They are becoming more popular here in SE Ohio. There is a slight learning curve with them, but ultimately they are definitely time savers.
I’d love to see them installed at key intersections which are perpetually backed up, but roundabouts need a lot more space than a traditional 4-stop sign intersection, so they aren’t possible in a lot of older neighborhoods.
In my area, Portland, Oregon, they are not becoming significantly more common. A couple years ago I looked into them and found that there were only about two dozen in the entire Portland Metro area. Only two of those were actually in the city; the rest were in the suburbs or the rural areas beyond them. As far as I can tell, this situation has not changed very much since then.
But there’s one part of this area which is roundabout-intensive. There’s a very small town named Verboort which is north of Forest Grove. Its population is (my estimate) 100, maybe 150 (the Census Bureau doesn’t give a population for it). Just east on Verboort Road are two roundabouts. Currently under construction to the west is another at the intersection of Verboort Road and Highway 47. There may be another constructed in a year or two on Highway 47 near there. So 4 roundabouts near this one little town, twice as many as in all of Portland.
They seem to be getting rid of them in South Jersey.
Here in town (Somers Point) and in nearby Egg Harbor Township, Tilton Road, Circles (roundabouts) have been replaced by traditional intersections.
Old-fashioned New Jersey traffic circles are not the same thing as modern roundabouts. The old ones are much larger in diameter, and often weren’t designed with the proper slip ramps and signage. Sometimes, as in DC, traffic signals were added to correct certain shortcomings.
Real traditional intersections, or New Jersey traditional intersections?
There’s a huge one in Long Beach, CA that’s the biggest one I ever saw that wasn’t in Paris. It’s really terrifying sometimes. Here in Citrus Heights, east of Sacramento, there are a lot of them in the local neighborhood. I have no idea why they felt they were necessary instead of just stop signs. You still have to stop before you make the round.
There are approximately 120 roundabouts in Washington State with many more planned: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/washingtons.htm
What is a roundabout? (It’s not a rotart, not a traffic circle, and not a "calming circle.)
I love 'em. I first encountered them many years ago in England and thought that they made sense. Pleased to see them popping up here.