Smart Roundabout©
The roundabout was invented as a solution for fluidity without traffic lights and no left turns, and some say and for safety.
Fluidity: Cars entering the roundabout only give priority to vehicles already in the roundabout and coming from the left. In a classic intersection, who entering the intersection must give way to both the left and the right, and most of the time the entry windows do not coincide. This leads to long waiting times to cross an intersection. At traffic lights, waiting times are long even when traffic flows are reduced. The roundabout is the solution that ensures the best fluidity, if it is properly marked, to avoid conflicts.
Those who say roundabouts offer safety argue that if priority is not given when entering a roundabout, vehicles collide at sharp angles and damage is less than in head-on, or perpendicular accidents, between two cars. I wouldn’t call it safety. Never! Safety is when you drive relaxed, stress-free, risk-free and accident-free.
As you have already read on the previous page, the roundabout is an enigma for many drivers, but also for the authorities. It’s as if no one wanted to see the advantages of the roundabout until now.
In some states there are hints in the road legislation about how the transit of these road junctions should be done, and in others there is no reference at all. So, the roundabout is at the discretion of those who design it, but especially of those who transit it. It is like a playground where participants apply different rules: football, basketball, volleyball, polo, all at the same time.
In many states you can enter and exit the roundabout from any lane. This is the model of total chaos.
In other states (Spain – the paradise of roundabouts), traffic inside the roundabout is done in the same way as on any other road, with respect to lane keeping, as on any other road. This is why most drivers will use the first lane (outer lane) of the roundabout to make sure they can exit the roundabout safely. Those who transit the roundabout on the second or third lane will usually have a free entry lane in the roundabout, but will have difficulties exiting, because the first lane is already occupied and they must give priority to those from the first lane, for turn right. Changing lanes is done with difficulty and conflicts between traffic participants. Needless to say, conflicts lead to accidents and sometimes violence. At the same time, those who transit the roundabout using only the first lane, will block access to the roundabout for all those who want to enter and exit on the first exit, increasing the transit times of a roundabout from 2 to 10 times.
Due to ignorance of the logical, mathematical and physical rules of fluidity, the most roundabouts in the world are blocked and traffic flows move with difficulty. I have come across cases where road managers have give up roundabouts in favor of a classic intersection architecture with traffic lights.
Totally wrong. Traffic lights are what create the biggest traffic jams.
If you apply logical rules, eliminating conflicts between traffic participants, then you will solve the problem of fluency, but also of safety.
That’s what I call SAFETY! Eliminating conflicts, eliminating risks, eliminating accidents.
Going by the logical analysis, we can configure specific markings in the roundabout, according to the number of lanes and according to the traffic flows, so that the fluidity is at maximum values, WITHOUT CONFLICTS between the traffic participants.
I designed and drew different marking patterns according to the number of lanes and according to the traffic flows, so that the fluidity is at maximum values without conflicts, which I called Smart Roundabout©.
Smart Roundabout© is the architectural road marking solution that eliminates conflicts, and can be applied to any existing roundabout without making constructive changes. The alternative solution Turbo Roundabout, although it eliminates conflicts, requires much wider spaces to build a roundabout and there are drivers on one of the axes cannot make a full turn.
While a classic roundabout with 4 entrances/exits and 2 lanes of traffic reaches its limits at a maximum flow of 80-100 vehicles per minute (4,800-6,000 per hour), the Smart Roundabout© architecture can ensure an average flow of 240 vehicles per minute (14,400 vehicles per hour)!
Comparison of traffic flows: Intersection vs Roundabout vs Smart Roundabout©.
The Smart Roundabout© saves a ton of money, both for the authorities and for the users.
TIME – eliminating conflicts means fluidity. Calculate your financial losses based on your hourly earnings.
ACCIDENTS – without conflicts between road users, the risk of accidents is reduced to zero. No material, medical, or social damage.
FUEL – without traffic jams, fuel consumption is down. A vehicle consumes about one liter of petrol per hour, idling.
POLLUTION – without traffic jams, the air in the area will be less polluted.
For every ton of gasoline burned, 2.3 tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere.
The figure of 2.3 tons of carbon dioxide from burning one ton of gasoline is an average based on various scientific studies and reports. Relevant sources include reports from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and studies published in scientific journals such as Environmental Science & Technology.
The costs due to road accidents and possible medical costs were not included in this calculation.
If €/$/£ is not your currency, consider the symbol as your currency.
You won’t be able to completely eliminate these losses, but you can reduce them with smart traffic solutions. The Smart Roundabout© architecture is the perfect solution, which can be applied to all existing classic roundabouts without additional construction and costs.
Depending on the measured or well-known traffic flows, you can choose any of the models published in the slider below, and for a usage license, you just need to ask for one.
You can turn almost any blocked intersection into a Smart Roundabout©. The minimum required outer diameter is only 30 meters.
Smart Roundabouts© for countries where vehicles drive on the right side of the road.
Smart Roundabouts© for countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road.
In the gallery floor plans are architectures of Smart Roundabouts© with 2, 3 and 4 connecting roads. Models can be replicated for Smart Roundabouts© of any size or shape, and multiple (unlimited) secondary roads can be added. If you have difficulty setting up a Smart Roundabout© on flows other than those shown in the plans, contact me and I will deliver the best solution.
Architects and designers are free to use these designs in their presentation designs, but use of these marking designs requires a license to use for the owner or administrator of the public road. If you are an architect or road designer, ask us about the benefits.
Always when using Smart Roundabout© models in your presentation designs or boards, even models adapted for multiple entrances/exits, you must specify Copyright: © Smart Safety Solutions – https://fadur.net.
For newly designed and constructed Smart Roundabouts©, we encourage the use of appropriate advance signage. This way, drivers will notice the novelty and pay more attention than usual to the road markings.
The transformation process
For the transformation of classic roundabouts into Smart Roundabouts©, I recommend that this transformation and modification of markings be done gradually, in three stages:
1. In the first stage, the directional arrows, both before the roundabout and inside the roundabout, should be marked with yellow temporary markings.
2. In the second stage, at a distance of at least 1-2 weeks, continuous lines will be drawn with temporary yellow markings, which will force those in the lower lanes to exit the roundabout.
3. After at least 3-6 months, white reflective markings can be applied.
In this way all the residents and all those who have traveled through that Roundabout in the past, will have noticed the novelty aspect and will be attentive to the new architectural changes, to respect the newly applied markings. We must not forget the human factor. People drive with information from memory. If the signs and markings in your neighborhood change tomorrow, there’s 99.99% chances you’ll be breaking them.
All solutions presented on this blog are free, except for Smart Roundabout©, which can be acquired through licensing and can be contracted only through direct negotiation procedures and without public disclosure, as the acquisition can only be provided by a single economic operator, motivated by the protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights.
Evolution means change.
Those who cannot change things, cannot evolve.
Please search in this playlist the video in your language.