Delft Facility Tour #1 Assignment
Katie Merry, Kyle Deshon, Garrett Boyle, Sarah Ebaugh, Kurt Gleichauf, Dan Peirce, Alex Sandoval.
C Intersection of Westlandseweg and Zaagmolen – Head Writer: Kyle Deshon
Description: The intersection of Westlandseweg and Zaagmolen is a typical single lane Dutch roundabout. The roundabout is at the intersection of Westlandseweg, a fairly busy street, and Zaagmolen, a low traffic residential street.
Observations: This roundabout prioritizes bikes by forcing all cars to yield to bicycles before entering. To allow the cars to clearly see any cyclists the roundabout utilizes low landscaping around the perimeter of the cycle track, providing clear sight lines for cars on any incoming cyclists. Additionally, the roundabout is extremely well lit with lights at every possible point of conflict, further increasing cyclist visibility. The cycle track is also paved in red asphalt, alerting cars to the presence of a cycle track and making them aware that cyclists may be present.
The roundabout features a variety of safety features to safely accommodate vehicle traffic. As previously mentioned the roundabout is very well lit at all of the possible conflict zones, allowing drivers to more easily see oncoming traffic. The roundabout also has flared entrances on the more heavily trafficked Westlandseweg entrances. The flared entrances force cars to enter the roundabout at an angle, reducing the change of a dangerous T-Bone collision. Finally, the tree in the center of the roundabout prevents drivers from seeing through the roundabout, forcing them to slow down.
The roundabout is also designed to keep pedestrians safe. The pedestrian street crossings along Westlandseweg is broke up into 4 segments, reducing the distance that pedestrians need to cross traffic. The bus station at the stop is also located so that any stopped bus completely blocks the traffic in the lane, allowing pedestrians to safely exit the bus and walk to a median without the risk of walking through traffic.
Suggested Location in the US: Fleur Dr/Mlk Pkwy in Des Moines is a busy street as a connector for the southside and downtown. The entrances for Gray’s Lake Park and Water Works Park are at the same intersection. Both of these parks are used frequently by residents for recreation purpose with bike ways going over Fleur Dr and also connecting the parks to downtown Des Moines along the river. A roundabout would slow traffic and allow residents to enter and exit the parks easier but also help with people who walk or bike between the parks and/or to the parks. Since Fleur is a arterial road, it might have to be a two lane roundabout.
