Intersection vs. (NAM) Roundabout

[Ironzer 0]

Let's assume that sim 'Bob' takes the same route to work everyday. He drives on this route of only intersections. Now let's assume that the exact same route had (NAM) roundabouts at every point where there used to be an intersection. Will Bob's commute time be lowered, as now he doesn't have to wait for traffic lights, or is it the same (or increased...)?

[Patricius Maximus 236]

An interesting experiment. I'll try it.

[Ironzer 0]

thnx patricius maximus; looking forward to your results, so please respond!

P.S. I've checked ur CJ and it looks great; keep up the good work!

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Here are the results of my experiment. This is a controlled experiment with one Sim "Bob" travelling on a route with intersections:

Changing only one variable -- the intersections now change into roundabouts:

And the commute time graph registers an increase from 380 to 400 minutes:

Conclusion: With one Sim commuting, commute time increases for roundabouts relative to intersections. This is probably due to the increased amount of tiles traversed.

Disclaimer: This is an experiment on only one Sim. Results may vary based on population and traffic patterns.

[buildsolid 4]

Interesting experiment, i will still use roundabouts, looks bettter in suburbs

[Argon Vex 1]

Where'd you get those 3x3 roundabouts? I only have those 2x2 roundabouts that come with the NAM

[buildsolid 4]

Originally posted by: Argon Vex

Where'd you get those 3x3 roundabouts? I only have those 2x2 roundabouts that come with the NAMquote>

Use the one way road and go in the direction that traffic will flow, and make a 3x3 square and there is ur roundabout!

[Argon Vex 1]

That's brilliant! Thanks!

[ExiL3 10]

Cool, but as we all know not realistic

still how would it look with the 2x2 tile roundabout?

- Im guessing a slight decrease in time spent compared to the 3x3, logically...

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Interesting experiment, i will still use roundabouts, looks bettter in suburbsquote>

Me, too (except in fused grid areas).

That's brilliant! Thanks!quote>

I'm glad you think so.

Cool, but as we all know not realistic quote>

That's why I put in the disclaimer . Nevertheless, it was the experiment requested.

[Ironzer 0]

Thanks so much Patricius Maximus!

[sim-fan192 4]

How about 2x2 roundabouts instead of 3x3?

[3dpuzzlemaster 20]

Even though, in real life, the light won't be red/green all the time.

EDIT: That means with intersections, the commute time would be increased/decreased. If "sim Bob" commutes one day, he may hit both red lights. The next day, he hits one intersection green and the other red. Then the next day, he hits both green.

Let's be real with time and distance.

So, if he hits one of these, his commute time will be...

Both red: Increased/control(Control means he could start out with any of the three possibilities)

One green and one red: increased/decreased/control(Means that the commute time is either increased or decreased depending on which possibility is the control)

Both green: Decreased/control

Even then, "Bob" must drive different speeds each day.(He's not a robot!). There is too many possibilities to know which is faster.

Remeber: This is in REAL LIFE cases not for the game!

And it would be interesting to see the 2x2 instead of the 3x3.

[cirvianum 0]

Cool experiment, though I use roundabouts and intersections of course. Adds feeling to the city.

[tahill79 13]

how come it takes your sime almost 400 minutes to go less than a mile?

[n-m-2k8-yeah 0]

Originally posted by: tahill79

how come it takes your sime almost 400 minutes to go less than a mile?quote>

How come 15 people live in a small residential house in SC4?

[pagenotfound 53]

Originally posted by: n-m-2k8-yeah

Originally posted by: tahill79

how come it takes your sime almost 400 minutes to go less than a mile?quote>

How come 15 people live in a small residential house in SC4?

quote>

Touché

Interesting experiment, i might have to try it out.

Roundabouts do seem more fluid in flow and are often safer and therefore less crashes. It wouldnt suprise me if commutes are slightly shorter using them.

