NONCONFORMING TRAFFIC CIRCLE BECOMES MODERN ROUNDABOUT

On June 30, 1993, the California Department of Transportation converted the 61-year-old Long Beach traffic circle from a nonconforming traffic circle to a modern roundabout, thus demonstrating the advantages of the modern type of circular intersection. Modern roundabouts follow one of a few sets of guidelines patterned after British guidelines. By contrast, nonconforming traffic circles do not conform to modern roundabout guidelines. This project is a breakthrough in the U.S. in two ways: (1) It demonstrates that four-lane entries can work well on modern roundabouts in this country, (2) It demonstrates that modern roundabouts should be used where high capacity and low delay are desired.