Effective Print and Web Outreach 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration 

Location 

State of Missouri 

(Central United States) 

Implementation Stage 

🗸 Planning 

Roundabout Type/Setting 

Single-lane roundabouts in urban,

suburban, and rural settings 

Target Audience 

🗸 General Public 

🗸 Elected Officials/Managers 

Strategies Employed 

🗸 Meeting with local elected officials 

and planning commission members 

privately to gain buy in, then 

giving presentations at city council 

meetings, planning commissions, 

community service groups, 

neighborhood associations, etc. 

🗸 Meeting with journalists in the area 

to discuss roundabouts 

🗸 Targeting younger people who 

become ambassadors to their 

parents, educating them about new 

concepts, and address concerns 

of older drivers, who often then 

become advocates for roundabouts 

🗸 Offering a roundabout video and 

distribute it as widely as possible 

Seeing Is Believing: Missouri DOT Convinces 

Skeptics That Roundabouts Work 

Background 

The first roundabout in the State of Missouri, built about 10 years ago, was designed 

for a golf course community in the Kansas City area. Even in that context, trying to 

convince the local community that a roundabout would work was difficult. Many 

people confused modern roundabouts with European-style traffic circles, and assumed 

they were hard to navigate, and intimidating to drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike. 

To overcome these misconceptions, traffic engineers from the Missouri Department 

of Transportation (MoDOT) held local public meetings to explain the difference 

between roundabouts and traffic circles, how modern roundabouts work, and why 

they were more desirable than adding a new traffic signal within a quarter mile of an 

existing signalized intersection. MoDOT’s larger goal was to build many roundabouts 

in the Kansas City area, but the difficulties MoDOT experienced trying to gain public 

acceptance of this first roundabout became the catalyst for a proactive outreach and 

education program focused on the benefits of roundabouts. 

Since the implementation of this first roundabout, MoDOT has installed over two 

dozen roundabouts in the Kansas City area, increasing community support over time 

with each new project. For every roundabout project, staff used a variety of outreach 

techniques to reach all target audiences and age groups who might be affected by the 

project. 

Approach 

MoDOT began actively introducing roundabouts 

into Missouri communities about eight years 

ago. Its outreach approach communicated a 

core set of messages explaining the benefits 

of roundabouts compared with traditional 

signalized intersections, including that they are 

safer for vehicles and pedestrians, they reduce 

“...Young people help 

us get the roundabout 

message to the 

community.” 

– Steve Porter,

MoDOT 

congestion and emissions, and, in some cases, they can decrease the amount of 

right-of-way needed compared with signalized or stop-controlled alternatives. 

The first strategy MoDOT uses to build support is “showing up.” When a roundabout is 

planned, MoDOT staff reach out to community groups, town council, and civic meeting 

forums and offer to give a roundabouts presentation. They invite local journalists to 

attend and report on the meeting and/or roundabout project. They talk directly with 

skeptics about their concerns, and convey the benefits roundabouts provide. MoDOT 

has also distributed a video, titled All About a Roundabout, via You Tube and to driver 

education programs across the state. They also speak to driver education classes 

about roundabouts. MoDOT has found that if young people are taught early about 

roundabouts, they can become champions, enabling them to teach their parents 

about roundabouts. MoDOT also visits places where senior citizens gather, such as 

community centers, to help ensure older drivers and pedestrians understand how to 

navigate roundabouts. 

FHWA-SA-11-028 

Revised July 2020
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round, Round

Get Around 

MoDOT staff also work with individuals who are skeptical that their vehicles will be 

unable to traverse a roundabout safely due to size and/or turning radius. For example, 

the transportation director for the Belton school district, who doubted the roundabout 

would work, insisted on a test drive with a school bus on the roundabout before 

the pavement had been laid. Naturally, the bus driver experienced some difficulties, 

resulting in a flurry of phone calls to the mayor’s office from concerned parents. 

One month later, after the pavement was set, MoDOT staff invited the transportation 

director and the bus driver to drive the roundabout again. The second time was the 

charm, and the director became a strong proponent of roundabouts. The presence of 

journalists for the test drive on the completed roundabout made the community aware 

of the director’s support for the roundabout, convincing even more people of the 

project’s value. 

More Economical 

Reducing driver delay saves time, fuel and helps 

reduce pollution. Eliminating signals also saves 

about $5,000 a year in maintenance and electricity. For more information on 

More Attractive 

The island also provides a great opportunity to 

beautify the location with landscaping. 

Roundabouts vs. contact MoDOT at 

Driving in Circles 

It’s easy to get turned around, but a roundabout is (275-6636) different than a traffic circle, already in use around 

the country. They’re both circular intersections 

without traffic signals, but in a roundabout, entering traffic usually yields to circulating traffic, which 

prevents delay and allows free-flow movement. In Driving the traffic circles, circulating traffic yields to entering 

vehicles, which can cause backups. Roundabout 

Way

Misssouri Department of Transportation 

P.O. Box 270 

Jefferson City, MO 65102 

www.modot.org

Missouri Department of Transportation 

Illustrations courtesy of Kittelson & ssociates, 

Portland, Ore. 

Figure 1: MoDOT’s roundabout brochure is a 

proven tool for communicating effectively to the 

public about roundabouts. 

Results 

There are currently more than two dozen roundabouts in the Kansas City area. MoDOT 

believes this is a direct result of their successful outreach efforts. Steve Porter, senior 

public relations specialist with MoDOT notes that once people experience modern 

roundabout intersections, “They believe.” 

Older drivers have also been convinced: A senior citizen approached a MoDOT 

official at a local town council meeting to admit that he had been skeptical of the 

roundabouts when they were first proposed, but a year after their completion he had 

come to realize that they were “the right thing to do.” 

Lessons Learned 

• Initiate outreach with the community at the first hint that a roundabout intersection might

be considered.

• Reach out to the elders of the community. Talk with them, explain how roundabouts work

and their advantages. They will “get it” and support you.

• Target high schools because young people are eager to learn new concepts and become

ambassadors. 

Outreach Investment 

MoDOT considers its outreach investment to be relatively moderate. The MoDOT 

Central Office in Jefferson City produced the roundabouts video and the brochures, 

and maintains the website. On occasion, custom-produced, project-specific flyers have 

been developed for some roundabout projects. 

Learn More 

Steve Porter 

Senior Public Relations Specialist 

Missouri Department of Transportation 

573.751.2551

stephen.porter@modot.mo.gov 

Jeffrey Shaw 

Intersections Program Manager 

FHWA Office of Safety 

202.738.7793

jeffrey.shaw@dot.gov 

Related Products 

General Information Website 

https://www.modot.org/roundabouts 

Brochure 

Round, Round, Get Around – Driving the Roundabout Way 

https://epg.modot.org/files/4/4d/233.3_Round,_Round_Get_Around.pdf 

Video 

All About a Roundabout 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0RcTWEBtYM 

888-ASK-MODOT 

Roundabouts 

SM05.041 

Figure 2: MoDOT uses this flyer as a quick 

attention-grabber to explain roundabouts to 

various citizen demographics.