ROUND ABOUT

ROUND ABOUT

• Also called a traffic circle, road circle, rotary, or island, is a type of circular intersection or
junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and
priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.
• Vehicles circulate around the central island in one direction at speeds of 25–40 km/h (15–
25 mph). In left hand traffic countries, they circulate clockwise (looking from above); in
right-hand traffic, anticlockwise.
OPERATION

Modern Round About

• Entering drivers give way to traffic within the roundabout without the need for traffic signals.
• Exiting directly from an inner lane of a multi-lane roundabout is permitted, given that the
intersecting road has as many lanes as the roundabout.
Older Round About
• Requires circling drivers to give way to entering traffic.
• Exiting from an inner lane of an older traffic circle is usually not permitted and traffic must first
move into the outside lane.
DESIGN CRITERIA

• Right of Way
• Angle of Entry
• Traffic Speeds
• Lane Changes
• Diameter
• Island Function
TYPES OF ROUND ABOUT

• Single-lane roundabouts
– These junctions appear when two or more roads meet, and (as the name suggests) feature just one
lane around a central island. There are no traffic lights on this design, though you may see signs on
your approach to the roundabout.

• Mini roundabouts
– Operates almost identically to a regular single-lane roundabout. The only difference is that the
physical central island you'll be used to seeing is replaced by road markings.
TYPES OF ROUND ABOUT

• Multi-lane roundabouts
– Multi-lane roundabouts come in all sizes, and with varying degrees of complexity. The only real
requirement here is for there to be more than one lane for a driver to take when on the
roundabout itself.
• Hamburger Roundabout
– These resemble a typical roundabout but are signalised and have a straight-through section of
carriageway for one of the major routes.
• “Magic” Roundabout
– “Magic roundabouts” direct traffic in both directions around the central island.
GEOMETRIC ALIGNMENT AND DESIGN

Geometric Design
The branch of highway engineering concerned with the positioning of the physical elements of
the roadway according to standards and constraints. The basic objectives in geometric design are
to optimize efficiency and safety while minimizing cost and environmental damage.
3 Main Parts
• Profile
• Cross Section
• Alignment
1. PROFILE

• The vertical aspect of the road, including crest and sag curves, and the straight grade lines
connecting them.
• The profile of a road consists of road slopes, called grades, connected by parabolic vertical
curves.
– Crest curves
• Crest vertical curves are curves which, when viewed from the side, are
convex upwards.
– Sag Curves
• Sag vertical curves are curves which, when viewed from the side, are concave
upwards.
2. CROSS SECTION

• The cross section of a roadway can be considered a representation of what one would see if
an excavator dug a trench across a roadway, showing the number of lanes, their widths and
cross slopes, as well as the presence or absence of shoulders, curbs, sidewalks, drains, ditches,
and other roadway features.
– Lane Width
– Cross Slope
• Describes the slope of a roadway perpendicular to the centerline.
3. ALIGNMENT

• Consists of straight sections of road, known as tangents, connected by circular horizontal

curves.
PI= Point of Intersection T = Tangent
R = Radius PT = Point of Tangent
E = External Ordinate PC = Point of Curvature
M= Middle Ordinate