The Access Board, with authority to enforce provisions of the American Disabilities Act (ADA), initially determined that roundabouts are not accessible by blind pedestrians and drafted proposed guidelines to require pedestrian signals at all roundabouts. More recently, the Access Board proposed final guidelines requiring pedestrian signals at all roundabouts with two or more lanes. It is possible that if these guidelines become Federal regulations through the Federal rule making process, and low-cost pedestrian signals are not developed, the growth of roundabouts could diminish greatly throughout Kansas and the USA. This will, in effect, deny motorists and public transportation organizations a safe, cost-effective means of intersection traffic control which potentially could result in many lives not saved and injuries not prevented. It has been projected that when stop controlled and signal controlled intersections are replaced by roundabouts there is a 76% reduction in injury crashes and a projected 90% decrease in fatalities. Kansas has been a national leader in design and construction of roundabouts and Kansas motorists would suffer a loss of these safety benefits if roundabout growth were slowed or halted. Roundabouts also have proven benefits in reduction of intersection delay and stopping as well as reduction in air pollution. These benefits could be lost or diminished as well.
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