Attachments:

1. Technical guidelines.
2. Roundabout Typical Signing at Single-Lane Roundabout (Urban), TCS-A7-100.1.
3. Roundabout Typical Signing at Single-Lane Roundabout (Rural), TCS-A7-100.2.
4. Roundabout and Cross section Details Drawing, D-10.1a.

June 2010 Page 3 of 3

 TECHNICAL GUIDELINES

CAPACITY AND SAFETY ANALYSIS

Single-lane roundabout shall be the first solution to be considered when the sum of Design Year
peak hour circulating and entering flow rate is less than 1,100 veh/hr at each entry approach.

Double-lane roundabout shall be the first solution to be analyzed when the sum of Design Year
peak hour circulating and entering flow rate is less than 1,900 veh/hr but more than 1,100 veh/hr at
any entry approach.

Roundabouts may be designed with a combination of single lane and double lane on various
segments depending on traffic demand. By-pass lanes may also be used where justified by a
particularly high right turn movement however it is preferred to avoid the additional complexity of by-
pass lanes where feasible.

Level of Service (Highway Capacity Manual 2000 stop-controlled intersection criteria) of critical
movements at critical lanes at entry approaches not lower than D during Design Year peak hour
should be considered acceptable. Level of Service is determined by the control delay for each lane.

If a capacity analysis shows a heavy right-turn volume and a Level of Service (LOS) analysis shows
the LOS is lower than D, the provision of a separate right turn channelized roadway may be
considered.

Available roundabout capacity and safety analysis software packages include RODEL, ARCADY,
SIDRA, SYNCHRO, VISSIM and PARAMICS, etc. Engineers shall be aware that analysis results
from different software packages may be different for the same roundabout capacity analysis. Field
calibration is needed for software application. If field data is not available, the recommended
parameters in NCHRP Report 572 should be used. It is required that the recommended capacity
models in NCHRP Report 572 shall be calculated for comparison also. It shall be noted that the
2010 Highway Capacity Manual is expected to include a chapter on roundabouts as well as an
embedded software package; most content of this new chapter will be based on the NCHRP Report
572.

GEOMETRIC DESIGN GUIDELINES

Generally, roundabout design principles include: properly designed entries and exits, site specific
design, truck capabilities, proper deflection, properly sized inscribed circle diameter (ICD), positive
driving experience and comfort for the public. Roundabout design is a complex task which will
generally produce a “custom” design for each location (based on unique traffic flow, intersection
roadway geometry and physical constraints). Designers shall use design standards to guide the site
specific design instead of attempting to apply standard design solutions.

Roundabout geometric design shall follow the guidelines in this bulletin with particular reference to
the following:
1. Design Vehicle: design vehicle shall follow the requirements in Alberta Highway Geometric
Design Guide (1999); specifically the truck apron must be designed to accommodate the
off-tracking of long combination vehicles and/or oversized vehicle and/or log haul truck,
depending on the project detailed requirements. Oversized vehicles may include

May 2010 (Page 1 of 4)

 construction equipment. For vehicles that use an intersection on a regular basis, the
“medium” turning template should be used. If the movement is very occasional such as a
piloted oversized load, then the “minimum” turning template may be used.
2. Alignment of approaches and entries: Alberta Transportation prefers the following:
• Preferred – “Alignment Offset Left”
• Acceptable – “Radial Alignment”
• Unacceptable – “Alignment Offset Right”
The benefits of “offset left” include: easy to achieve desired deflection at entry approaches;
easy to remove “entry path overlap” at multi-lane roundabout approaches; and easy to
design larger radius exits to increase exit speeds and capacity.
3. The maximum grade along the vehicle travelling direction within a roundabout shall be
limited to +2% but not steeper than -2%, due to winter conditions in Alberta.
4. It is desirable to avoid designing roundabouts where grades through the roundabout are
between -1% and +1% to facilitate surface drainage.
5. The gradient on the entering roadway should be between 1% and 2% falling away from the
roundabout, consistent with the vertical alignments for major and minor road intersecting
roadways in Figure D-3.3a and Figure D-3.3b of the Highway Geometric Design Guide
respectively.
6. The circular roadway in a roundabout shall not be superelevated. A constant 2% cross fall
shall be provided in all cases with the centre of the circle being the high side.
7. Aprons shall be provided with a steeper cross slope than the travel lane (typically 3% or
4%), a different texture than the travel lane and a mountable concrete curb to provide
definition of the boundary between travel lane and apron.
8. It is desirable to design wider entry width and longer flare length at entry approaches.
9. It is desirable to design larger than standard exit radii.

