Safety effects on pedestrians aturban roundabouts: an overview

Pedestrians are important users of the transportation system, but most guidelineshave given them little importance in the geometric design of roads andintersections. Thus it can be difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to share theroad, particularly at intersections where vehicle-pedestrian conflicts can befrequently recurring situations even with low pedestrian volume. In a sustainablesafety vision, pedestrians and vehicles are required to safely share the road; thusthe need that roads have a recognizable design and predictable traffic situationswhere users know what they should do and what they can expect from otherusers, should be even more deeply felt.It is well-known that modern roundabouts are safer than other intersectionforms for effects on speeds and conflicts between users; several road authorities,indeed, have foreseen to convert specific types of intersections into roundabouts.To produce a better understanding of the potential impacts for the roundaboutalternative, design considerations should be evaluated already at a planning level,emphasizing elements most favourable to the sharing and to use of road spacesequally distributed from a pedestrians safety perspective.Summarizing international experience with roundabouts and pedestrians, thispaper provides a review of the existing literature dealing with pedestrian safetyand accessibility issues at roundabouts. First, safety aspects at modernroundabouts are presented, followed by a brief explanation of the effects ofroundabouts on pedestrian safety documented in the scientific literature. Finally,this research provides an overview of the current state of practice andimplications in roundabout design to maximize potential with regard to safety for pedestrians