Seeing Is Believing: Missouri DOT Convinces Skeptics That Roundabouts Work
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2011-05-01
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Abstract:The first roundabout in the State of Missouri, built about 10 years ago, was designed for a golf course community in the Kansas City area. Even in that context, trying to convince the local community that a roundabout would work was difficult. Many people confused modern roundabouts with European-style traffic circles, and assumed they were hard to navigate, and intimidating to drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike. To overcome these misconceptions, traffic engineers from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) held local public meetings to explain the difference between roundabouts and traffic circles, how modern roundabouts work, and why they were more desirable than adding a new traffic signal within a quarter mile of an existing signalized intersection. MoDOT's larger goal was to build many roundabouts in the Kansas City area, but the difficulties MoDOT experienced trying to gain public acceptance of this first roundabout became the catalyst for a proactive outreach and education program focused on the benefits of roundabouts. Since the implementation of this first roundabout, MoDOT has installed over two dozen roundabouts in the Kansas City area, increasing community support over time with each new project. For every roundabout project, staff used a variety of outreach techniques to reach all target audiences and age groups who might be affected by the project.
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