• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.243-250
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• 2014

Modern roundabouts referred to as relatively safer and more efficient traffic facility than the signalized intersections have been recently deployed and operated and accordingly more research efforts to improve its safety and efficiency have been made so far. This paper introduces a new traffic information system named as Smart Roundabout coupled with Connected Vehicle technique like Vehicle-to-Roadside communication, which has not been attempted before and evaluates its performance with a microscopic simulation model, VISSIM. The proposed system functions to collect driving information of circulating vehicles in the roundabout such as location, speed, critical headway, etc. and help approaching vehicles decide whether to enter the roundabout with an on-board equipment instrumented in the individual vehicle on the basis of calculated gap acceptance of interest. This new system is expected to secure more safety and increase the capacity of the modern roundabout.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2015

PURPOSES : Although signalized intersections have been considered the best way to control traffic volume in urban areas for several decades, roundabouts are currently being discussed as an alternative way to control traffic volume, especially when traffic is light. Because a roundabout's efficiency depends on the load geometry as well as the traffic volume, design guidelines for roundabouts are recommended only if the incoming traffic volume is very low. It is rare to substitute a roundabout for an existing signalized intersection in urban areas. This study aims to estimate the benefits from the transformation of an existing signalized intersection into a roundabout in an urban area. When there is a more moderate volume of traffic, roundabouts can be effectively used by optimizing signals located at an approaching roadway. METHODS : The methodologies of this paper are as follows: First, a signalized intersection was analyzed to determine the traffic characteristics. Second, the signalized intersection was transformed into a roundabout using VISSIM microscopic traffic simulation. Then, we estimated and analyzed the effects and the performance of the roundabout. In addition, we adjusted a method to improve the benefits of the transformation via the optimization of signals located at an approaching road to control the incoming traffic volume. RESULTS : The results of this research are as follows: The signal-optimized roundabout improved delays compared with the signalized intersection during the morning peak hour, non-peak hour, and evening peak hour by 1.78%, 12.45%, and 12.72%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS : According to the simulation results of each scenarios, the signal-optimized roundabout had less delay time than the signalized intersection. If optimized signal control algorithms are installed in roundabouts in the future, this will lead to more efficient traffic management.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.24-31
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• 2011

This study deals with the operational effectiveness of roundabout. The roundabout is currently under consideration in our country depending on the result of existing researches, that the roundabout decreases delay and is environmentally friendly compared to the signalized intersection. The purpose of the study is to analyze the operational effectiveness of the roundabout by the change of pedestrian traffic volume. In pursing the above, this study gave particular emphasis to designing a network of roundabout, developing some scenarios for analysis including both entering traffic volume and pedestrians volume, and comparatively analyzing the average controlled delay time per vehicle. In this study, VISSIM model was used as a tool for traffic simulation. The main results are as follows. First, as a result of analyzing a traffic delay based on the pedestrian traffic volume, pedestrian traffic volume was analyzed to have a great impact on the roundabout operation. Second, the more pedestrian traffic volume were evaluated to indicate the more traffic delay. When the entering volumes with 1,000persons/hour (pedestrian volume) were more than 800pcph in the single-lane and 1,600pcph in the double-lane roundabout, the operational efficiencies of signalized intersections were evaluated to be better than those of roundabouts.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.63-75
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• 2013

Roundabouts have been operated in Europe, America and Australia since the 1970s, and many relevant researches continually was carried out. Though many studies regarding roundabout have been recently conducted in korea, most of them have focused on its operational safety and efficiency. Moreover, roundabout design guideline did not define a clear criteria related to pedestrian in roundabout, but seldom investigate the influences of pedestrian on crosswalk. In this study, we seek ways to operate the pedestrian crosswalk signal on roundabout maximizing their operational effects in exceptional case such as rush hour or intersection near the special facilities. We proved that roundabout signal operation is effective under certain circumstances in according to the number of pedestrian, and suggested the optimal signal timing plan for signalized roundabouts. For pursuing the above, we conducted the simulation test using the VISSIM model. The results show that the operational effectiveness of signalized roundabout was evaluated to be better than non-signalized roundabout in specific pedestrian volume condition. In addition, those results are confirmed using simulation analysis conducted on the real roundabout.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.59-69
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• 2003

