This Easy Road Design Fix Is Proven To Cut Your Commute Times (And Save Lives)

Whenever you read the headline you most likely thought we were going to speak about roundabouts, didn’t you? Roundabouts have been slowly finding their way into intersections across the U.S., much to the ire of many drivers. But roundabouts are old news. The brand new heat on the earth of intersections and civil engineering is something called an RCUT, also generally known as a J-turn or superstreet.

RCUT stands for Restricted Crossing U-Turn. These intersections force drivers making left turns to make U-turns. That may appear counterintuitive in terms of making roads safer — it sure did to us before we did the research. But RCUT intersections reduce what’s generally known as “vehicle conflict points” — places in an intersection where cars can collide — by half. 

How do they work? Mostly, they’re put where side roads meet busy roads. Drivers coming onto a serious road from a boulevard must turn right to get on to that road. What if you have to go straight or turn left? When you get on the essential road, there is a dedicated lane that results in a gap for a U-turn down the road. After making the U-turn, you may make a right to proceed traveling on the boulevard or keep going should you originally needed to show left. This also reduces the variety of traffic lights and the time drivers spend waiting for lights to vary, thereby saving everyone time.

Still not convinced that RCUT intersections can reduce accidents? The statistics speak for themselves. The U.S. Department of Transportation studied the consequences of putting in RCUT intersections in five states. It found that overall crashes decreased by 15% and injury crashes by 22%.

In 2021, Faunsdale, Alabama installed an RCUT intersection at U.S. 80 and State Route 25. The outcomes were dramatic. Crashes overall decreased by 75%, while severe accidents dropped by a whopping 99%. Perhaps probably the most significant result’s that deadly crashes dropped to zero.

Other places have had similar results. Nebraska turned the intersection of U.S. 81 and Nebraska 91 into an RCUT in 2021, and saw a 54% drop in crashes and 96% drop in injuries and deaths by 2023. North Carolina reports that the variety of crashes dropped between 27% and 74% at 13 rural intersections converted into RCUTs. Maryland saw a 44% drop in crashes at RCUT intersections, while Missouri had a 54% drop in crashes that resulted in injuries and 35% decrease in overall accidents. (In fact, an important method to avoid traffic deaths is to vary our behavior, but no person desires to.)

What about time saved for commuters? The Federal Highway Administration says converting conventional intersections to RCUTs can increase traffic flow by 30% and reduce intersection travel time by 40%. For instance, San Antonio, Texas found that implementing RCUTs along U.S. 281 decreased northbound travel time in a single section from 19.2 to 12.7 minutes during evening rush hour while increasing average speeds from 19 to 29 mph. 

Why do these intersections deliver these results? Fewer traffic lights. The lights for the most important roads stay green longer. And since travelers from the side roads are only turning right, they often get to go on red.

Here’s a hot take — hot, no less than, for our fellow Americans. We like roundabouts. There, we said it, and we do not care who knows it. That is not exactly a well-liked viewpoint within the USA, though opinions in a community are likely to grow to be more favorable after a roundabout is installed. Roundabouts are really easy, in our opinion (even when Waymo Robotaxis are sometimes confused by them). There isn’t any waiting in a protracted line of cars for a lightweight to show green, hoping you get to the intersection before it turns back to red. There isn’t any navigating four-way stops, trying to recollect from driver’s ed who has the proper of way. You do not even need to stop if nobody is coming.

So why would a city, county, or state install an RCUT as an alternative? These intersections are literally made for 2 several types of intersections. Roundabouts are best suited to intersections where two or more similar streets meet. In other words, they’re great for intersections of two busy roads or two side streets, and never so great where a minor back street meets a serious thoroughfare. 

RCUTS, alternatively, are for intersections where minor side streets with little traffic meet major roads with lots of traffic. They’re designed to cut back the time drivers spend at traffic lights by forcing drivers from side streets to enter major roads via right-hand turns. They do not work so well at intersections with lots of left-turn traffic from the boulevard.

There isn’t any one-size-fits-all solution for each intersection. But whether it’s RCUTs or roundabouts, saving lives and making our commutes shorter are good things.