Round-about...coming to a neighborhood near you???

[booondocker]

Anyone who has gone through one of these knows that you either like them or hate them, probably depending upon if you have had an accident in one or not.

I know that Marquette is about to install one of these at the intersection of front street and where M-28 and M-41 intersect.

Personally I hate them...completely nullifies a turn signal and puts courage in little old ladies who have lived a long time.

But what do you think?? MDUD...wants your opinion, and you can voice your opinion on them both on the state website and here....let's see what the consensus is on these imports....

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9615_53039---,00.html

 

[yamahauler]

they work...plain and simple. People just have to learn how to do something new which is very hard for some folks to handle, but once they do, all will be good.

Forest Lake, MN was going to put in 9 of them down about a 1-2 mile stretch of road. It did get squashed somehow and now they are just putting one in the main intersection and doing a bunch of road construction on the other part. I guess it's a wait and see to how it all turns out as it is a 2-3 yr ordeal. I do have to say though that it will make for some interesting trips when we have a fire call.

 

[xcr440]

There is a learing curve, as with anything "different".

But once you understand how they work (It's not that difficult) you quickly learn and see it keeps traffic moving A LOT better than a stop sign......

And no, I didn't vote, because it doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Blah.

 

[maddogg]

Learnig curve my butt

The single lane ones are fine, but when you start adding two or three it's a pain in the butt with a trailer and all the idiots that don't get it. IMHO

 

[russholio]

It's not the people who live in the area where they exist that are the problem -- as one poster stated, there's a learning curve and once you learn how to use them, they work. It's the folks from out of the area who don't have them and have never (or rarely) seen them.

For that reason, I say trash them and stick with what the masses are familiar with.

 

[Firecatguy]

took one intersection here in Cottage grove and eliminated all the afternoon traffic which backs up on the hwy.....and with that result the accidents have almost dropped to zero....and the ones that they have in the roundabout are fender benders and not much more

 

[lofsfire]

Have a few by us and their a pain. Only b/c of the people that don't know how to use them. Go through one when traffic is following you have no problem. Go through it with one person that does not have a clue, it goes south quick. I hate when a developer asked me to put one on their site when I'm doing a land plan. Normally they are doing it for green space and after a few alternatives of the plans they get pulled out.

 

[eagle1]

I don't really care for them. Have them all over the place in the Fox Valley. Single lane are fine but I hate the bigger ones when hauling the boat.

 

[indy_500]

the snow plowers love them!

 

[Dave_B]

They're fine for those of us with intelligence. The problem with them is those who panic in any abnormal situation. (Try driving thru West Bloomfield in the afternoon hours). It doesn't matter how many times you've been thru them, there is always going to be someone who panics when you're rounding one. Keep your neck flexible and be willing to "give way" to the idiots. Especially when pulling a trailer.

 

[carole]

Dave B. The two in W. Bloomfield, are they the ones on Farmington Rd. ???? I take that route home from work and just hope I make it thru the round abouts. I am used to them now, but some of the drivers really take a chance by JUST missing a car in the round about.
And that intersection in Marquette is going to have one, glad I have been warned!!!!!!!!

 

[Dave_B]

Dave B. The two in W. Bloomfield, are they the ones on Farmington Rd. ???? I take that route home from work and just hope I make it thru the round abouts. I am used to them now, but some of the drivers really take a chance by JUST missing a car in the round about.
And that intersection in Marquette is going to have one, glad I have been warned!!!!!!!!

Yup!

My point exactly.

Try coming home from work early while the "wife shoppers" are tooling around town. Good Luck!!

 

[Hoosier]

They are all over the place where I live (north suburbs of Indianapolis), and I think they're great. Once they have been around long enough so that most people understand them, they're incredible in terms of keeping traffic going. As others said, there definitely is a learning curve though. When they are new to an area, watch out!

 

[snowmomof2]

Wisconsin is obsessed with them! I don't mind them, it makes traffic flow better when people "get" them, however...there are the people who just don't get it and that's when it gets interesting to say the least!

 

[anonomoose]

While I would agree in light traffic it will work Okay. But try getting on one when a steady stream is coming from the left....and it can take plenty of time to get through them. Once your on, it's Okay too. But get behind someone who needs a bigger comfort zone to merge and you begin talking out loud in the car.

Just today I talked to a friend who's mother hit a gasoline tanker going into one. This after he himself had hit someone also in the same intersection. He has his commercial license and drives for a living....

I think that a billion dollars in highway funds could be saved by just putting up a normal intersection and put smart lights there instead. Nobody waiting the light stay green for those who are there. Of course you see the green light and think you can sneak up behind the guy at the light in time and sure enough the light goes yellow and you can't make it.

Oh, and I don't think that it is about "smart" people, but more so about how to you feel at the moment....well do yah feel lucky, punk!! Well do yah???

 

[98panther]

They work!
Super fast, 4way stops that used to suck now don't even slow you down.

Put them where farmer live though, they take a long time to figure them out.

Example... Rice Lake Wi. But they are slowly getting the hang of it.

 

[peter]

Round abouuts make me think of Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's European Vacation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAgX6qlJEMc

 

[attack_06]

idea comes from england theyve already been there for 100 yrs old pics in london show horse and buggy on roundabouts

 

[77kedge]

OK

 

[brooks]

I like them. I am always trying to get the best bang for my buck at the gas pump, the less stopping the better. My wife's from Finland, I've been there several times including a 3 month stay.

I do agree that people need to learn how to use them here, they work a lot better there than they do here. I also think that they need to start building them right here, they need to have an entrance/exit lane, a one lane roundabout, is comparable to a 1 lane freeway (sure the 1 lane is easier for people to get used to, but they are also developing a bad habit of not signaling, if we ever get to level 2 roundabouts.)

Another problem here is that as you are approaching the intersection, your view is blocked by an unnecessary hill in the middle of the roundabout.

If we ever get to level 2 roundabouts, signaling, exit/entrance lane, down pat maybe we'll be able to start replacing stop signs with yield signs. Stop signs are another thing that suck to re-adjust to after spending time away from them.