What is a ? Educational Resources A roundabout is a type of circular , but is Guidance on Reacting to quite unlike a neighborhood circle or large rotary. Emergency Vehicles in Roundabouts have been proven safer and more efficient https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/safety/ than other types of circular intersections. safety-eng/roundabouts/br-emergencyveh.pdf DOT Roundabout Animation Bicycle www.dot.state.mn.us/roundabouts/emergency.html treatment Washington State DOT Videos on ROUNDABOUTS Pavement Markings at Entry or Roundabouts and How to Drive Them shared use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3k65uS5-EE & First Responders Counterclockwise path circulation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MywmtskFiiI Central Circulatory Saving Lives Together island British Columbia MOT Video on Navigating a roadway Roundabout with Emergency Vehicles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk9n1uVa8LE

Strengthening Partnerships Splitter Apron island Incorporating EMS into Strategic Landscape Safety Plans buffer Accessible http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/shsp/ems/connection/

Figure 1. Modern Roundabout Schematic

Roundabouts have certain essential distinguishing features: • Counterclockwise Flow. Traffic travels For More Information counterclockwise around a center island. Jeffrey Shaw, P.E., PTOE, PTP • Entry Yield Control. Vehicles entering the roundabout FHWA Office of Safety yield to traffic already circulating. 2 02 .7 3 8 .7 7 93 or [email protected] • Low Speed. Curvature that results in lower vehicle Hillary Isebrands, P.E., PhD speeds (15-25 mph) throughout the roundabout. FHWA Resource Center FHWA identified roundabouts as a Proven Safety 7 20. 5 45.4367 or [email protected] Countermeasure because of their ability to substantially reduce the types of crashes that result in injury or loss of life. Roundabouts are designed to improve safety for all users, To learn more about roundabouts, please visit: including pedestrians and bicycles. They also provide significant safety.fhwa.dot.gov operational benefits compared to conventional intersections. Publication number FHWA-SA-14-098 Updated July 2020

On average, roundabouts reduce severe crashes – those resulting in injury or loss of life – by 78-82%1

1 Highway Safety Manual, American Association of and Transportation Cover photo sources, top to bottom: Jeff Shaw, FHWA; Brad Estochen, MnDOT; Officials, Washington, DC, 2010. Jeff Young, McHenry Highway Department Shared Mission – Shared Benefits Designing for First Responders Frequently Asked Questions

Saving lives and preventing serious injuries are the highest When the first roundabout in a community is proposed, priority of both first responders and highway agencies. it is natural for first responders to have questions and Roundabouts are safer intersections that result in fewer concerns. Several of the most common questions are severe crashes requiring emergency response. addressed below:

Safer intersections are important for first responder Q: Will all our vehicles be able to maneuver occupational safety and health, too. Studies show that through a roundabout? most fatalities resulting from a crash involving a fire truck A: Roundabouts work for many types of large vehicles. occur at, or are related to, an intersection. Further, angle Partnering with the agency to conduct a “test drive” (laying out the roundabout in a large open area using crashes are the most common fatal crash type involving fire Source: Jeff Young, McHenry County Highway Department trucks.2 The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) cones and temporary devices) can help evaluate and Roundabouts are not designed to inhibit traffic. Rather, and others cite intersections as high risk locations for all influence the design. they are optimized for the safety and efficiency of all users. emergency response disciplines.3 Roundabouts can be designed for large trucks, including Q: What about emergency response times? a special purpose apparatus such as a ladder truck. This is A: At any intersection, traffic conditions vary throughout accomplished by using features such as: the day. Roundabouts can actually improve travel times by eliminating unnecessary stops and delays. Furthermore, • Wider entry and exit for efficient movement of the IAFF and other public health and safety organizations traffic through the roundabout. recognize that small differences in travel times rarely, if ever, • Mountable aprons and intended for use by impact incident or patient outcomes.3,4 vehicles with a wide and/or long wheelbase. Q: How will drivers in our community know how to • Curvature and radii that allow for easy turning react to approaching emergency vehicles? Source: Howard McCulloch, NYSDOT movements, including u-turns. A: In this way, roundabouts are no different from other Roundabouts are also a very efficient type of intersection. intersections – drivers must clear the intersection, pull They do not have the same stop-and-go conditions as off to the right, and let the emergency vehicle pass. To traditional intersections. help educate drivers, there are many excellent resources • Roundabouts keep people moving, but at speeds available from states and cities where roundabouts are where injury risk is greatly reduced. common. First responders can contribute to general • Roundabouts can reduce or eliminate lines of stopped roundabout education and outreach in a community traffic typical of stop signs and traffic signals, making by helping explain to the public how to react when an them easier to navigate throughout the day and night. emergency vehicle approaches. • Unlike traffic signals, roundabouts don’t depend on Source: Brad Estochen - MnDOT Q: Why consider roundabouts when we have traffic electricity to function, so they are not susceptible to “Before the first roundabout was signal preemption in our city? power outages. constructed in our city, our station A: The use of preemption devices at signalized intersections remains a worthwhile option. However, in 1 Highway Safety Manual, American Association of State Highway and Transporta- arranged to visit one nearby so that tion Officials, Washington, DC, 2010. we could experience it firsthand. That addition to being safer, roundabouts are viable in many 2 Campbell, K.L., Traffic Collisions Involving Fire Trucks in the , UM- places where traffic signals are not. Furthermore, even TRI-99-26, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, answered a lot of questions and helped where signal preemption is used, first responders must Ann Arbor, MI, 1999 build confidence in roundabouts.” 3 International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Best Practices for Emergency Vehicle obey state laws and department policies, and proceed and Roadway Operations Safety in the Emergency Services, Washington, DC 2010 - Brad Estochen cautiously – likely at speeds comparable to a roundabout. 4 Bailey, E.D., Sweeney, T., Considerations in Establishing Emergency Medical Services Minnesota DOT Safety Engineer & Response Time Goals, National Association of EMS Physicians, Lenexa, KS, 2003 Firefighter and EMT for the City of Woodbury