An initiative by Stan Jones
Roundabouts Here is my idea for a modern 'Roundabout' for the intersection of Queen Street East/Kingston Rd/Eastern Ave in Toronto's east end. This is a busy intersection that would certainly be in continuous use through most of the day and the early evening hours. But as it is with roundabouts, most of the traffic will keep moving, although at a slower pace though the roundabout. All four entry points in this proposal will enter the circle via one lane only. I strongly favour single entry roundabouts which I feel are safer and less confusing for both drivers and pedestrians. Multilane roundabouts result in more accidents especially early in the learning curve. But even the multilane examples can reduce fatalities by up to 90% in some studies. Safety is a big argument for roundabouts in urban areas like Toronto. They also eliminate the need for traffic lights. Roundabouts also allow vehicles to keep traffic moving which will reduce air pollution. I think it's time that Toronto wakes to the idea of roundabouts. There are two issues that require study In a city that has no roundabouts the learning curve for drivers may make a busy intersection like Queen & Kingston Rd. a dubious candidate for such an ambitious experiment in traffic management and urban design. Yes, I don't think this should be the first location for a roundabout in Toronto. Many other locations especially suburban locations would be preferable to this one. However I have long felt a traffic circle of some kind would function very well here. And it could also serve as a pleasing gateway to a specific Toronto neighbourhood, in this case The Beach. Heavy Traffic Volume Here The other issue with this particular location will be the high volume of traffic. Accepting the usual rule that vehicles already in the circle have right-of-way over vehicles entering it may find it difficult to enter the roundabout. This may not be as bad as i imagine because cars will quickly be leaving the circle as well. I hesitate to use multilane entry points to facilitate a heavier traffic load. The roundabout in Kitchener with three entry lanes and its high rate of minor accidents that resulted makes me dubious about any more than one entry point lane in any roundabout design. The potential aesthetic and practical benefits of roundabouts have been very much neglected in Canada. One should not use a urban roundabout simply to get from here to somewhere else in a hurry – to move traffic more quickly. However a roundabout, such as the one I propose for Kingston Road and Queen Street in Toronto, would not impede traffic all that much either. After giving this location some serious study I think it best at this point to consider a better location than this for Toronto's first roundabout. On this page are some roundabouts already in service in Ontario. I will also discuss Europe and the growing roundabout initiatives in the United States.
In my study here I look at a few roundabouts in Ontario: The big, old traffic circle in downtown Goderich and a brand new 'modern' roundabout just outside of Uxbridge, as well as a problematic roundabout in Kitchener, Ontario. And the token and pointless roundabout in downtown Port Perry, Ontario.I will look at Paris, France with its many urban roundabouts and traffic circles. I have also studied Carmel, Indiana who's progressive mayor has pursued an aggressive roundabout building initiative in his small, middle America city. Just about all the roundabouts in the USA – and there are quite a few right now – are in suburban areas, not in the urban inner cities. While I believe suburban roundabouts a great thing, and I'm sure they will eventually be as common here as they are in Europe, my interest is mostly in urban roundabouts and how they could be used to improve the civic aesthetic.
Uxbridge, Ontario
Early spring of 2015 I drove the new roundabout just west of Uxbridge, Ontario and took the below video. As you can see there were six cars in the intersection at the same time and everyone went through quite smartly. I was surprised to see this is two very busy highways yet it felt quite safe and quick and note that only one car had to stop. This is the standard, modern, single lane entry roundabout which really gets the job done. Goderich, Ontario This town on the shore of Lake Huron was laid out nearly 200 years ago. The map shows the high degree of 'planning' that was involved right from the beginning in 1828. This degree of early planning is most unusual for an Ontario town. In most towns and cities roads are most often laid out pragmatically. Aesthetic considerations are secondary. But there was a grand vision here – one that was never quite achieved. Most impressive is the fact that the traffic circle does not have a single traffic light around the entire circumference. While Goderich never became a big city, the population currently is less than 8,000, the size of the traffic circle is huge. This size is not desirable in my view as it should not be the function of a downtown roundabout to just allow traffic to quickly move through intersections. Much of the appeal of downtown roundabouts is to provide a visual focus point and encourage creative architectural initiatives. Paris, France has demonstrated this beautifully for centuries. The good and bad of the Goderich example Too big to be a real roundabout this is better called a traffic circle. I remember coming across this unusual town planning many years ago during a country drive, before it was cleaned up, and I was most impressed. Now today it's a bit of a vast wasteland. It has the feel of an industrial park. It sprawls and feels unfinished and the few interesting buildings that surround the circle seem very small because of the vast scale. Because of the size of this circle it would cost far too much to make anything of it. Goderich is not near enough to any large population centre so any investment of this kind would not be viable. In the centre of the circle there's nothing but a fortress-like courthouse. This is not exactly a socially comforting symbol. Maybe this solid building could be used instead as the townhall. Right now there is hardly a tree to be seen but it would be ideal as a townhall surrounded by a park. Developing a park here would be an obvious improvement but I suspect the reason this has not been done is cost. The town looks somewhat depressed. In 2008 a Volvo plant near Goderich moved to the USA which would explain why the town looks like it's seen better times. The Goderich traffic circle above is nearly as large as the famous Musée de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, which is the very grand double circle at Place Charles de Gaulle. Twelve major roads converge on this famous square.
Musée de l'Arc de Triomphe at Place Charles de Gaulle in Paris, France Musée de l'Arc is truly a grand example of urban design but I'm mostly concerned with more modest possibilities that can be developed into current cities right now without a massive financial cost. Such as a traffic circle at Queen St. and Kingston Road in Toronto. Here is another Paris roundabout that interests me:
Place Victor Hugo in Paris
The initiative to build traffic circles instead of the usual 'X' intersections is truly impressive in Carmel, Indiana. I'm certain they will reduce serious accidents and save lives and set an example for other communities in North America. Note that this example uses a single lane for all entry/exit points. I think all roundabouts should use a one lane design. Before I leave suburban roundabouts for now I think we should discuss the problematic Homer-Watson/Block Line circle in Kitchener, Ontario.
Kitchener, Ontario This new suburban roundabout at Homer-Watson/Block Line in Kitchener looks nice enough but it has been plagued with accidents. Most have been minor, thankfully. The problem, as I see it, is that while it has the common four entry roads, there are too many lanes. I'm convinced that the circle should be seen as just one wide lane -- so three entry lanes are not a good idea and will certainly confuse Canadian drivers who are not used to roundabouts. This excessive lane feed also increases the overall size of the roundabout. Also, this format is more costly to build and will take up more space. My one lane entry proposal will be much safer for pedestrians as well as they will never have to cross more than one lane at a time. I will admit however that in very heavy, bumper to bumper traffic, this multi-lane design will move more vehicles -- so I'm sure that's what the engineers had in mind. In moderate or lite situations my simpler one-lane-on-entry design may prove to be faster, less confusing to drivers and will be safer. This next shot shows the very questionable, and dangerous, three lane entry. Most drivers coming up on this for the first time will find this unsettling. Even worse, can you imagine a pedestrian trying to cross here in heavy traffic? This is really not very good planning in my opinion.
This is all I have for now regarding suburban roundabouts. Here is some helpful links about Roundabouts and Traffic Circles: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13863498 http://www.ourston.com/company/projects.html If you have a question or comment on Roundabouts or City Planning please Contact Stan Jones To Top of This Page Contact |
Some interesting examples, click to enlarge:
|