Roundabouts in Muscat - Freedom Circles

Do you ever go back and read news about your hometown? I do it quite often. A couple of months back I read that the State government of Gujarat created an SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle), to promote the city of Vadodara as the Cultural capital of Gujarat during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit. This is the first time ever that a state government has ever created a SPV for promoting tourism. I was glad that my parents selected Vadodara for settling down after retirement.

For those of you who don't know, Vadodara is the third largest city in Gujarat (after Ahmedabad and Surat). Though it may not be the hottest or the hippest city in the state, the youngsters are lured to the city due to the presence of good schools and colleges, industries, restaurants, shopping malls and multiplexes, and more, all at an accessible distance. The presence of heritage buildings, temples, beautiful gardens and the pleasant weather, make it a comfortable city for the older generation, no matter how big or small is one's savings account. For us, being Probashi Bengalis (a Bengali living outside Bengal) with our roots in West Bengal, the city of Vadodara served our purpose: it was a peaceful locality, easy availability of basic necessities, hoards of like-minded Probashi Bengali friends, cultural diversity with amalgamation of people from all over the country, and our unending quest for art, music and cultural inclinations were quenched.

Apart from being an educational, industrial and cultural hub, Vadodara is also one of the safest city for women and you can count my vote on that. For years traveling within this city, be it at morning or the night, has never been an issue for me. I remember giving crisp instructions to the rickshaw-wala "Bird circle chalo aur aage se left lena...." (Take me to the Bird circle and then turn left) or "Genda Circle se seedhe lena..." (Go to the Rhino circle and then keep straight) or "Ellora circle chalna hai" and more and we women safely reached our destination. No need for Uber taxis!

Now why am I harping about the city of Vadodara and about a set of instructions to a rickshaw-wala? What connection does that have to do with my musings in Muscat?

Well, here's the connection between Vadodara and Muscat - Roundabouts. I admired the city of Vadodara for its roundabouts. And Muscat is another city with beautiful roundabouts. I am sure many of you use roundabouts as a mean to remember places and reach your destination without any confusions. So what's there to talk about traffic roundabouts? There are roundabouts all around the world. They are an essential element of traffic systems around the world. 

Al Wizarat Roundabout, Al Khuwair, Muscat

For those who are interested, here's an exact definition of roundabouts as per 'Manual on uniform traffic control devices' - A circular intersection with yield control of all entering traffic, channelized approaches and appropriate geometric curvature, such that travel speeds on the circulatory roadway are typically less than 50km/h. Contrary to our belief that roundabouts, traffic circles and rotaries all mean the same, in the US, the roundabouts and traffic circles are clearly defined to be separate entities. In a roundabout, the entering traffic must always yield to traffic in the circle while in a traffic circle the entering traffic is either controlled by stop signs or is not formally controlled.

Many research studies show that compared to the signals, the roundabouts are better aided to control traffic and are safer too. Below are highlights from some of these research (the figures may vary) which makes me vote for the roundabouts.

• Roundabouts result in 90% reduction in fatal crashes
• 75% reduction in injury crashes
• 30-40% reduction in pedestrian crashes
• Carry 30-50% more vehicles than similar sized signal intersections during rush hours because traffic is always on the move.
• Maintenance costs are less than traffic signals since they cut the electricity expenses for stop-lights and there is no cost of equipment.
• Encourage slower speeds and allow easier decision making
• Improve pedestrian safety

The above research findings clearly indicate that roundabouts are a better street element than traffic signals. They should be adopted in all the cities for they are safer, greener and more aesthetically pleasing than crossroads or traffic lights. Roundabouts can be designed to accommodate appropriate demand volumes such that they are more efficient than a signal intersection. 

An interesting finding is that the amount of space a roundabout needs for its approach road is less than that required for signal or controlled intersections. The residual space provides room for wider sidewalks and landscaping. The centre of the roundabouts can be transformed into gardens, contain statues or public art and serve as an identity for a particular neighbourhood. A person associates an image of the neighbourhood or community through these roundabouts. It aids in enhancing the driver attentiveness, reduces automobile idling and efficiently stream traffic through an area. They are more cost effective and safer than intersections that require electricity. 

Also, roundabouts can aid in increased economic activity. Studies indicate that areas having roundabouts have prospering business especially those that rely on drive-by and impulse buying. Hence, gas stations, quick stopovers for grocery purchase, coffee shops, and restaurants usually thrive around these roundabouts. Roundabouts aid in calming the traffic, so driving at a slow speed, a person gets a better chance to view the Signage and the Buildings. Chance of finding a mode of transport (viz. taxi/cab or a bus waiting for customers), near  a roundabout is also higher than in other locations. 

Ask me about red lights at traffic signals. I hate them. From my personal commuting experience (to and fro from my home to my workplace), I can say that red lights are a total nuisance when you want to reach your workplace on time or when you want to reach home early. They delay your journey, make you impatient and are generally annoying. I remember seeing funny and annoying things that people do; not only the one on the driver's seat but also those on the passengers' seat. Here's a small list of the funny and annoying things I observed : Nose picking, makeup addicts reapplying makeup to their already made up faces, fiddling with the steering wheel, playing with the mirror, sliding windows to smoke, boringly watch at the vehicles flanked on each side, gulping down a drink or too, belching after hungrily gorging up a McDonald burger, taking photo of girls in the next car, rolling down the window and play the music loud for all to hear, gargling and mouth-washing, and here's the most annoying one - suddenly sliding down the windows for shooting out the betel nut chews. I can probably dedicate an entire blog on these annoying instances! 