Signalized intersections are widely used in urban street network. However, it was reported that a roundabout is better than a signalized intersection in terms of delay when the approaching traffic volume for each bound is low. The objective of this study is to develop entry capacity models of roundabout and establish the warrant for signalized intersection based on the delay. The entry capacity of a roundabout is determined by the circulating traffic volume and the geometric design of the roundabout such as the diameter of central island, entry lane widths, and the circulating roadway width. The traffic and geometric characteristics of four roundabouts were collected and analyzed. The study reveals that; i)among the geometric features, the diameter of central island and the circulating roadway width influence the entry capacity, and ii)even though it is difficult to compare the models of each country due to different geometric features considered in the models, the models developed in this study show higher capacity than the models from Israel or Germany. These seem to be attributed to the facts that; i)the outside diameters of the roundabouts selected in this study are larger than in the other studies, and ii)the acceptable gap in Korea is smaller than that in the other countries. In order to compare the performances of round- about and signalized intersection, the performance of roundabouts was evaluated with the SIDRA. The simulation was conducted only for the roundabouts composed of single lane. According to the result of the analysis, it may be concluded that when the approaching traffic volume for each bound is lower than 600pcph, a roundabout is better than a signalized intersection in terms of its operational performance.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.42-52
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• 2017

This was a study on the ultimate effect and characteristics of introducing a roundabout through a review of literature on the subject of roundabout. In order to examine an effect produced when roundabout is substituted for ordinary signal-controlled intersection operated at Daego Five-way Intersection and Seongmo Five-way Intersection located in Junggu, Daejeon Metropolitan City, site to be studied, the produced effect was analyzed through comparison between before and after introducing roundabouts in series at Daego Five-way Intersection and Seongmo Five-way Intersection by using microscopic traffic simulation program VISSIM widely used for analyzing an effect of roundabout based on a survey of geometric structure, traffic volume and signal interval on the site. As mentioned above, when Daego Five-way Intersection and Seongmo Five-way Intersection was changed to roundabout, a positive effect was produced on average speed and delay time in comparison with the existing status. It is possible to expect that roundabout can be more efficiently operated when 2 places on the site are changed to double roundabout than when separately changed to roundabouts.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.2D
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• pp.209-215
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• 2011

Roundabout has circular traffic island in the intersection center and is kind of intersection where the automobile bypass circular traffic island. In Korea, the provisional Roundabouts Design Guidelines were published in 2004 by MLTM (Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs). This guideline did not discussed domestic traffic circumstance. It just only introduced foreign instances and their guidelines. In addition, the recent National Competitiveness roundabouts as part of the green growth has been concentrated on the interest. In this paper, 90 degree of the 4-legged roundabout was compared with 72 degree, 45 degree, and 30 degree 5-legged roundabouts by micro simulation VISSIM. As a result of analysis, average travel time is decreased when the inscribed circle diameter become bigger the roundabout. 5-legged roundabout until 2,000 volume per hour evaluated to be similar effect at 90 degree of 4-legged roundabout.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.105-116
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• 2007

A ROUNDABOUT is more effective way to improve safety and prevent delays than signal intersection. ROUNDABOUT has been known highly safe treatment that could be used as a method to reduce conflicts between vehicles, to reduce travel speed in inner or approach of intersection, and to have no speed difference between drivers than intersection. In this study, the effective analysis on the installation of ROUNDABOUT was carried out using computer-based simulation tool VISSIM, in order to evaluate performance and safety of ROUNDABOUT and develope a warrant. In conclusion, the results indicated that there was remarkable increase of Y-intersection capacity and decrese of delay, and improvement of traffic safety. Finally, A nice feature of this study is to firstly attempt to use microscopic simulator to evaluate the effectiveness of ROUNDABOUT and suggest a passible operation boundary.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2012

This study deals with the operation effectiveness of roundabout. The objective of this study was to analyze the operational effectiveness of roundabout based on the operation of pedestrian signal. For pursuing the above, VISSIM was as a traffic simulation program. this study gives particular attention to analyzing the 1,680 scenarios by operation of Pedestrian Signal(7 cases), roundabout type(2 cases), pedestrian volume(8 cases) and entering volume(15 cases). The main results analyzed are as follows. First, the operational effectiveness analyzed by 2 type of 4-legged 1-lane roundabout and 6 type of 4-legged 2-lane were evaluated to be better than that by the others type. Second, the average delay time analyzed by operation of pedestrian signal were evaluated to be less than that by unsignalized pedestrian crossing. Finally, the average delay time analyzed by pedestrian crossing were decreased 8.18% than that by staggered pedestrian crossing in 4-legged 1-lane. However, the average delay time analyzed by staggered pedestrian crossing were evaluated to be decreased 36.53% than that by pedestrian crossing in 4-legged 2-lane.