CIRCULAR LOGIC - Roundabouts, like the one shown above at East Summit Street and Johnston and Ted Boyd drives in Kent, are being embraced by more greater Akron area communities as an effective safety strategy.
Roundabouts may become an increasingly common sight within the Greater Akron area if a new safety study approved by AMATS is any indication. The AMATS Policy Committee accepted the AMATS Areawide Roundabout Study, a comprehensive safety evaluation of traffic roundabouts across Portage and Summit counties and a portion of Wayne County, during its May 16 meeting.
"The drop in crash severity is the most welcome finding from our study."
- AMATS Planning Administrator Matt Stewart -
The study shows promising safety improvements across the region, according to AMATS Planning Administrator Matt Stewart. “Generally, we’re finding that the level of severity for crashes in locations with roundabouts is dropping off sharply. Many locations are showing declines in overall crash totals too, but the drop in crash severity is the most welcome finding from our study,” Stewart says.
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island. Compared to stop signs, traffic signals, and earlier forms of traffic circles, modern roundabouts reduce the likelihood and severity of collisions by reducing traffic speeds and minimizing accident impacts. In recent years, area communities, most notably Akron, Green, and Kent, have pursued roundabouts to improve traffic flow and safety.
Stewart says that the new Areawide Roundabout Study presents comprehensive data for each of the region’s 28 roundabouts prior to their construction and post-construction. The study not only inventories existing and planned roundabouts, but also assesses the crash and safety data of roundabouts operating in the region during a 10-year period spanning 2012 through 2022.
The study is a follow-up to the agency’s Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Action Plan, which was adopted by the committee in May 2023. The SS4A Action Plan details various proposed infrastructure investments and policy strategies to promote safe travel throughout the Greater Akron area. Roundabouts are just one type of potential safety project that communities may pursue.
For more information about the AMATS Areawide Roundabout Study, please click here.