• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.109-117
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• 2016

PURPOSES : The goal of this study is to analyze the operational effects of special roundabouts at large-scale rotaries in Korea. In pursuing the above, this study gives particular attention to comparing standard roundabouts with special roundabouts. METHODS : This study reviews the various types of roundabouts, creates 270 scenarios, builds networks, and comparatively analyzes the operational effects by using VISSIM simulation model and SSAM(Surrogate Safety Assessment Model). RESULTS : First, the operational effects of standard and signalized roundabouts were analyzed, and it was determined that standard roundabouts are the best in the case of under-saturated traffic volume, and signalized roundabouts are the best in the case of over-saturated traffic volume. Second, the operational benefits of a Turbo roundabout were evaluated to be generally lower than the benefits of a standard roundabout, and the benefits of a Turbo roundabout increase when right-turn traffic volume increases. Finally, the safety conflicts of a Turbo roundabout were determined to be the least and decrease when right-turn traffic volume increases. CONCLUSIONS : This study suggests that Turbo roundabouts rank highest for safety, and signalized roundabouts are best for over-saturated traffic volume. This study can be expected to provide some implications for policy decision-making.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.93-102
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• 2016

PURPOSES : There are many recently constructed roundabouts in Jeollabuk-do province. This study analyzed how roundabouts reduce the risk of accidents and improve safety in the province. METHODS : This study analyzed safety improvement at roundabouts by using an accident prediction model that uses an Empirical Bayes method based on negative binomial distribution. RESULTS : The results of our analysis model showed that the total number of accidents decreased from 130 to 51. Roundabouts also decreased casualties; the number of casualties decreased from 7 to 0 and the seriously wounded from 87 to 16. The effectiveness of accident reduction as analyzed by the accident prediction model with the Empirical Bayes method was 60%. CONCLUSIONS : The construction of roundabouts can bring about a reduction in the number of accidents and casualties, and make intersections safer.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.95-107
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• 2016

PURPOSES : This study compared two measures of traffic flow effectiveness on roads with roundabouts and signalized intersections and determined the more appropriate measure. METHODS : In addition to average delay time, the conventionally used measure, average travel time was introduced to measure traffic flow effectiveness because it is able to be obtained through field survey and reflect different travel distances and speed limits of roundabouts and signalized intersections. Using the two measures, roundabouts and signalized intersections were compared through simulations in terms of traffic flow effectiveness. RESULTS : For one-way single-lane roads, the two measures indicated consistent results that roundabouts were more effective than were signalized intersections when the traffic volume was less than 300 vphpl but vice versa when it exceeded 450 vphpl; however, the measures yielded inconsistent results when the volume was 350~400 vphpl. For one-way double-lane roads, the two measures indicated consistent results that roundabouts were more effective than were signalized intersections when the volume was less than 200 vphpl but vice versa when it exceeded 400 vphpl; however, the measures yielded inconsistent results when the volume was 250~350 vphpl. The results obtained using the two measures differed substantially for double-lane roads because behaviors such as weaving and lane changing at roundabouts are more common in double-lane roads than in single-lane roads. CONCLUSIONS : The average delay time would be lower on roads with roundabouts, but average travel time would be lower on roads with signalized intersections. Thus, evaluating the relative effectiveness of roads with roundabouts and signalized intersections by using average delay time alone would be inappropriate, whereas using average travel time as the evaluation index would yield fairer results.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.111-119
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• 2013

PURPOSES: Though the situation that the roundabouts are actively constructed, researches on the effect of the roundabouts focus mainly on the analysis of the expected effects of using only traffic simulation on the operation. Considering such problems, this study is conducted to analyze the effects of the various aspects based on field observation studies. METHODS: This study evaluated and analyzed the effects from the aspects of traffic operation, traffic safety, and traffic behavior by performing field observation studies with six roundabouts with/without signal controls on the pilot project areas for the roundabouts installed in 2010. RESULTS: Through the study results, it was found that the average travel time decreases by 14.7% and 2.4% on the signalized intersections and unsignalized intersections, respectively. The average travel speed increases by 9.7 and 5.8km/h on the roundabouts with/without signal lights. Regarding traffic safety, the speed deviation among individual vehicles decreases by approximately 18.4 to 32.7km/h, thus confirming the safety effects. As the decrease of the number of conflicts, it might be explained that car crashes and collision with pedestrians decreased by 62.2% and 66.7%. Also the result shows that the lowest point of speed in roundabouts appears near the yield line on the entry area on the roundabouts. When passing through the roundabouts, vehicles enter at a speed of 20-30km/h, which is the design speed of the circulatory lane and drive out the roundabout with a higher speed than the entry speed. CONCLUSIONS: When a roundabout is introduced at the intersections below certain traffic volume there are effects of traffic operation, traffic safety, and traffic behavior.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.74-84
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• 2016

After installing roundabouts, changes of travel behaviour in the vicinity of roundabouts can cause increasing traffic volumes and unbalanced flow conditions. In that cases, the efficiency of roundabouts as a whole intersections can drop due to the insufficient gap between vehicles in the circulating lanes. The purpose of this study is developing a dynamic signal metering operation method for roundabouts in which a real time Signal Metering operation algorithm is suggested and its performance is tested by using VISSIM COM Interface(Visual Basic Application). The results of the real time Signal Metering operation show that there is a substantial delay improvements when two adjoined approaches are combined together and the flows of metering approach are less than controlling approach. Especially, the total entering flow is around 1,600 vehicle/h gives the delay reduction per vehicle of 70.9~102.2(73.8~77.8%) seconds for four-lane-approach with one-lane roundabouts.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.133-141
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• 2015

