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Born and raised on the east coast, I was exposed to "rotaries"; the oversized, high speed, multiple-lane, confusing and terrifying cousin of the roundabout. Two of these were located just a few minutes away from my home in central Maine. Leading up to my driver's test, my mother and I practiced navigating these almost daily, and after only a few near-death experiences, I knew I was ready. I managed to pass the first time and deemed myself an expert.

This experience with rotaries led to a fair amount of skepticism upon hearing the term "roundabout" when I came to work for the surface transportation group at Reid Middleton. I thought that "roundabout" was just a foofy, cutesie way of saying "rotary". 

How wrong I was.

I quickly learned the difference between modern roundabouts and their not-so-desirable ancestors – the traffic circle and rotary. I soon came to admire the efficiency and safety of well-designed roundabouts. Although traffic does not have to stop unless yielding, (greatly increasing capacity), it still has to slow to 15-25 mph. These slow speeds combined with a geometry that prohibits dangerous collisions creates one of the safest types of intersections. The team here at Reid Middleton works so hard on each individual roundabout to make it not only safe and efficient, but also to engage the community in the project. I greatly enjoy being part of such an experienced, unique team of professionals, working on projects I can truly believe in.