Roundabouts in Austin (Round Rock, Lone Star, Spur: homes, neighborhood, construction)

[ipott]

Came across this nice analysis of the effectiveness of roundabouts: https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...affic-circles/.


I wonder if traffic planners in Austin would consider them. I'm in the ETJ in Travis County and reached out to the county staff wondering if they would consider them for our local intersections, apparently they don't have the expertise - this is the response I received.



"Thank you for expressing your concern for traffic operations. I am not aware any studies for roundabouts at the intersections referenced.

Generally, Travis County relies on the developer expertise in design and construction of subdivision streets and bridges. Travis County prescribes standards for developers to utilize but does prescribe the design.

If conditions change after subdivision construction, new infrastructure may be considered in periodic capital improvement construction bond programs. This may include planning and/or design services.

Unless a particular infrastructure program (i.e. standards for installation and maintenance, personnel, and funding) is established, these services may not be performed with County staff. Specialized and complex infrastructure, such as a roundabout, may be outsourced to entities with more expertise.

I hope this information is useful. I have copied a couple of individuals in TNR Long Range Planning Services and the Capital Improvements Program in case they can provide any additional information.
"

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

I like roundabouts. I'm seeing more and more of them in and around Austin all the time. I think we should have been having roundabouts all along, especially at some of the busier intersections.

[ipott]

We should ask the Mayor-elect to learn from Carmel, IN and see what can be borrowed here.

[ashbeeigh]

There's a round about at 51st and 35 on the westside and one at the entrance at Mueller. The one at 51st confuses me at times with the way the lanes are drawn as to where I need to be if I Want to go straight or if I need to head back towards 35. The one in Mueller is fine. I just wish people would follow the crosswalk signs, literally was feet from being hit by a car this evening that refused to stop at the crosswalk I was in with my dog.

[Need4Camaro]

Round Abouts are great for smaller intersections where there would ordinarily be a stop sign, but I hate them in larger intersections that handle high volumes of traffic. I cant forsee a mass round about adoption in AUS save for in a few residential areas.

There is always talk about building new infrastructure but alot of problems could be fixed by optimizing current infrastructure. Coordinating Austin's traffic signals could go a long way to improving commute efficiency.

[DMChicago]

We have two in my small (less than 100 homes) neighborhood.

I only wish that folks understood how to enter them and who has ROW.

Last winter we visited Turks & Caicos and they are everywhere AND they drive on the left!

It takes a day or "tree" to get comfortable.

[ipott]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Round Abouts are great for smaller intersections where there would ordinarily be a stop sign, but I hate them in larger intersections that handle high volumes of traffic. I cant forsee a mass round about adoption in AUS save for in a few residential areas.

There is always talk about building new infrastructure but alot of problems could be fixed by optimizing current infrastructure. Coordinating Austin's traffic signals could go a long way to improving commute efficiency.

There are a couple of intersections in our neighborhood where you'd have to wait three or four traffic cycles for some uncommon turns. But at certain times of day (school open/close) when many people do use those turns, traffic gets backed up quite a bit and is incredibly frustrating. Roundabouts would work great instead and keep traffic moving. It would also force cars to slow down on neighborhood streets. But based on the county's response, looks like they defer to the developers on these decisions.

[ScoPro]

There is one roundabout in downtown Round Rock by the Lone Star Bakery, and another being constructed below the new railroad overpass on 620 just west of I-35.
The one downtown seems to work ok, but there are some tire marks where they shouldn’t be.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by ipott

We should ask the Mayor-elect to learn from Carmel, IN and see what can be borrowed here.

Is it true that Carmel has only 1 stop light in the entire town of about 100,000 people? I could've swore I heard that on 60 Minutes or 20/20 or some tv news type program that did a segment about all the roundabouts in Carmel.

[ipott]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

Is it true that Carmel has only 1 stop light in the entire town of about 100,000 people? I could've swore I heard that on 60 Minutes or 20/20 or some tv news type program that did a segment about all the roundabouts in Carmel.

From the linked article:


"As mayor, he has built 140-plus roundabouts, slashing traffic fatalities so dramatically that the local fire department rarely uses its Jaws of Life extraction tools anymore.

...
In a key stretch of its main north-south drag, Carmel replaced five lanes of traffic with just two lanes and multiple roundabouts. Green space and sidewalks have sprouted where those lanes used to be, and total traffic flow on the road has actually increased.
In all of Carmel, just nine regular traffic signals remain, Brainard said. And by the time he leaves office next year, the city will be on track to have just one. Ironically, as a nearby plaque notes, it’s the site of one of the first automatic traffic lights in the United States. And now, in Carmel at least, it will be the last."


There are some pics from Carmel as well... looks really nice!