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A Transportation Plan for the Greenleaf Terrace Neighborhood

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Many people have a mental image of traffic circles that can create serious challenges to<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir implementation. Several misconceptions exist regarding <strong>the</strong> safety of both vehicles<br />

and pedestrians negotiating traffic circles and <strong>the</strong>ir larger <strong>for</strong>m, known as “roundabouts.”<br />

In reality, properly designed traffic circles have been shown to significantly reduce <strong>the</strong><br />

number of vehicular accidents at<br />

intersections. 23 Traffic circles in<br />

<strong>Greenleaf</strong> <strong>Terrace</strong> will not only help<br />

reduce <strong>the</strong> speed of traffic in and<br />

around intersections; <strong>the</strong>y will also<br />

help to improve vehicular and<br />

pedestrian safety. An additional side<br />

benefit will be <strong>the</strong> elimination of <strong>the</strong><br />

confusion that can accompany<br />

intersections with multi-way stop<br />

signs.<br />

The traffic circles recommended <strong>for</strong><br />

all of <strong>the</strong> above intersections should<br />

be designed with mountable or semimountable<br />

center islands to allow<br />

negotiation by emergency and road<br />

maintenance vehicles. Center islands<br />

can incorporate landscaping and<br />

decorative materials such as brick or<br />

Figure 4: Traffic Circle<br />

Source: Cityoflansingmi.com<br />

stone and <strong>the</strong>reby also provide an aes<strong>the</strong>tic benefit to <strong>the</strong> neighborhood in addition to<br />

traffic-calming benefits.<br />

Objective Implementation:<br />

The City of Charlottesville should install traffic circles in <strong>Greenleaf</strong> <strong>Terrace</strong> in<br />

accordance with <strong>the</strong> design considerations included in <strong>the</strong> Charlottesville Traffic Calming<br />

Guidebook. The design of <strong>the</strong> circles should be consistent with that shown in Figure 3<br />

and should include “splitter bars” to help direct traffic into <strong>the</strong> circle and slow its<br />

approach.<br />

The traffic circles at Del Mar Drive and Oakleaf and <strong>Greenleaf</strong> Lanes will be connected<br />

by an island because of <strong>the</strong>ir proximity to one ano<strong>the</strong>r. Each road entering <strong>the</strong> traffic<br />

circle will feature a pedestrian crosswalk that will utilize <strong>the</strong> splitter bar as a mid-point of<br />

<strong>the</strong> crossing. The remainder of <strong>the</strong> traffic circles will follow a design similar to that in<br />

figure 4.<br />

Clear signage should be included on all roads entering each circle to warn motorists of its<br />

presence, especially in cases where visibility of <strong>the</strong> intersection is limited. Pedestrian-<br />

23 2000 City of Charlottesville Traffic Calming Device Implementation Guidebook

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