Data shows efficiency of Gulfstream roundabout at peak hours

According to data from the Florida Department of Transportation, the Gulfstream Roundabout is helping traffic flow efficiently off Longboat Key. 

The Gulfstream Roundabout opened to traffic in late 2022 and was a part of a 2008-2010 Bayfront Connectivity Study. For Longboat Key residents, it’s a key connection from the island to Sarasota. 

Neal Turner, an arterials engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation, compiled data to fulfill a request from Vice Mayor Mike Haycock. 

In his role, Turner manages a group that oversees signal timings in FDOT’s District 1, observes and reports traffic trends and looks for ways to make roadways safer and more efficient, he said. 

“We do what we can to make sure we’re reviewing it regularly and determining where there are inefficiencies and where we can make improvements,” Turner said.

The data and subsequent graphs reviewed travel times and volumes at peak hours during a day in spring break. Data from 2019, pre-roundabout, was compared to data from 2024 and represented a route from Bay Isles Parkway to U.S. 41 at Gulfstream. 

“We were pretty impressed by the data as well,” Turner said. “The focus was to find the peak of the peak.”

On March 20, 2024, travel time at peak hours — about 5 p.m. — was reduced by about 15 minutes. 

To prove this wasn’t an outlier, Turner said he looked at the same data throughout that week in March, which is typically a spring break week. He said the data showed a similar trend for every day of that week. 

Traffic volume remains relatively static from 2019 to 2024, but is increased in some instances. Turner said this proves the effectiveness of the roundabout. 

Data shows that the Gulfstream Roundabout has been able to take on slightly higher volume than before with similar travel times, though some data points show a decreased travel time of a couple of minutes. During the peak of the peak, though — like the data shown here — there are cases of a large reduction in travel time. 

“Depending on what the system is, a roundabout can allow for more vehicles to get through the roundabout faster,” Turner said. “Not speeding faster, but they can move more efficiently. … Once that movement gets flowing in a roundabout, that movement can sort of take command of the roundabout.” 

Being able to take on a higher volume and keep traffic flowing has to do with a continuous traffic flow. 

“With a standard traffic signal, you’ve got a certain amount of delay baked in where you have all red or yellow time,” Turner said. “You lose out on some efficiencies. … A roundabout can bring in a more efficient use of all that time and it also slows people down as well.” 

Another function of a roundabout is to naturally slow down traffic. This helps with pedestrian safety, along with the pedestrian hybrid beacons that are placed around the Gulfstream Roundabout. 

“We’ve seen a lot more pedestrian activity which, to us, is great,” Turner said. “That’s one of the things you want to see is that you’ve made it so that pedestrians feel comfortable.”

Landscaping doesn’t improve the flow of traffic, but Turner said it makes a roundabout more visually appealing compared to a standard traffic signal. 

“It is kind of an attractor,” Turner said. “It looks pretty nice compared to a traffic signal, it’s a lot cleaner.” 

Although Turner said his department doesn’t typically deal with communications with the public, he said he has heard positive reviews about the roundabout. Some factors are out of the control of the roundabout and may slow down traffic and cause frustration, he said, like heavy pedestrian traffic at St. Armands Circle or drawbridge openings. 

Overall, though, Turner said the data shows the Gulfstream Roundabout is efficiently moving traffic better than a traffic signal was.