Ben Schmidt

So we/re standing outside Fredericton's 1st roundabout. It's located on the Northside at the West Hill Crossing, Brookside Drive, Reynolds Street Intersection. The roundabout was first introduced by City Councillor Mike O'Brien after visiting Europe, and understanding the benefits of using a roundabout instead of a traffic signal intersection.

The main three benefits are: Safety, Efficiency and it's Greener.

Safety - Traffic only comes from one direction, being the left as all traffic must move to the right. Therefore there are less points of entry and you can focus on one direction. Speed is also reduced as the average traffic speed is 25km/hour. There are two studies that www.fredericton.ca cite to show improved safety. One where collisions with pedestrians are reduced 73%, and one where vehicle to vehicle accidents are reduced by 67% 

Efficiency - More traffic gets through the roundabout quicker, than a traffic signal intersection. There is no waiting for a light to turn green, if there isn't a vehicle in your way you may enter.

Greener - With no need to spend on traffic lights, we also do not need to service them. Also without having to wait for a traffic light to turn green, there is less idling and therefore less pollution.

If you have any questions about roundabouts or have a question for a Realtor in general give me an email at ben.schmidt@me.com