The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced that at locations where traditional intersections were replaced with roundabouts, crashes involving injuries were reduced by 51 percent, and the total number of crashes were reduced by 7 percent. During the 20-year review period, there have been two fatalities at roundabouts on state routes.
“Roundabouts have proven to be an irreplaceable tool in reducing crashes at intersections,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Given the dramatic increase in safety and traffic flow, PennDOT will continue evaluating intersections for roundabouts.”
PennDOT evaluated 47 roundabouts on state routes at intersections that were previously stop- or signal-controlled with at least three years of crash data available before and after the roundabouts were built and had at least one crash during the 20-year review period. In addition to the roundabouts that met the selection criteria, 46 additional roundabouts have been built on state routes.
Roundabouts are frequently installed to address safety issues, calm traffic and improve traffic flow, as well as beautify an intersection. Although roundabouts are typically safer and more efficient than traditional signalized intersections, PennDOT officials said, they may not always be the best option due to topography or for other reasons, such as property impacts and capacity issues.
Roundabouts included in this year’s review and information pertaining to roundabouts can be found on the PennDOT website including an educational video on how to navigate both single and multi-lane roundabouts whether in a vehicle, on a bicycle or on foot. The video can also be viewed on PennDOT’s YouTube channel.
