They're more economical, waste less fuel, and reduce the incidence of accidents at intersections; roundabouts are catching on in Virginia.

The roundabout, the modern stepchild of traffic circles - but smaller with simpler rules, slower speeds, and no traffic signals - is being promoted by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) as an alternative to signal intersections.

"One of the key differences is that those entering today's roundabouts yield to traffic already in the circle. In the rotaries of 1950s, circling traffic yielded to entering traffic, making for choppier flow," says Walter Pribble, senior transportation planner and VDOT Roundabout Committee member. The committee not only makes recommendations on roundabouts, but promises their use and educates the public of their benefits. VDOT considers the modern roundabout the safest at-grade intersection. When signals were replaced by 15 single-lane roundabouts in Maryland in 2004, the crash rate at these sites went down by 60 percent.

Roundabouts are ideal for moderate traffic situations because you often don't have to stop your car. Fuel is saved; air pollution from idling is reduced; and no one runs a red light. In one study, replacing traffic signals and stop signs with roundabouts reduced emissions by an average of 38 percent. Choosing roundabouts over traffic signals reduced fuel consumption by 30 percent. At 10 intersections studied in Virginia, this amounted to more than 200,000 gallons of fuel annually.

Anderson & Associates' Computer Support Technician, Phillip Elliot, went to India June 19, 2006 with a delegation from the Virginia Church of Christ to bring hope to people in need - including two leprosy colonies, an AIDS home, and a school for slum children. For two weeks, he changed bandages and bathed lepers whose hands and feet had wasted away; he taught software to computer students; and he painted a building in the tsunami relief area.

His pilgrimage to Chennai, India in support of Hope Worldwide Missionhttp://hopeworldwide.org/sections/who/index.htm gave blessings back too, Phillip says. One was the frail elderly couple who canceled their medical appointments and shuffled three miles across town to meet Phillip and his delegation. Another was the sense of peace and trust in God modeled by Indian Christians.