Alicante to experiment with a “non-roundabout”, the first such in Spain

The new road junction will provide seamless passages for pedestrians and for cars

Imagine a crossroad where pedestrians and cars don’t have to cross each other’s paths, while keeping it all on the same level without over or underpasses. Alicante plans to build it and is calling it a “non-tactical roundabout”, or even a “non-roundabout”.

The unique road solution will be developed in the business area of Las Atalayas as part of its modernization process. The project will take probably about five months to execute, with the aim of having it there sometime in 2023. This will also make it the first such non-roundabout in all of Spain.

Increasing road safety, reducing accidents

This innovation will facilitate pedestrian traffic in this area, creating an intermediate landscaped pedestrian traffic area, with the passage of vehicles reduced to one lane on each side of it. Vehicular traffic will thus be able to turn to a perpendicular street, and people can walk through the crossroad without needing to mind incoming traffic or traffic lights.

The Councilor for Employment and Development and head of the Local Development Agency, Mari Carmen de España, explained that "this is an innovative, sustainable action designed for the people that we are going to develop in the business area of ​​Las Atalayas, within the objective for its qualification as an Advanced Industrial Area. 

A new concept in the relationship between pedestrians and vehicles that prioritizes the mobility of people, over the vehicle and that improves the landscape image and sustainability of the industrial area by introducing a landscaped space of about 700 square meters”.

As there are no crossings between vehicles and between vehicles and pedestrians, the probability of accidents decreases drastically. The inner heart of the non-roundabout will be a large green carpet designed with sustainability in mind - an area larger than any normal roundabout, and in direct connection with the other pedestrian and accessible areas.

Did you know that roundabouts are a European invention? Stay tuned for our next article where you can learn which countries are most enamoured with the circular crossroads.