While the Town of LaSalle prepares to install its controversial first-ever traffic roundabout, a master’s student in engineering is already thinking ahead to the widespread use of the traffic-flow systems and how they might better accommodate truck traffic.~

“There are a lot of design issues that have to be taken into consideration,” said Jason Dahl, who took first place honours in the graduate category of an Institute of Transportation Engineers student competition held at Ryerson University on March 15 for his presentation, Roundabout Design with Consideration of Truck Turning Movements.

Widely used in Europe, traffic circles are finding favour in North America and there are plans to construct a roundabout at the busy corner of Malden Road and Todd Lane this summer. Many experts believe roundabouts increase a road’s capacity, reduce traffic congestion and reduce the number and severity of accidents.

“They have a lot of advantages compared to regular intersections,” said Chris Lee, an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering and Dahl’s academic supervisor. “You can significantly reduce the conflict points.”

But if roundabouts are embraced by North American cities, special consideration needs to be paid to truck traffic, especially in a border city with high truck volumes like Windsor, Dahl said.

“Trucks accelerate much slower than cars and have a much wider turning radius, so you really have to think about the entry points,” he said.

Dahl’s presentation provided a brief glimpse at the framework for the thesis he will develop examining more comprehensive issues dealing with trucks and roundabouts. His victory at the Ryerson contest earned him $350 and a certificate commemorating the event, an invitation to an institute luncheon in Toronto in April, and entry into a draw for an all-expenses trip to the its annual meeting this summer in Vancouver.

The 17,000-member Institute of Transportation Engineers is an international association of transportation professionals such as engineers, planners, consultants, educators, and researchers, and is a source of expertise for the transportation and construction industries.

Engineering professor Chris Lee, left, chats with Jason Dahl about his master thesis on how traffic roundabouts can accommodate truck traffic.
 

News Story Courtesy of UWin Daily News