SIGNING AND PAVEMENT MARKINGS AND ILLUMINATION

GUIDE SIGNAGE
Single lane roundabout:
‐ Ground-mounted
‐ Diagrammatic advance guide sign
• Include highway route markers and destination information as outlined in
Highway Guide and Information Sign Manual for standard guide signage
• Roundabout diagram/symbol should utilize arrowheads (not pointers), no dot
in the centre, thinner line width for minor roads (i.e., local roads/accesses)
‐ Guide signs within roundabout
• Visible in advance of the exit point
• Should provide highway route marker
• Should provide destination information if applicable, according to Highway
Guide and Information Sign Manual
• Should be standard rectangular shape with standard arrow
• Should be placed either on the splitter island or on the right side of the
roundabout, depending on the characteristics of the roundabout (angle
between approach legs, number of lanes, presence of sidewalk, etc.). Care
should be taken to ensure that these signs do not obstruct the view of users
entering the intersection (pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles).
‐ Confirmation destination sign a minimum of 100 m beyond any tapers

Multi lane roundabout:

‐ Diagrammatic advance guide sign

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 • Include highway route markers and destination information as outlined in
Highway Guide and Information Sign Manual for standard guide signage
• Roundabout diagram/symbol should utilize arrowheads (not pointers), no dot
in the centre, thinner line width for minor roads (i.e., local roads/accesses)
‐ Potential use of overhead signage, perhaps where there is a right turn channelized
roadway or more complex roundabout arrangement
‐ Guide signs within roundabout
• Visible in advance of the exit point
• Should provide highway route marker
• Should provide destination information if applicable, according to Highway
Guide and Information Sign Manual
• Should be standard rectangular shape with standard arrow
• Should be placed either on the splitter island or on the right side of the
roundabout, depending on the characteristics of the roundabout (angle
between approach legs, number of lanes, presence of sidewalk, etc.). Care
should be taken to ensure that these signs do not obstruct the view of users
entering the intersection (pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles)
‐ Confirmation destination sign a minimum of 100 m beyond any tapers

TOURIST RELATED DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE

TODS/attractions signage:
• Shall be the same sign placement as if the intersection were a typical ‘T’ or
‘+’ intersection, with directional signs in advance of the roundabout (none
within the roundabout).
• If confusion develops (determine on case-by-case basis), additional TODS
confirmation directional signage may be considered on the downstream
intersection leg(s)

REGULATORY, WARNING AND INFORMATIONAL SIGNAGE

Regulatory:
• Speed limit signage as required in advance of the intersection and
downstream on each intersection leg (50 m beyond confirmation destination
sign)
• RA-7 Roundabout Yield sign at each yield point/roundabout entrance
• Keep Right assembly on the near side of raised median/splitter islands
Warning:
• WA-39 Roundabout Ahead sign 250-300 m in advance of intersection
• Advisory speed tab sign below WA-39 if deemed necessary
• (Optional) WB-2 Yield Ahead sign 50-150 m in advance of intersection
• WA-38 Roundabout Directional Sign, orientated directly in line with the path
of approaching traffic at each entrance leg, within the roundabout island.
• Keep Right assembly as noted above.
Informational:
• Highway route marker/junction signage 50 m in advance of destination
directional (diagrammatic) sign
• Highway route marker signage approximately 30 m downstream of the
intersection on each leg

PAVEMENT MARKINGS

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 Durable markings should be considered for all markings for roundabouts.
Single-lane roundabouts:
• Wide dotted white lines at yield point.
• Aprons should be made very conspicuous by using a mountable concrete
curb on the border with the travel lane and by providing a different texture,
cross-slope and color compared to the travel lane. Hatching (using yellow
markings or colored concrete) is very desirable and shall be reviewed and
accepted by the department prior to installation.
• Centerline, shoulder, etc. lines should use principles in the Highway
Pavement Marking Guide.
Multi-lane roundabouts:
• Potential of using the fish hook arrow lane designation pavement markings,
as used by BC. Further investigation of the use of these markings is
required.

INTERSECTION ILLUMINATION
• All roundabouts should be adequately illuminated.
• Illumination should be designed in accordance with Chapter 11 of the
Transportation Association of Canada Guide for the Design of Roadway
Lighting.

Typical roundabout signing and pavement markings for urban and rural single-lane roundabouts are
shown in Attachment 2.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The guidance as shown here is to be implemented immediately as per the usual practice.

Effective Date: May 17, 2010.

CONTACT
Peter Mah at (780) 427-7129 or Jeffrey Xu at (780) 415-1049
Technical Standards Branch, Alberta Transportation.

REFERENCES
Alberta Transportation Highway Geometric Design Guide (1999)
Alberta Transportation Roadside Design Guide
Alberta Transportation Highway Pavement Marking Guide
Alberta Transportation Highway Guide and Information Sign Manual
Tourism Highway Signage Initiative Technical Details Package
FHWA, Roundabout: An Information Guide
NCHRP Report 572: Roundabouts in the United States
Highway Capacity Manual (2000)
TAC Geometric Design Guide
AASHTO, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets
TAC Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada
TAC Guide for the Design of Roadway Lighting

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