While the traffic signals are annoyingly boring, the roundabouts have a story to tell. They transform the monotonous driving routine into a pleasurable experience. 

There are beautiful roundabouts in Oman, each one unique in its design and a piece of art. I termed these roundabouts as Freedom Circles - freedom from annoying, polluted and congested signal lights. The construction of roundabouts here blends modernity with heritage and history, and reflects the artistic bend of mind of the Omanis. Also, combined with these beautiful roundabouts, the excellent road network intertwined with green patches and flowerbeds, transform Oman's image from a desert land into that of a tropical region.

A road flanked with floral beds and lawns interspersed with palm trees, Muscat

Each roundabout here has a distinct relation to Oman's culture. I have seen incense burners, teapots, coffee urns, fishes, dhows, a treasure box, khanjars (daggers), and more as centre-pieces in these roundabouts. The teapots and the coffee urns are a reflection of Omani Hospitality. The Khanjar is the national symbol of the Sultanate of Oman, is depicted in the national flag, in the currencies, and can be seen in many important public buildings. The dhows symbolize the significance of this country as a seafaring nation. Every roundabout here is amazingly beautiful. They are designed considering every small detail and are meticulously maintained by the municipality. Circular borders separate these roundabouts from the tarmac road, then there is well laid gently sloping grass and flower beds, and finally the centre piece which adorns the roundabout. I take a chance here to highlight a few of the roundabouts in Muscat.

The Burj Al Sahwa Clock Tower, Seeb, Muscat
This clock tower roundabout greeted us when we entered Muscat from the International Airport. 'Burj' in Arabic means Tower while 'Sahwa' means awakening. This 50.0m tall tower was built in 1985 to commemorate Oman's 25 years of Renaissance hence the name 'Sahwa' tower. It is made up of four columns with archways on the top. A large clock adorns each side of the tower. The clock has ornate black hands on a white face with Arabic numerals. Surrounded by large panels that present images of Oman's rich history, it is useful as a speedy introduction to passengers arriving in the country and as a final farewell to those departing too. 

The Al Sahwa roundabout, Seeb, Muscat
( a pencil sketch)

The Fish Roundabout in Muttrah, Muscat
The Al-Samak or Fish roundabout is a beautiful roundabout with the central piece as a pair of fishes. It is surrounded by two layers - the inner circle is a circle of fountains while the outer one is a bed of flowers. Another circle of a concrete layer separates it from the tarmac road. As I had mentioned in one of my earlier post, fishing is an important economic activity for the Omanis and a fish symbolizes fertility and prosperity.

The Fish Roundabout - Al Samak Roundabout, Muscat
(a pencil sketch)

Riyam Roundabout, near Riyam Park, Muscat
This roundabout, with decorative gold waterpots as the central piece, has water flowing out from each of the pots. It has an outer circle embedded with flower beds and then another circular ring in concrete to separate it from the tarmac road. The pitchers, in the centre piece, is another important link to Oman's culture. Pottery making is an ancient industry for Oman. The pots known as 'jihal' are used for keeping water, the 'khuroos' is used for keeping dates and water, smaller ones are used for keeping honey, and 'brams' are used as cooking utensils.

Riyam roundabout near Riyam park, Muscat
(a pencil sketch)

Roundabouts render a character to the city and its precincts. People often associate a city with these landmarks. Unfortunately, increase in population growth and increase in vehicle ownership has resulted into increased pressure on the traffic control systems and this has made the Oman municipality rethink over its existing roundabout spaces. The trend is now to convert these roundabouts into signalized intersection. Two beautiful roundabouts in Oman were razed completely viz. Sohar Globe roundabout in Sohar and the Wadi Kabir Bakhoor roundabout in Muscat, to make way for fly-overs, to ease the traffic flow.

No more - Globe roundabout, Sohar, Oman

No more - Bakhoor roundabout, Wadi Kabir, Muscat

The Oman's Municipality justified that the main reason to remove these landmark roundabouts was to avoid traffic jams. At the same time, it is installing roundabouts at other locations and new ones can be seen sprouting from time to time.

Trivia on Roundabouts:

• Widespread use of modern roundabouts began in UK in the 1960s while in the US they emerged in 1990s.
• France has the largest number of roundabouts in the world - more than 30,000.
• World's largest roundabout: Queen's Park Savannah in Trinidad and Tobago  - This park in Port of Spain is the largest open space there and is the world's largest roundabout. Also known as the Savannah, it occupies 1.1 sq km area and has a diameter of about 3.5 km.
• Putrajaya in Malaysia also claims to have the largest roundabout in the world with a diameter of 3.5 km.
• The largest roundabout in India is Swaraj roundabout in Thrissur, Kerala. This roundabout occupies an area of  64 acres and in the centre is a popular Shiva temple. All the roads of Thrissur connect to this roundabout.

Sources referred:
www.uc.edu
www.wsdot.wa.gov
www.bikewalk.twincities.org
Wikipedia
gulfnews.com
tourismoman.com
roundaboutresources.org