Why I Use #CitiesSkylines in my Urban Geography Posts? – Today I Get Some Engineering Lessons – ROUNDABOUTS

Written by Ben Ross - Talking Auckland

Yep Roundabouts

 

Earlier this month I had post on Why I Use #CitiesSkylines in my Urban Geography Posts?

 

In essence:

So why use it?

  1. Pictures are worth a thousand words
  2. I can simulate situations faster than I can in real life
  3. Offer different outcomes (like Green Utility)
  4. I am telling a story much as Auckland tells a story
  5. Because while the blog is read by the institutes I also communicate a lot other people and Cities Skylines can help explain concepts rather than get caught in planning jargon
  6. The game evolves much as Auckland evolves

……..

 

Today we look at Cities Skylines to explain ROUNDABOUTS. Yep roundabouts which Aucklanders’ struggle with mainly because we do not use our indicators…..

That aside here is the video:


No I did not compose the video but the video using Cities Skylines does show:

  1. Improvement to flow – yep the flow of traffic is more efficient in a roundabout than car
  2. Safety:
    1. Less conflicting movements across the intersection
    2. Speed reduction
    3. Pedestrians able to get across the road safely – providing the roundabout is designed properly (something New Zealand struggles with)
  3. Access:
    1. Improved pedestrian and transit access from the safety feature mentioned above
    2. Improved transit access if your bus or light rail goes through the middle of the roundabout
    3. Increased economic and social access
  4. Urban Geography/Environment:
    1. Land use less
    2. Potential for some landscaping in the middle of the roundabout (improves environment)
  5. Value for money – roundabouts are cheaper to build and maintain than signalised intersections

 

And if you are wondering I did just rattle off the Government Policy Statement too:

The 2018-2021 Government Policy Statement.
Source: NZ Government via Greater Auckland

 

Not every day you get to use the Government Policy Statement alongside Cities Skylines.

 

None-the-less there is a reason why I use Cities Skylines:

  1. Pictures are worth a thousand words
  2. I can simulate situations faster than I can in real life
  3. Offer different outcomes (like Green Utility)
  4. I am telling a story much as Auckland tells a story
  5. Because while the blog is read by the institutes I also communicate a lot other people and Cities Skylines can help explain concepts rather than get caught in planning jargon
  6. The game evolves much as Auckland evolves

 

 

Oh and I need to stop being a tad lazy and use roundabouts more in my cities too!