During my travels, I began to observe an increasing number of roundabouts appearing in various communities. Each time I encounter one while driving, it brings back memories of my very first experience navigating a roundabout. I was a freshman in college, twelve hours from home without a car. Whenever anyone was going shopping, I easily volunteered to join. When my new friend down the hall offered a ride around town on a beautiful spring day, the answer was easily, “Yes!” I didn’t know the roads or have my bearings…or a paper map handy. That initial drive stands out in my memory – windows down, music playing, and a sense of adventure. The excitement, however, quickly turned to confusion when I realized we had no idea where we were.

A screenshot from Image Hunter and modified in Canva by Barbaree.

How do we get back to campus?  No map. “Let’s go this way” led us to “The Circle.” This type of road was a first for both of us. This one was particularly complex with 5 roads, each two to four lanes. We zoomed on and after one round, we realized that we didn’t know how to exit, especially in the thick traffic. We must have zoomed around that circle at least 5 times shouting and screaming before bravely shooting off in a direction to try. We survived and discovered that we were about a mile and a half way from campus. Go ahead and laugh. We did! And still do.

I’m encountering more and more of these traffic structures, not all created evenly. Just this week I encountered one that was two laned with concrete medians to navigate upon exit from the center circle. I felt like I was in a scene at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. I entered and exited incorrectly multiple times. There were only 4 exits, but I was out of practice. Of course this makes me think! How many other weird, time-saving, mind bending traffic gadgets are there?

Traffic is an interesting rabbit hole filled with traffic flow maximization, congestion theory, and mathematical modeling. The U.S. Department of Transportation acknowledges a few intersection types: roundabouts, stop-controlled, signalized, reduced left-turn conflict, crossover, and other designs. Their site even has a video of the roundabout rules. (I could have used this one 40 years ago!) I certainly can identify with the disadvantages: learning curve (check), confusion potential (check), and potential costs. I can agree with one advantage: slows traffic. (because we’re confused…hello!) Near my home we have other options, among the “other category,” starting to appear. The reduced left-turn conflict feels very odd as it forces a controlled U-turn down and beyond the road for all traffic turning left. We also have a diverging diamond that seems like someone moved the road for construction (driving on the wrong side) and forgot to put the regular pattern back. Research shows that these innovative designs can keep us up to 80% more safe. That’s a statistic we like to see.

Where in the world are some of the most interesting intersections? The Top 5 video group created the top, most complex road intersections. The list of global locations ranges from beautifully lit and designed to downright scary to me. I encourage you to watch the video or zoom in with your favorite satellite view to see them for yourself.

• The Nanpu Bridge Interchange in Shanghai, China
• Meskel Square near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• The Gravelly Hill Interchange in Birmingham, UK
• Kathipara Junction, Chennai, India
• Jacksonville’s Turbine Interchange in Jacksonville, FL
• The Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange, Los Angeles, CA (made famous in the 90s movie Speed)
• The Eysturoy Tunnel in Faroe Islands, Denmark (home to the world’s first undersea roundabout)
• The Plough Roundabout, Hemel Hempstead, UK
• High Five Interchange in Dallas, TX (one of first and tallest interchange of its kind)
• The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, UK (seven roundabouts in one interchange!)
• Times Square in New York, NY
• Origami Intersections in Santa Monica, CA (public art carved into the roadway)
• Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan (1000-3000 people cross during a given traffic stop; also near the faithful dog Hachiko’s famous post)
• The Arc de Triomphe made number one on their list. (12 radiating avenues)

How many of these have you experienced? Do you have some fun traffic adventures? Are you the geospatial professional responsible for these crazy “adventures”?

I enjoy a roadtrip! Even now, every roundabout I pass reminds me of my dear friend. Our bond remains strong, often leading us to laugh together about that spring day in Texas when getting “lost” became a joyful adventure.

If you need me, I’ll be plotting my next trip. I have new tires on my car and I’m ready to roll!

Barbaree Duke
Geospatial Crusader