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Friday Video: What the Dutch Think of America’s Roundabout Capital

Carmel, Indiana has become nationally famous for slowing down drivers. But what do Europeans think of its progress?
Friday Video: What the Dutch Think of America’s Roundabout Capital
Carmel, Indiana is famous for its 150 roundabouts. Still from Bicycle Dutch.

Roundabouts have been a ubiquitous feature of the European roadway landscape for decades, slashing serious crash rates by encouraging drivers to slow down. But how does the U.S. approach to this game-changing infrastructure compare to our friends across the pond?

To find out, YouTuber BicycleDutch visited one of the few American cities to embrace the roundabout with open arms: Carmel, Indiana. And along the way, he explores how the city’s 150+ (!) roundabouts feed into an impressive walking and cycling network, what impact it’s had on the local economy, and how on earth all this stuff got built in conservative, small-city America.

Give it a watch, and you think Carmel’s pretty sweet, check out our 2022 interview with mayor Jim Brainard here.

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