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Roundabout
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=== North American introduction since 1990s === {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | image1 = 2020-05-23 11 54 16 View east along Maryland State Route 231 (Prince Frederick Road) from the overpass for Maryland State Route 5 (Leonardtown Road) in Hughesville, Charles County, Maryland.jpg | width1 = 200 | alt1 = | caption1 = Modern roundabout in Hughesville, Maryland in 2020 | image2 = Murrayville 01 roundabout.jpg | width2 = 211 | alt2 = | caption2 = Modern roundabout intersection in Murrayville, Langley, British Columbia | caption3 = Roundabout sign in Ontario, Canada | image3 = Ontario Roundabout Sign.png | width3 = 145 }} In the United States modern roundabouts emerged in the 1990s after years of planning and educational campaigning by Frank Blackmore and [[Leif Ourston]], who sought to bring the by then well-established increased safety and traffic flow in other countries to America.<ref name="Beldon"/>{{rp|at=5:03}} The first was constructed in [[Summerlin, Nevada]], in 1990 and was followed by another the following year.<ref name="Ourston1995"/><ref name="roundaboutsusa.com">{{Cite news |last=Wright |first=Lucas |date=18 September 2019 |title=Highlighting the first modern roundabouts in the country during National Roundabout Week |url=https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/highlighting-the-first-modern-roundabouts-in-the-country-during-national-roundabout-week/ |publisher=[[KLAS-TV|KLAS]] |accessdate=29 February 2024}}</ref> This roundabout occasioned dismay from residents, and a local news program said about it, "Even police agree, [roundabouts] can be confusing at times."<ref>{{cite news | first=Dayna | last=Roselli | title=Roundabouts | url=http://blogs.lasvegasnow.com/traffic/2007/04/18/roundabouts/8 | publisher=lasvegasnow.com | date=18 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326150503/http://blogs.lasvegasnow.com/traffic/2007/04/18/roundabouts/8/ | archive-date=26 March 2012 | access-date=14 October 2014}}</ref> Between 1990 and 1995, numerous modern roundabouts were built in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and Vermont.<ref name="Ourston1995"/> [[File:Holmen round about.jpg|thumb|Roundabout built in 2023 in [[Holmen, Wisconsin]]]] Municipalities introducing new roundabouts often were met with some degree of public resistance, just as in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. * American confusion at how to enter and especially how to exit a roundabout was the subject of mockery such as featured in the film ''[[National Lampoon's European Vacation|European Vacation]]'' (1985).<ref name="Keh 2010"/><ref name=BBC2011/><ref name="Beldon"/>{{rp|at=6:45}} * A 1998 survey of municipalities found public opinion 68% opposed prior to construction, changing thereafter to 73% in favour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_syn_264.pdf|title=Modern Roundabout Practice in the United States}}</ref> * A 2007 survey found public support ranging from 22% to 44% prior to construction, and several years after construction was 57% to 87%.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Retting |first1=Richard A. |first2=Sergey Y. |last2=Kyrychenko |first3=Anne T. |last3=McCartt |title=Long-Term Trends in Public Opinion Following Construction of Roundabouts |journal=Journal of the Transportation Research Board |volume=2019 |year=2007 |pages=219β224 |doi=10.3141/2019-26 |s2cid=110914100 }}</ref> * By 2011, however, some 3,000 roundabouts had been established, with that number growing steadily.<ref name="Keh 2010"/><ref name=BBC2011>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13863498 |title=Is the British roundabout conquering the US?|author=Tom Geoghegan |date=1 July 2011 |work=BBC website|access-date=1 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="Beldon"/>{{rp|at=6:45}} In the mid-2010s, about 3% of the then circa 4,000 U.S. modern roundabouts were located in [[Carmel, Indiana]], whose mayor [[James Brainard]] had been actively promoting their construction; because of increased safety, injuries caused by car accidents in the city dropped by 80% after 1996.<ref name="Beldon"/>{{rp|at=0:02}} {{As of|December 2015}} there were about 4,800 modern roundabouts in the United States.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} As an example, [[Washington (state)|Washington state]] contained about 120 roundabouts {{as of|October 2016|lc=y}}, all having been built since 1997, with more planned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/safety/roundabouts/washingtons.htm |title=WSDOT β Washington's Roundabouts |date=11 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011143946/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/safety/roundabouts/washingtons.htm |archive-date=11 October 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=17 October 2018}}</ref> The first Canadian traffic circles were in Edmonton. There were 7 such by 1954. However, they didn't gain popularity in the rest of the country until the 1990s. They became increasingly popular amongst traffic planners and civil engineers in the 15 years thereafter due to their success in Europe. By 2014 there were about 400 roundabouts in Canada at the time (most in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario), or one per 90,000 inhabitants (compared to one per 84,000 inhabitants in the United States that year).<ref name="Tollazzi">{{Cite book |last=Tollazzi |first=TomaΕΎ |date=2014 |title=Alternative Types of Roundabouts: An Informational Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qf85BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA110 |location=Cham |publisher=Springer |page=110 |isbn=9783319090849 |access-date=18 April 2021}}</ref>
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