PURPOSES : This study dealt with traffic accidents occurring within roundabouts. The objective of this study was to analyze safety effect by introduction of roundabouts. METHODS : In pursuing the above, traffic accident data on roundabouts are collected and compared. For the analysis, collected data were separated as all intersection points, turning lane accident, approach lane accident by geometric design. RESULTS : Through the study results, it was found that the total accidents decreased by 55 accidents/2 year with safety effect of roundabouts. Also the result shows that accidents by point of two-lane roundabout at turning lane(0.26) and approach lane(0.27) is risky than total accidents by point(0.09). Moreover, accidents by point shows high value as diameter of a roundabout is bigger. CONCLUSIONS : When a roundabout is introduced at the intersections there are safety effects by reduction of traffic accidents.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.81-90
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• 2017

PURPOSES : The goal of this study is to analyze the operational efficiencies of special roundabouts using simulated programs. METHODS : This study primarily focuses on comparing the delays and traffic flow disturbances occurring at special roundabouts. In this study, the operational efficiencies of 450 scenarios (5 roundabout types ${\times}$ traffic volumes ${\times}$ directional ratios ${\times}$ measures) are analyzed according to the corresponding delays and traffic flow disturbances using VISSIM and SSAM. RESULTS : The main results are as follows: 1) the Hamburger roundabouts are determined to yield the least common-type delays, 2) the amount of delays at Turbo and Flower roundabouts with respect to relatively increased right-turn-type delays, in addition to the amount of delays at the Left-turn slip-lane roundabout with respect to relatively increased left-turn-type delays, are found to be reduced as compared to the common-type delays. Lastly, common- and increased right-turn-type traffic flow disturbances at the Turbo roundabout and increased left-turn-type traffic flow disturbances at the Left-turn slip-lane roundabout are determined to be the most infrequent. CONCLUSIONS : This study comparatively analyzes five roundabout types: standard, Flower, Turbo, Hamburger, and Left-turn slip-lane. The effectiveness of roundabouts can increase according to given traffic volume, directional ratio, and measure of effectiveness.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.143-150
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• 2011

Roundabouts, which belong to traffic circles, are intersections which are similar to the existing rotary form. Roundabouts recently have been constructed all around the world. And interests in roundabouts are increasing in Korea. However, there are lacks of research on pedestrian volume which has a great influence on operation efficiency of roundabouts in urban area. Therefore, this study suggests efficiency analysis and pedestrian signals in roundabouts according to the pedestrian volume. First, VISSIM simulation was organized to analyse volume of one lane roundabouts in urban area. Second, average delay of intersections was calibrated by VISSIM simulation dividing signalized intersections and non-signalized intersections depending on pedestrian volume. Finally, this study showed that roundabouts are suitable when pedestrian volume was under 200person/hr and traffic circles with a pelican signal are suitable when pedestrian volume was over 200person/hr. And when pedestrian volume and traffic volume are over 600person/hr and 1,500vph respectively, fixed signalized intersections fit well.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.54-67
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• 2016

All roundabouts are designed based on "Roundabout Design Guideline, Ministry of Land and Transportation, 2014" in Korea. The guideline also provides the traffic volume criteria to convert from signalized intersections to roundabouts. While the criteria are based on capacity of roundabouts, left-turn ratio and the number of lane on approaches are not considered to calculate the capacity of roundabouts. Therefore it is difficult to apply the traffic volume criteria in the real world. In this study, we studied the impact of left-turn ratio and the number of lane on approaches into capacity of roundabouts using micro-simulation. It was found that the capacity of roundabouts is changed according to left-turn ratio and the number of lane on approaches.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.123-133
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• 2013

PURPOSES : The present paper is to compare vehicles' $CO_2$ emissions in roundabouts and signalized intersections. METHODS : The present paper uses the SIDRA software with variables of traffic and road conditions. RESULTS : The results of the study are as follows : First, when entering traffic volumes are more than 1600pcph, vehicle's $CO_2$ emissions in roundabouts are lower than those of signalized intersections regardless of the left turn ratio. Second, When entering traffic volumes are more than 2800pcph, vehicles's $CO_2$ emissions in 2-lane approaches are lower than those of 1-lane approaches in signalized intersection. Third, when entering traffic volumes are more than 1600pcph, vehicle's $CO_2$ emissions of CASE B are lowest. (CASE B is the condition with one exclusive left-turn lane and one exclusive straight lane and one shared straight lane with right-turn.) Also, CASE A is the condition that vehicle's $CO_2$ emissions in roundabouts are lower than those of signalized intersections between 1600pcph and 3600pcph. (CASE A is the condition with one exclusive left-turn lane and one shared straight lane with right-turn.) But, when entering traffic volumes are more than 4000pcph, vehicle's $CO_2$ emissions in signalized intersections is lower than those of roundabouts. CONCLUSIONS : It may be concluded that vehicle's $CO_2$ emissions on roundabouts are much lower than those of signalized intersections, especially, when entering traffics volumes are between 1600pcph and 3600pcph in 1-lane or 2-lane approaches.