Geometric Design of

Roundabouts

Submitted By:
Aditya Karan
TP/561
School of Planning and Architecture

Contents:
1 Definitions
1
2 Definitions of components of
roundabout.2
3 Types of
Roundabouts3
3.1 Normal
Roundabout....4
3.2 Compact Roundabout
4
3.3 Mini
Roundabout.5
3.4 Grade Separated
Roundabout...5
3.5 Signalised
Roundabout.5
3.6 Double
Roundabout.5
4.0 Geometric design of Roundabouts (Design Guidelines)
...6
5.0 Channelizing
Islands9
6.0 Sight
Distances....9
7.0 Pedestrian and Cyclist
Considerations....10
8.0 Typical Layout: Case Study of
Gandhinagar...10
9.0 Signing...
.11
10.0
Illumination..11

1.0 Definition:
According to IRC, A traffic rotary is a specialised form of at-grade
intersection where vehicles from the converging arms are forced to move
around an island in one direction in an orderly and regimented manner and
weave out of the rotary movement into their desired directions.
According to British Codes of Design, Roundabouts are junctions with a
one-way circulatory carriageway around a central island. Vehicles on the
circulatory carriageway have priority over those approaching the roundabout.
2.0 Definitions of components of roundabouts:

Figure 1 Roundabout elements.

Intersection Angle: The angle between two intersection legs.
Merging: The converging of separate streams of traffic into a single stream.
Central Island: A traffic island located in the centre of an intersection to
compel movement in a clock-wise direction and thus substitute weaving of
traffic around the island instead of direct crossing of vehicle pathways.
Weaving: The combined movement of merging and diverging of traffic streams
moving in the same general direction.
Weaving Length: The Length of a section of a rotary in which weaving occurs.
3.0 Types of Roundabouts:
The main types of roundabout are Mini, Compact, Normal, Grade Separated,
Signalised and Double Roundabouts.

3.1 Normal Roundabout:

A Normal Roundabout has a kerbed central island at least 4 metres in diameter.
Its approaches may be dual or single carriageway roads. Usually, a Normal
Roundabout has flared entries and exits to allow two or three vehicles to enter
or leave the roundabout on a given arm at the same time. If so, its circulatory
carriageway needs to be wide enough for two or three vehicles to travel
alongside each other on the roundabout itself.

Figure 2 Normal Roundabout

3.2 Compact Roundabouts
A Compact Roundabout has single lane entries and exits on each arm. The width
of the circulatory carriageway is such that it is not possible for two cars to pass
one another. According to British code of design, On roads with a speed limit of
40mph or less within 100m of the give way line on all approaches, Compact
Roundabouts may have low values of entry and exit radii in conjunction with
high values of entry deflection. This design has less capacity than that of
Normal Roundabouts, but is particularly suitable where there is a need to
accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists. The non-flared
entries/exits give the designer more flexibility in siting pedestrian crossings. On
roads with speed limits exceeding 40mph, the design of Compact Roundabouts
is similar to that for Normal Roundabouts, but the single-lane entries and exits

are retained.
Figure 3 Compact Roundabout
3.3 Mini Roundabouts:
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Mini-roundabout does not have a kerbed central island. In its place is a flush or
domed circular solid white road marking between 1 and 4 metres in diameter,
capable of being driven over where unavoidable.
3.4 Grade Separated Roundabouts:
A Grade Separated Roundabout has at least one approach coming from a road
at a different level. This type of roundabout is frequently employed at motorway
junctions, but can also be used to link underpasses, flyovers and other multiple
level intersections.
3.5 Signalised Roundabouts:
A Signalised Roundabout has traffic signals on one or more of the approaches
and at the corresponding point on the circulatory carriageway itself.
Installing traffic signals, with either continuous or part-time operation, at some
or all of the entry points can be appropriate where a roundabout does not
naturally self-regulate. This may be for a combination of reasons such as:
a) A growth in traffic flow;
b) An overloading or an unbalanced flow at one or more entries;
c) High circulatory speeds;
d) Significantly different flows during peak hour operation.
3.6 Double Roundabouts:
A Double Roundabout is a junction comprising two roundabouts separated by a
short link. The roundabouts may be Mini, Compact or Normal Roundabouts.
Double Roundabouts can be particularly useful:
a) For improving an existing staggered junction where they avoid the need to
realign one of the approach roads and can achieve a considerable construction
cost saving compared with a larger, single island roundabout;
b) For joining two parallel routes separated by a feature such as a river, a
railway line or a motorway;
c) At overloaded single roundabouts where, by reducing the circulating flow
past critical entries, they increase capacity;
d) At junctions with more than four entries, where they may achieve better
capacity and make more efficient use of space with better safety characteristics
compared with a large roundabout which may generate high circulatory speeds
which result in a loss of capacity and safety.

