumb striping. Mainly the three-leg roundabouts with the slip lanes.

[tradephoric]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4oltdv0i9w
^Apart from the RV blowing through the middle of that Worthington Minnesota roundabout, there has been two other pretty major events at the roundabout over the past couple weeks.

Tanker hauling cream overturns in Worthington roundabout

http://www.dglobe.com/news/accidents/4356792-tanker-hauling-cream-overturns-worthington-roundabout


These little piggies almost didn't make it to market when a Minn. hog truck rolled

http://www.agweek.com/news/4350581-these-little-piggies-almost-didnt-make-it-market-when-minn-hog-truck-rolled

Cream trucks rolling over, hogs running around the highway, some RV driver thinking they are Bo Duke... these roundabouts really give the good people of Worthington Minnesota something to talk about!

Another vehicle vaulted over the Worthington roundabout on Sunday.  The driver sustained non-life threatening injuries.  This comes a month after an RV was videotaped launching over the roundabout in early November.

Minivan vaults over roundabout Sunday
https://www.dglobe.com/news/accidents/4375814-minivan-vaults-over-roundabout-sunday

There have been 2 truck tip-over crashes, an RV flying through the middle of the roundabout captured on video, a driver sustaining non life-sustaining injuries after his min-van flew through the middle of the roundabout, and now 4 reported crashes over a few hour period on Friday.  The roundabouts are doing a stellar job at reducing crashes in Worthington.. or maybe they are doing a worthless job.

Snowpacked roundabouts result in four crashes reported Friday
https://www.dglobe.com/news/4380839-snowpacked-roundabouts-result-four-crashes-reported-friday

Yet another semi-rollover happened at the Worthington roundabout Friday morning.

A roundabout rollover

http://dglobe.com/news/accidents/4475427-roundabout-rollover

Another semi loses his load at the Worthington roundabout on Tuesday.  This is at least the 4th semi to tip over/lose their load since October, 2017. 

Spilled grain in Worthington roundabout

http://www.dglobe.com/news/accidents/4479958-spilled-grain-worthington-roundabout

[jakeroot]

Admittedly a poor record for such a short amount of time.

How do you find these articles? I'm not going to be condescending like others here; I'm genuinely curious.

[jeffandnicole]

How do you find these articles? I'm not going to be condescending like others here; I'm genuinely curious.

Good Luck.  This question was posed just a month or so ago:  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=15546.msg2337304#msg2337304 .  If you read his answer, he simply states that someone responded to his original post in this thread.  The next few posts after the question was posed (including by me), he gave some really evasive answers, then moved on to another incident.

[tradephoric]

I will google "roundabout" to find the latest roundabout news.  Not only is it a good way to keep track of problematic roundabouts but it also allows me to keep track of newly built roundabouts.  Doing this has allowed me to compile a roundabout database of over 5,100 modern roundabouts in America - likely one of the most comprehensive roundabout databases out there.  Since it was last updated in May 2015, I've probably compiled a couple hundred additional roundabouts.  At some point I'll clean up the data and repost the database in the thread below.   

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=13278.msg2067259#msg2067259

[jakeroot]

How do you find these articles? I'm not going to be condescending like others here; I'm genuinely curious.

Good Luck.  This question was posed just a month or so ago:  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=15546.msg2337304#msg2337304 .  If you read his answer, he simply states that someone responded to his original post in this thread.  The next few posts after the question was posed (including by me), he gave some really evasive answers, then moved on to another incident.

I think I hit the jackpot!

I will google "roundabout" to find the latest roundabout news.  Not only is it a good way to keep track of problematic roundabouts but it also allows me to keep track of newly built roundabouts.  Doing this has allowed me to compile a roundabout database of over 5,100 modern roundabouts in America - likely one of the most comprehensive roundabout databases out there.  Since it was last updated in May 2015, I've probably compiled a couple hundred additional roundabouts.  At some point I'll clean up the data and repost the database in the thread below.   

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=13278.msg2067259#msg2067259

Makes sense. Google has a great news search function, which I have used myself before many times. Though still interesting that you somehow managed to stumble upon crashes at the same roundabout over and over again. You must be searching for "Worthington roundabout" to get such specific results? Also interesting that they keep writing up stories. Not every crash makes the news, yet these roundabout crashes seem to quite often.

At the rate we're proceeding, we may overtake France and become the world's #1 builder of roundabouts at some point. While multi-lane roundabouts may lose steam, I see no sign of single-lane roundabouts dying.

[MNHighwayMan]

Though still interesting that you somehow managed to stumble upon crashes at the same roundabout over and over again. You must be searching for "Worthington roundabout" to get such specific results? Also interesting that they keep writing up stories. Not every crash makes the news, yet these roundabout crashes seem to quite often.

I think part of it is observation bias. Crashes at the roundabouts in Worthington are probably the most interesting news items in that city on a regular basis.

[kalvado]

Though still interesting that you somehow managed to stumble upon crashes at the same roundabout over and over again. You must be searching for "Worthington roundabout" to get such specific results? Also interesting that they keep writing up stories. Not every crash makes the news, yet these roundabout crashes seem to quite often.

I think part of it is observation bias. Crashes at the roundabouts in Worthington are probably the most interesting news items in that city on a regular basis.

More like a smaller municipality news outlet is not flooded by other news and provides a clear view of disastrous design.
It is almost impossible to compile full crash statistics without requesting information from local authorities (police?) - and being an out-of-area activist (as opposed to someone with @fhwa.gov e-mail) makes that difficult. News don't cover each and every accident, apparently.
An intersection like one we're talking about (and looks like all 4 are on the same one, second roundabout is on a smaller road) should be in ballpark of 1 (one) crash a month. And we're told most of such accidents are property-only fender benders.
While these  may still go into property-only column, those are clearly major accidents, and having 4 in half a year is way above any statistical deviation or any justifiable range. It is a design problem.
We may go into details, but I think things are pretty clear once you look at the map, and few people from DOT should be looking for a janitorial jobs at WalMart. Would never happens, though - times of engineers standing under the new bridge are long since gone.