These Americans are just going around in circles. Helps the climate.

“Imagine a post-Sandy, post-Katrina or post-Andrew world in which recovery funds have been deployed to build resilient and resilient modern roundabouts instead of rebuilding fragile, signal-polluting intersections,” said Mr Sides. traffic engineer.

The United States is in no hurry to move to modern carousels, although the situation is changing somewhat. By some estimates, there are now about 7,900 across the country, with hundreds being added every year. However, doubts remain.

McBride, who oversaw the construction of nearly 80 roundabouts as Carmela’s city engineer for 13 years, said curious municipal leaders often ask how to get the public’s attention.

“You can spit out factual data, but at the end of the day, most of the general population is afraid of things that are new and unusual,” said Mr. McBride.

At roundabouts, decision-making remains in the hands of the driver, unlike much of the US road system, which, according to Mr. McBride, “doesn’t really trust the driver to make a choice.”

“They are used to being told what to do at every step,” he said.

More than half of all serious accidents occur at intersections, according to the Federal Highway Administration, which has been promoting and funding modern roundabouts for 20 years through programs to improve road safety, reduce congestion and improve air quality.

As part of promoting workarounds, Mr. Brainard visited Sarasota, Florida in 2009, where he said he was greeted in a room full of angry people. Among their concerns: Roundabouts are harmful to pedestrians and can cause uneven tire wear. But Mr. Brainard’s account of Carmel’s experiences clearly hit the mark. Sarasota now has a dozen roundabouts, another under construction and five more planned, and this year alone it received the Innovative Roundabout of Merit Award.