Figure 4 Double Roundabouts

4.0 Geometric design of Roundabouts (Design Guidelines)
a. Radii of curves at entry and exit:
According to IRC 65: Radius of curve at the entry is related basically to
the design speed, super elevation and coefficient of friction. As the
roundabouts are provided with the signage and warnings hence, drivers
travel through them with higher caution than open roads. So, coefficient
of friction values are higher than other locations. Below is the table for
the entry radii. The minimum range is for easy entry of the vehicles and
maximum range is for the guarding against any tendency for over
speeding.

Table 1 Entry Radius

According to British codes of design TD 16/07: It defines entry
radii as kerb entry radii and is defined as the entry kerb radius, r, is the
minimum radius of curvature of the nearside kerb line over the distance
from 25m ahead of the give way line to 10m downstream of it. It is the
radius of the best fit circular curve over a length of 25m. The entry kerb
radius should be not less than

10m.Except at Compact Roundabouts, if the approach is intended for

regular use by large goods vehicles, the value should be not less than
20m. However, entry kerb radii of 100m or more will tend to result in
inadequate entry deflection.
b. At exit:
According to IRC 65: The radii of the curves at exit should be larger
than that of the central island and at entry so as to encourage the drivers
to increase their speed and clear away from the intersection
expeditiously. Radius of exit curves is almost 1.5 to 2 times the entry
radius.
According to British codes of design TD 16/07: At a Compact
Roundabout, the value of the exit kerb radius should lie between 15m and
20m. At other roundabouts, the exit kerb radius should not be less than
20m or greater than 100m. A value of 40m is desirable, but for larger
roundabouts on high speed roads, a higher value may suit the overall
junction geometry. A compound curve starting with a 40m radius and
developing to a larger radius, of up to
100m, will usually offer the best solution. Larger values of exit radii may
lead to high exit speed, which will not be appropriate if there are
significant numbers of cyclists using the junction or where pedestrian
crossing facilities are located immediately downstream.
c. Radius of Central Island:
According to IRC 65: Theoretically, the radius of the central island
should be equal to the radius at entry. A value of 1.33 times the radius of
entry curve is suggested as a general guideline for adoption to give
preference to the traffic already on the rotary and slow down the
approaching traffic.
d. Weaving Length:
According to IRC 65: The weaving length determines the case with
which the vehicles can manoeuvre through the weaving section and thus
determines the capacity of the rotary. The weaving length is decided on
the basis of factors such as the width of the weaving section, the average
width at the entry, total traffic and the proportion of weaving traffic in it.
A general effort is to keep the length at least 4 times the width of the
weaving section.

Table 2 Minimum Weaving length

e. Width of Carriageway at entry and exit:
According to IRC 65: The carriageway width at entrance and exit of a
rotary is governed by the traffic volume entering and exiting the rotary. It
is recommended that the minimum width of carriageway be at least 5m

Table 3 Width of Carriageway

According to British codes of design TD 16/07: On a single
carriageway approach to a Normal Roundabout, the entry width must not
exceed 10.5m. On a dual carriageway approach to a Normal Roundabout,
the entry width must not exceed 15m.
f. Width of non-weaving section: According to IRC 65 The width of
non-weaving section should be equal to widest single entry into the rotary
and should generally be less than the width of the weaving section.
g. Width of weaving section: According to IRC 65 The width of the
weaving section of the rotary should be one lane that is 3.5m wider than
the mean entry width.

Figure 5 Width of weaving and non-weaving section

h. Entry and exit angles:

According to IRC 65 Entry angles should be greater than exit angle
and it is desirable that the entry angles should be 60 o if possible. The exit
angles should be less or even tangential. Ideal design should be having
entry angle of 60o and exit angles of 30o.
According to British codes of design TD 16/07: The entry angle, ,
should lie between 20 and 60 degrees. Low entry angles force drivers to
look over their shoulders or use their mirrors to merge with circulating
traffic. Large entry angles tend to have lower capacity and may produce
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excessive entry deflection which can lead to sharp braking at entries,

accompanied by shunt accidents, especially when approach speeds are
high.
i. Capacity of the rotary:
According to IRC 65 The practical capacity of a rotary is equal to the
capacity of the weaving section which can accommodate the least traffic.
Capacity of a rotary is a function of width of the weaving section, average
width of the entry, the weaving length and the proportion of weaving
traffic and is calculated from the following formula

Qs is the practical capacity of the weaving section in PCUs/Hr.

w= width of the weaving section
e= average entry width in metres e/w should be in a range of 0.4 to 1.00
l= length in metres of the weaving section. w/l should be in a range of
0.12 and 0.4
p= proportion of weaving traffic p= (b+c)/(a+b+c+d) and should be
range of 0.4 to 1.0

Figure 6 Proportion of Weaving Traffic.

