Two Roundabouts Coming to U.S. 30 at Mount Vernon

[cigaretteman]

Corridor motorists will be seeing their first roundabouts on a federal highway in 2012.
The Mount Vernon City Council approved construction of two traffic roundabouts on Highway 30 after a heated community discussion about adopting the unfamiliar traffic control designs.
Roundabouts will be constructed at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 30, and at the intersection of 10th Avenue and Highway 30, at an estimated cost of $1.6 million, City Engineer Dan Boggs said Friday. Construction would be in the summer of 2012 at the earliest, Boggs said.

Two new roundabouts coming on Highway 30 in Mount Vernon | TheGazette

[sunset]

I hate roundabouts.

[Clone9]

I love roundabouts.

[3TrueFans]

I'm indifferent about roundabouts.

[alarson]

I hate roundabouts.

+1

[VeloClone]

The roundabout a block away from our house on a pretty busy street was one thing that attracted us to our house. It really does help to slow down traffic. I have never seen nor heard of an accident on it.

[CloneIce]

The roundabout a block away from our house on a pretty busy street was one thing that attracted us to our house. It really does help to slow down traffic. I have never seen nor heard of an accident on it.

Generally they reduce major accidents by quite a bit, like you say they slow down traffic, plus they pretty much remove the possibility of people running through stop lights/signs and T-boning a car, which usually results in an injury accident.

Sometimes they increase the total accidents when they are first opened, because of fender benders caused by motorists who aren't used to driving in one and don't know what to do.

[MrPeske]

+1 for utilizing progressive designs to keep the roads safer... -1 to those against change; fyi, its not 1950 anymore

[sunset]

+1 for utilizing progressive designs to keep the roads safer... -1 to those against change; fyi, its not 1950 anymore

Yes, everybody that dislikes roundabouts does so beause they are against "change".

[mapnerd]

This is good news.

[Bobber]

I really like them. Found a lot of them down in Australia when I visited there in the 90's and wondered how long it would take to make it over here.

The help traffic flow better, causes less overall accident and are much easier on brakes.

[sunset]

I've driven on them since the mid-90s in both the U.S. and Europe and have found that they seem to disrupt trafic flow. If it's an intersection of two major roads then a well-timed traffic signal is much more efficient. If it's the intersection of a major and minor road, just put in stop signs on the minor road and avoid thousands of cars driving on the major road having to slow down for the roundabout. And the most annoying is when they put them at the intersection of two minor roads. At some point we have to rely on people being able to drive safely, either put in a four-way stop or leave it un-regulated.

Full-disclosure, I am not a city planner and am basing all comments on personal experience driving in the city with the worst-planned streets in the country.

[CloneIce]

Yes, everybody that dislikes roundabouts does so beause they are against "change".

Its usually because they aren't used to driving in them/don't want to learn to drive in them, so I think he is correct for the majority of people. I'm sure there are exemptions, but most don't like them because they are different and not what they are used to.

[VeloClone]

I really like them. Found a lot of them down in Australia when I visited there in the 90's and wondered how long it would take to make it over here.

The help traffic flow better, causes less overall accident and are much easier on brakes.

They help to conserve energy by keeping traffic moving. How often have you been stuck at a traffic light at oh-dark-thirty in the morning when there isn't a soul around? Your choices are to run the light or sit there like an idiot with your engine idling until the light changes. With a traffic circle you enter the circle, go around and exit it in the direction you want to go without ever having to stop.

[Boxerdaddy]

I thought roundabouts were dumb until I "figured' them out. Doesn't take much but american drivers are not used to them. That is a busy intersection or two highways with 4-way stops. Should improve traffic flow significantly.