Mock Driveable Roundabout 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration 

Location 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

(Central United States) 

Implementation Stage 

🗸 Construction 

Roundabout Type/Setting 

Single-lane roundabout in a 

suburban setting 

Target Audience 

🗸 General Public 

🗸 Emergency Responders 

🗸 Elected Officials/Managers 

Strategies Employed 

🗸 Mock driveable roundabout/ 

roundabout rodeo event 

🗸 Website 

🗸 Radio broadcast 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Conducts Roundabout Rodeo 

Background 

In 2008, the City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota was nearing completion of construction 

of one of the first roundabouts in the State, near a newly constructed local university 

campus. The City recognized that helping local residents feel comfortable with the new 

intersection design and confident in navigating it would be important to a successful 

launch. Fortunately, City engineering staff had recently attended the Transportation 

Research Board’s 2nd International Roundabout Conference in the spring of 2008, 

where they heard presentations from other agencies about the importance of outreach 

and education. Inspired by similar experiences from other jurisdictions, the City 

decided to set up a mock, driveable roundabout in a local parking lot and host South 

Dakota’s first “roundabout rodeo.” This event would provide local residents and other 

interested parties the opportunity to experience the new intersection design first-hand 

in a non-threatening environment before construction on the new roundabout was 

complete. 

Approach 

Using traffic cones, City engineers laid out the mock roundabout according to the same 

specifications as the one under construction (see Figure 1). Various efforts to publicize 

the event were used—announcements in newspapers and on television, at community 

meetings, and through the City website. Local residents were invited to drive, ride their 

bikes, or walk through the mock roundabout. City engineers also individually invited 

emergency responder organizations (fire, emergency medical services, and police) and 

elected officials/managers to come learn about and try the new roundabout design. 

Engineers made themselves available to event participants, answering questions and 

clarifying misconceptions as drivers navigated the mock roundabout. 

The City also invited local television and newspaper journalists to come to the 

event and report on the rodeo. Four media organizations took pictures of the 

Figure 1: A view of Sioux Falls’ mock driveable roundabout set up in a nearby parking lot. 

FHWA-SA-11-033 

Revised July 2020
Figure 2: A view of Sioux Falls’ mock driveable 

roundabout set up in a nearby parking lot. 

Figure 3: A wide-load tractor-trailer configuration 

vehicle navigating the mock driveable 

roundabout. 

Learn More 

Heath Hoftiezer 

Civil Engineer, Traffic 

City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

605.367.8634

hhoftiezer@siouxfalls.org

Jeffrey Shaw 

Intersections Program Manager 

FHWA Office of Safety 

202.738.7793

jeffrey.shaw@dot.gov

event, interviewed participants, and featured stories that described the benefits 

of roundabouts and the success of the roundabout rodeo. As a follow-up activity, 

city engineers participated in a local radio broadcast on roundabouts, and fielded 

questions from the listening audience about the new roundabout. 

Results 

More than 130 people attended the roundabout rodeo, driving all types of vehicles 

including semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, fire trucks, minivans, and bicycles (see Sioux Falls 

Engineering News under Related Products). According to city engineers, all participants 

navigated the mock roundabout with ease and reported positive feedback about the 

experience. Elected officials and emergency responders reported being much more 

comfortable with the roundabout construction after this outreach activity. 

Figure 4: A view of Sioux Falls’ mock driveable roundabout set up in a nearby parking lot. 

Lessons Learned 

• Designing the mock roundabout to actual specifications increases the realism of the

experience and helps to dispel concerns when stakeholders can experience the actual

intersection in advance.

• If a jurisdiction is planning a roundabout rodeo, it is best to set up the mock roundabout

near the roundabout construction to increase participation in the event.

Outreach Investment 

The City of Sioux Falls staff report that the outreach investment for a mock driveable 

roundabout was relatively low. Costs incurred included $800 to rent equipment (extra 

cones, signs, etc.) and staff hours to plan, publicize and staff the event. In terms of 

promoting the event and reporting on the results of the event, three local television 

stations and a newspaper featured content on the event, thus providing additional 

public outreach at no cost to the City. 

Related Products 

General Information Website 

Sioux Falls Roundabout 

https://www.siouxfalls.org/public-works/engineering/roundabouts