September 16, 2020

The Fourth Annual Ohio Roundabout Conference will take place through a series of virtual sessions kicking off September 18 and concluding on October 7, 2020. The Kittelson team looks forward to taking part in three of these sessions. We invite you to learn more about our presentations below, and register for any topics that are of interest to you!

Roundabout Outreach and Education During a Pandemic & Roundabout Capacity Evaluation Using UAVs and Computer Vision

Friday, September 25

12:00-1:30pm EDT

REGISTER HERE

 

The industry’s knowledge of roundabout capacity has evolved and expanded in recent year with more opportunities to analyze user behaviors at newly constructed roundabouts. One area that has assisted with the expanded opportunities is in the data collection area through the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and advanced data analytics.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), University of Cincinnati (UC), and Kittelson & Associates collaborated on a research effort assessing opportunities to leverage UAS capabilities and data processing algorithms for capacity calibration for the SR 161/Riverside Drive Roundabout in Dublin, Ohio. This session will present the challenges and needs for Ohio practitioners to effectively assess and potentially calibrate HCM capacity models for ongoing and future projects along as well as opportunities to leverage emerging technologies and techniques to address those challenges.

 

Multilane Roundabout Pooled Fund Study

Tuesday, September 29

12:00-1:30pm EDT

REGISTER HERE

 

The modern roundabout is a low speed and high capacity intersection design that has been demonstrated in the U.S. to improve safety as well as provide other benefits. The thousands of single-lane roundabouts, as well as the simpler 2×1 multilane roundabouts, built in the U.S. over the past 30 years soundly delivered on these promises. However, some of the larger multi-lane roundabouts (e.g. 2×2 configurations) have experienced increases in property damage only (PDO) crashes after opening to traffic. While these multilane roundabouts continue to result in reductions to injury and fatal crashes, the increases in PDO crashes can still cast negative views among the public, and if not properly addressed, may affect the implementation of any type of modern roundabouts in the future.

The Federal Highway Administration initiated a pooled fund project to investigate the root causes of the traffic crashes that occurred at multilane roundabout sites, particularly crashes occurring near roundabout exits, and develop suitable countermeasures to disrupt the conditions that tend to induce traffic crashes from establishing. This ongoing study is led by FHWA and supported by six State DOTS and one city (Hilliard, OH). In this presentation, we will cover:

  • Overview of this pooled fund study and its objectives.
  • Our deciphering of the traffic crashes at multi-lane roundabout sites, and how that lead us to formulate the data collection and data analysis plans.
  • Methods of field data collection.
  • Field data collected and reduced to date.
  • Highlights and observed trends in multilane crash patterns.

 

Trends in Roundabout Design & Implementation

Wednesday, September 30

12:00-1:30pm EDT

REGISTER HERE

 

Since NCHRP Report 672 (Roundabouts: An Informational Guide, 2nd Edition) was published, the roundabout practice has advanced substantially, and findings from other research projects have been published related to designing for trucks and oversize loads, accommodating bicyclists and pedestrians, and accessibility considerations, such as designing for pedestrians with visual impairments. At this session, speakers from Kittelson & Associates will provide information about the evolution of design guidance, roundabout implementation, and other key trends.

Krista Purser will open by sharing about the current national roundabout inventory, the Roundabouts Database. She will provide background on the tool, show how to use the features, and describe what’s next for this database. Radu Nan will then speak to advancements in roundabout design guidance and share innovative features of MassDOT’s Guidelines for the Planning and Design of Roundabouts, a new guidance document of relevance and interest to practitioners in all states. Radu will highlight new multimodal roundabout design details like pedestrian crossing treatments and bicycle facility selection. Finally, Andy Duerr will speak to the implementation of roundabouts. Andy will offer practical and creative solutions for keeping roundabout construction cost-effective and sustainable, including ways to streamline implementation without cutting corners or departing from foundational design principles.