Small roundabouts have become very popular in Norway during the last ten years. The total number of junctions increased from about 15 in 1980 to 350 in 1990 and 500 in 1992. The introduction of modern roundabouts with priority to vehicles in the circulation area has been a success, both with regard to safety and capacity. This paper presents the development of roundabouts in Norway, the design criteria and examples of layout of Norwegian roundabouts. In addition to this, the results of a recent study of accident rates are presented. This study shows like earlier studies, that small roundabouts have the lowest accident rate of all types of on-level junctions. The number of accidents involving pedestrians is remarkably low, but there is a tendency towards problems for two-wheeled vehicles. Particular comparisons of accident rates are made with signal junctions. (A)
Samenvatting