In the late 1960s and the early 1970s the controversial issue of 'Priority Roads' was being debated widely in Victoria. I had just returned after working five years in Canada where I had become accustomed to driving on arterial roads that had priority over minor side-road traffic. Within the then Country Roads Board (CRB) and other forums I strongly argued for the introduction of a network of arterial roads in which traffic on the major road had priority over side road traffic by virtue of placing STOP or GIVE WAY signs on the side road approaches. This would effectively displace the existing 'Give Way to the Right' rule which had been in operation since 1964 and which treated all roads as equal in respect to traffic movement priority at intersections. At that time in Victoria (and Australia generally), there were few STOP or GIVE WAY signed intersections and those controlled by traffic signals existed mostly in the central business districts of Melbourne and Geelong and some inner Melbourne suburbs. A few intersections with sight line restrictions did have STOP signs installed but at that time the Traffic Regulations for these signs decreed that once the vehicle driver had fulfilled the obligation to stop they could then proceed, giving way only to other vehicles entering the intersection from the right hand side; i.e. the 'Give Way to the Right' rule applied. This resulted in large amounts of peak hour traffic filtering through minor residential streets (commonly referred to as 'rat runs') where they could enter or cross more important (major) roads on the right hand side of that traffic flow without Technical Note From 'give-way' to roundabouts E. V. (Ted) Barton delay. This not only degraded the residential street environment but resulted in serious delays to traffic on major roads (including buses and trams) and significantly increased vehicle crashes throughout the road system.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    From 'give-way' to roundabouts


    Contributors:
    Barton, EV (author)

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2015



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    Local classification TIB:    135/7005/1710
    BKL:    55.84 Straßenverkehr



    Turbo Roundabouts

    Fortuijn, Lambertus G. H. | Transportation Research Record | 2009


    Roundabouts 2013

    TIBKAT | 2013



    Magic roundabouts

    Harris, Chris | Online Contents | 2004


    Crossover Roundabouts

    Hale, Ryan | Transportation Research Record | 2014