[tahill79 13]

Pat,

I see some RHW there, are these the only house and jobs in this city tile? In a large city tile with 500k plus sims ive never had 400 mins for travel.

15 in one home is a little over board.

i live in a 2 story home with the wife and 3 kids. and IDK many pple that live in a home with more than 10. Unless they are dirt poor and thats how they pay the bills. Ive always wondered why so many sims lived in one home. Isnt there a mod, or didnt some one make some house packs with an average of 5 simes per house? I think its over at SC4D.

this is a very interesting experiment. i should have my new laptop here in the next few days. I hate ordering off the internet. takes longer. Im gonna give this a try too.

[fidm2010 0]

There are so many Sims in a house because of size. If these cities existed in real life, they would probably only be about the size of downtown Detroit. The maps are scaled down so that you dont have to build for hours and hours to get a realistic sized city. If you wanted each house to only hold 5 people you would have to build lots and lots of city tiles just for suburbia to get a substantial population.

[chris0101 8]

In real life, I do know that roundabouts are designed to be safer for pedestrians. On the downside, they are slower and less able to handle heavy traffic.

[Defecto 44]

I know that when there's a lot of congestion on a certain intersection in my city, I replace it with a roundabout. Sometimes it almost completely solves the congestion on the roads leading up to it, and sometimes it just moves the problem to the next intersection.

It does seems like roundabouts in SC4 do pretty much what they are designed for in real life, to increase traffic throughput (crossings you have to wait for much longer to pass, than a roundabout..... though in real life a lot of people don't really know how to use them properly and wait much too long)

[830point35 8]

How do one-way roads affect all this?

And I've lived with 17 people in a five bedroom/3 bath house. It was like Kowloon.

[City Name 0]

So roundabouts increase commute time at uncongested intersections, but what about congested intersections? I think they could possibly have an advantage there.

[chris0101 8]

Originally posted by: City Name

So roundabouts increase commute time at uncongested intersections, but what about congested intersections? I think they could possibly have an advantage there.quote>

I am not sure about that in Simcity, but in real life, compared to signal lights, roundabouts worsen heavy traffic problems.

[Follarch 326]

tahill79quote>

It didn't matter about the actual numbers of the commute times, all that matters was the 20 minute increase from the original amount to the resulting amount.

[Deathcat001 8]

Originally posted by: 830point35

How do one-way roads affect all this?

And I've lived with 17 people in a five bedroom/3 bath house. It was like Kowloon.quote>

I found out why Aparments have 31 or so people living in them its because if you lower the terrain around the house you can see 5 basement levels where people live..

[Defecto 44]

Originally posted by: chris0101

I am not sure about that in Simcity, but in real life, compared to signal lights, roundabouts worsen heavy traffic problems.

quote>

Where do you get that from? I don't have any reference, but regional and city governments in my country seem to disagree nationwide. They're building roundabouts just about anywhere where space permits and where congestion is or can become an issue...

[PattyO 0]

The idea that roundabouts increase congestion is odd... logically you'd assume that if traffic keeps moving, you won't have backups like you can have when a line of cars waits at a red light. There's a possibility that (especially where roundabouts are relatively recent introductions, like in much of the US) drivers might not know how to properly use them; they may stop when they don't have to or slow down slower than they have to.

And of course you always have those goofy people who get into a roundabout and decide to go around and around and around and around. I've done it I can't imagine what that does to traffic levels.

[bluemoose 223]

while none of the above probably has nothing to do with the SC4 simulator engines, that is totally true in real life

My city recently installed roundabouts along a busy stretch of road, and the idiots STOPPED TO LET PEOPLE INTO THE CIRCLE

i cant believe people sometimes!!!!!

[Ndragonawa 37]

Huh, never really thought roundabouts were better (or much worse) than intersections.  I've always thought they were for fancy-smancy city planners can have a spot to showcase scatily clad statues.

Nevertheless, interesting coversation!