Landscaping the central island provides beneficial enhancements by creating attractive focal and entrance points within a community. Planting low maintenance trees and shrubs offers a distinguishing feature that gives a modern roundabout an aesthetic advantage over most conventional intersections. In addition, landscaping increases public safety by lowering speeds as drivers approach an intersection. This is accomplished as visuals and contrasting colors send a subconscious message to drivers, cueing them to decelerate their vehicles as they approach the intersection. In the interest of public safety, it is important to select landscaping materials that will neither encourage pedestrians to cross the circulating roadway to gain access to the central island, or introduce hazards within the clear zone.
Images courtesy of Springfield, Oregon (top left) and Genesee Transportation Council MPO (top right).
Images of central island enhancements.
Since enhancement projects are non-participating items, 100% of the funding must be provided by the local community (Townships, DDA, community donations, etc.). All enhancement projects must be reviewed by Road Commission staff through the permit process.
In addition to landscaping the central island, it is common to use colored, decorative stamped concrete for the truck apron and in some instances within the splitter islands. This feature enhances the beauty of the intersection while providing additional levels of safety to the motoring public with contrasting colors delineating the perimeter of the central and splitter islands.
Images of colored, decorative stamped concrete truck aprons