Roundabouts are renowned to be one of the safest treatments at intersections. However, a common criticism of roundabouts is that they do not cater well for pedestrians. The City of Port Phillip in Melbourne, Victoria, constructed an innovative treatment at a busy suburban roundabout designed to provide greater safety and convenience for pedestrians. The design provides right-of-way for pedestrians directly at the intersection as opposed to standard roundabout design. A before-and-after study was undertaken to evaluate the success of this design in terms of pedestrian safety and convenience. Vehicle speed was measured at locations indicative of pedestrian crash and injury risk, and pedestrian convenience was measured through changes in total crossing time. Pedestrian compliance was also measured and a survey conducted. The results indicated a general decrease in mean vehicle speed, greater pedestrian compliance with the crossings, and reduced waiting time for pedestrians. The survey reflected these findings. Effects on all roadusers need to be determined for future work. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214057. Printed volume contains peer-reviewed papers. CD-ROM contains submitted papers.
Abstract