traffic circle

harrycoolests

why is traffic circle only circular and not of any other shape.i mean i have heard answers like it makes traffic flow smooth and stuff but i want to know the actual reason something which involves engineering sense.

FredGarvin

Probably because circles are easy to lay out and for a given area, a circle has the smallest perimeter.

*Bob S*

If the traffic circle has more than one lane, the circle is the only shape where the driver does not have to constantly adjust speed and steering angle to stay in his/her lane. By the way, around Cambridge, MA USA, what shape traffic "circle" is used in Harvard Square, Central Square, Kendall Square, Powderhouse Square, etc.?
[Edit] I attach a Google Earth view of Powderhouse Square (actually in Medford). It is neither a Square nor a Circle.

brewnog

If a traffic circle is a roundabout, it's probably because your American road layout men are lacking in imagination. They're all sorts of shapes over here. There's even one in Hemel Hempstead that you can go round clockwise and anticlockwise.

mgb_phys

Or this one in Swindon is almost fractal

Ben Niehoff

Dupont Circle in Washington, DC is pretty wild, too. There is an ordinary traffic circle, with a secondary circle inside it that is designed to more efficiently pass through traffic from a major road. I was riding through there two weeks ago, and it was quite confusing, having never seen it before: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...=N&tab=wl&um=1

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harrycoolests	traffic circle Tweet why is traffic circle only circular and not of any other shape.i mean i have heard answers like it makes traffic flow smooth and stuff but i want to know the actual reason something which involves engineering sense.

FredGarvin Recognitions: Science Advisor	Probably because circles are easy to lay out and for a given area, a circle has the smallest perimeter.

brewnog Recognitions: Gold Member Science Advisor	traffic circle If a traffic circle is a roundabout, it's probably because your American road layout men are lacking in imagination. They're all sorts of shapes over here. There's even one in Hemel Hempstead that you can go round clockwise and anticlockwise.

mgb_phys Recognitions: Homework Help Science Advisor	Or this one in Swindon is almost fractal

Ben Niehoff Recognitions: Science Advisor	Dupont Circle in Washington, DC is pretty wild, too. There is an ordinary traffic circle, with a secondary circle inside it that is designed to more efficiently pass through traffic from a major road. I was riding through there two weeks ago, and it was quite confusing, having never seen it before: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...=N&tab=wl&um=1