5.0 Channelizing Islands:
Channelization reduces the area of conflict between intersecting traffic
streams and promotes orderly and safe movement. Channelizing islands
must be provided at the entries and exits of a rotary. Following are some
typical designs of channelizing islands:

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Figure 7: Typical Types of Channelizing Island

6.0 Sight Distance:
On the approaches of the rotary the sight distance available to the driver
should be enough to distinguish the channelizing and central islands
clearly. SSD appropriate to the approach speed should be ensured. On the
roundabout itself the sight distance should be adequate for vehicles first
entering a rotary to see vehicles to their right at a safe distance. As a
general guideline by IRC 65 is that the SD for the 30-40 KPH speed
should be within the range of 30 to 45 m.
7.0 Pedestrian and Cyclist Considerations:
According to a report on Accommodating Pedestrians and
Bicycles by US Department of Transportation, Pedestrian safety
for people of all ages and abilities is improved by lower vehicle speeds,
shorter crossing distances, greater visibility, and drivers that are more
attentive and focused on the pedestrians and crossings. Visibility of
pedestrians at the intersection, especially the crosswalks, is critically
important. The drivers view of the crosswalks, ramps and landings, and
refuge areas should not be obstructed by signs, landscaping or any other
feature. Crosswalks should be placed to allow drivers to see the crossing
well in advance and to allow a focus on pedestrians that are present.
During low-light conditions, visibility can be achieved or improved by
ensuring that the intersection lighting is provided, and designed to avoid
negative contrast or silhouetting at crosswalks. At some roundabouts,
there may be concerns about not enough gaps in traffic or that drivers
will not yield appropriately to allow pedestrians to cross the street safely.

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Appropriate pavement markings and signing can improve motorists

tendency to yield, but other 7.0 factors such as public information,
enforcement campaigns, and pedestrian education have also been shown
to work well. A rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) is an effective
device to install at crossings where pedestrians may have difficulty
crossing.
According to IRC 65-1976 It is desirable to segregate the cyclists by
providing separate cycle tracks. A typical layout is shown below. And it is
desirable to provide flashing signals to warn about pedestrian and cyclist
crossings at rotary legs.

Figure 8 Typical layout of pedestrian and cycle track

8.0 Typical Layout: Case study of Gandhinagar:
The following layout has been designed on the guidelines of the Dutch
roundabouts as well as IRC guidelines. From the Dutch roundabouts we
have taken the cyclists and pedestrian guidelines and for the geometrical
design guidelines we have referred the IRC 65. The typical layout is
shown below.

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Figure 9 Designed Roundabout of Gandhinagar City

9.0 Signing:
According to IRC 65: Rotaries require to be designed for both day and
night travel. A red reflector about one meter above the road level or a
vertical cluster of such reflectors at a height of 0.3 to .0 m high should be
fixed and the nose of each directional island and on the curb of the
central island facing the approach roads.
Exit roads should be indicated by signs and directional arrows placed
both on the edge of the central island and the directional islands or in the
absence of the latter, at the corner of the exit roads and facing the
approaching vehicles.
The standard warning sign indicating the presence of a rotary which
should be put up in advance as given below.

Figure 10 Warning Sign- Rotary

10. Illumination
If the central island is small that is less than 20m in diameter
satisfactory result is obtained by a single lantern having a symmetrical
distribution and mounted centrally at a height of 9-10 m is often
advantageous.
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For larger central islands following layout is shown below:

Figure 11 Illumination layout

Lanterns A: to be provided above the curb of the central island in line
with each approach traffic lane.
Lantern B: one or more in number to be provided above each section of
the outer curb of the rotary, for rotaries having central diameter of 30m
or above diameter
Lantern C: to be provided especially when pedestrians cross at the
channelizing island.
References:
1. Indian Roads Congress, Recommended Practice For Traffic Rotaries,
IRC 65-1976
2. The highways agency, Transport Scotland, DRD Ireland, Geometric
Design of Roundabouts, TD16/07, Volume 6, section 2, Part 3.

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