Round and round we go... where we end up, do you know?

An article in TIME magazine (15 Sep 08) claims that just ten roundabouts in Virginia save 200,000 gallons of gas a year due to no more idling.

Roundabouts calm traffic. Traffic engineers' main reason for using highway roundabouts is more safety at lower cost, compared to traffic light-controlled intersections, overpasses with on- and exit-ramps, and two or four way stop signs. But, gas saving (and cost saving) is a darn good by-product!



Traffic lights waste more fuel and cause more fumes to be produced compared to roundabouts. Insurance studies show that drivers run stop signs and stop lights, and when they do stop, they sometimes obliviously pull out into oncoming traffic. This results in catastrophic collisions.






More interesting reading on the subject:


Billions of gallons of gas (i.e. dollars) could be saved by "Smart Intersections"

Timing Traffic Lights Would Save Billions in Fuel, Emissions and Wasted Time