Round and Round
The intersection of Paint Branch Parkway, Campus Drive and Baltimore Avenue (Route 1) is notorious for its long backups and massive breadth. In just a few years the State Highway Administration will hopefully reconstruct Route 1 from downtown College Park all the way to just beyond the Beltway. One solution the state could implement at this massive intersection is a traffic circle. Compared to traditional intersections they are prettier, eliminate the need for traffic lights, and in College Park’s case would create a visual focal point for a road littered with rundown architecture.
Though such circles are largely foreign to Americans outside DC, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has shown that circles reduce the number and severity of accidents (even those involving pedestrians, bikes, and mopeds) at the traditional crossroads they replace. The FHA suspects the reduction in accidents is a result of the fact that drivers must slow down as they approach the circle. Others suspect that the relative rarity of such traffic devices forces drivers to pay closer attention.
Building a circle at this location has some additional advantages. First, it maintains the historic Founders’ Gate, which is located in the only grassy median at the intersection. A grassy circle would thus reflect the setting of the historic gateway. Second, the circle would eliminate nine turn-lanes currently at the intersection, thus ameliorating what is now a asphalt field. Third, the circle could include an entry road to East Campus thus providing a prominent view into the development. However, if an East Campus entrance is unsuitable, the circle would also provide more street-fronting space for a landmark work of architecture at the corner of the East Campus development.
Aesthetic skeptics might want to compare the status quo with other local examples such as downtown’s Logan Circle or the DC line-straddling Chevy Chase Circle, which successfully accommodates the heavy commuter traffic of Connecticut Avenue.
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February 6th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
The circle looks pretty, but I wonder about it’s practicality. I haven’t seen a circle with the kind of volume that Route 1, Campus Drive, and Paint Branch Parkway generates. But, if they have a feasible plan, I’d like to see it implemented.
February 6th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Is it possible to tunnel Route 1 under the roundabout like Connecticut Avenue under DuPont Circle? I assume this is well beyond the realm fiscal possibilities, but it never hurts to ask
February 6th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
There already is one minor circle on Route 1 near the DC line in Mount Rainier, though I’m not sure how the traffic volumes of College Park and Mount Rainier compare.
As for tunneling à la Dupont Circle, the area around Paint Branch Parkway is actually in a flood zone that already precludes deep, underground garages. Even with the money and political will to build a circle underpass, I’m not sure how feasible it would be.
February 7th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I bet the city residents would love a giant red upstanding M in the middle of the circle.
February 7th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
I put the M in there solely to enhance the perspective. Imagine what you want in there; Kermit the Frog riding a bike, perhaps?
February 8th, 2007 at 12:03 am
Think of all the great traffic circles in Europe. Paris has some that handle way more traffic than Rt 1 does. Think of the Place de la Concorde or the Place Charles de Gaulle (Arc de Triomphe). Maybe instead of rioting we can erect a triumphal arch.
February 8th, 2007 at 12:15 am
Maybe an Egyptian obelisk.
February 12th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I was just thinking about a traffic circle at this intersection the other day. Not only could this reduce mile-long backups on Route 1 but it could better tie in the East Campus Development Area with the rest of the campus.
Traffic circles built well ([i]without[/i] stoplights) work a lot better than a conventional stoplight because traffic keeps moving…even with a lot of vehicles. But the circle is just a small step in improving the traffic on Route 1. Better signal timing and removing redundant stoplights north of the circle would do good as well.
February 16th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
There is a fairly new traffic circle where 295 meets 100 at Arundel Mills and people seem to be able to handle the merge process. Still, the Arundel circle handles a fraction of the traffic that passes through Paint Branch and Rt. 1. The traffic lights north at the fire station and McDonald’s would cause tremendous backups into the circle, making the current problem of “blocking the box” far worse. That intersection is a real problem, but I don’t think that a traffic circle is going to calm any of the commuters rusing to/from work/class.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
[...] In Maryland, folks are rethinking traffic circles, an attempt to reduce accidents. Circles not only reduce traffic, but they are more aesthetic. So as Route 1 gets rethought, and College Park is redesigned, maybe we will have a prettier place to visit. I like it. Thanks to local DC Gossip and blogger Wonkette for the tip. [...]