Roundabout's Impact on Nearby Businesses

Abstract The objective of this study is to determine if installation of roundabouts in a business area or on business corridors can be good for the businesses as well as improve the traffic flow in that area. This objective is achieved by emphasizing on roundabouts located in Kansas cities, particularly Topeka, Kansas. The study concentrates on conducting survey of businesses around the roundabout corridors in different places in the US including Topeka (Kansas), Junction City (Kansas), Newton (Kansas), and Carmel (Indiana). The survey results indicated a positive impact of roundabouts on businesses and traffic movement. Further, as there is no before and after corridor data available for making definite conclusions, a business corridor in Topeka, Kansas is simulated using both SIDRA and VISSIM software to evaluate the impacts of converting several traditional intersections in the corridor to roundabouts. The results from the simulation tasks have showed substantial reductions in vehicle delay and queuing for most of the traffic movements. Therefore, it was concluded that roundabouts on businesses corridor have a positive impact on traffic flows and business