See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
Stacy
March 28, 2011 at 1:29PM
I hope you’re being sarcastic. I think this is a horrible idea and I will avoid Superior like the plague when it’s finished. Considering 62% of those surveyed said the same thing, I’m really surprised that this is going forward. Lincolnites barely know how to use a single lane roundabout… I could see this project after *many* more roundabouts were being utilized in Lincoln but not right now.
Mr. Wilson
March 28, 2011 at 2:04PM
We can’t have more roundabouts until we have more roundabouts? I sense a flaw in your plan.
Are there any actual flaws with the roundabout plan, or are you just engaging in the art of FUD? It’s cheaper, it’s safer ... what’s not to love?
meatball
March 28, 2011 at 3:48PM
I don’t understand why the city would conduct a survey. If the traffic engineers believe this is right place for this project, why seek the opinion of the general public when you know the general public hates change, in general? I also don’t know why the general public thinks it knows more about traffic than traffic engineers do. I guess that’s human nature.
Fletch
March 28, 2011 at 5:30PM
I’m no traffic engineer, but I am a little perplexed by the idea of a multi-lane roundabout. Sounds like trouble. I have a wait-and-see attitude. I tend to like the ones that I use in LNK overall.
Stacy
March 29, 2011 at 4:54PM
Well, then you sense incorrectly. The mass majority of the city residents do not have experience with single lane roundabouts. So, we are telling this population “Yeah, we understand that you’re not really that experience with single lanes, but that’s okay.. we’ll throw out a multi-lane one for you to learn on instead”. That’s like throwing your 15 year old into the driver seat for their first driving experience and instructing them to hop on a busy interstate and learn how to drive there instead of a residential street with little traffic.
And that is the point of my post. They are throwing a street structure that, unless you’ve driven it many times, will cause confusion and trepidation on how to properly use it. I’m not sold that it’s safer.
Derek Schuler, who works for the city of Loveland’s traffic division, said the crash rate is probably higher here because this is a two-lane roundabout, and it’s a busy area.
Also, drivers get confused when they are using two-lane roundabouts. Another one-lane roundabout saw only six crashes during the same time period.
^^^ Guess I’m not the only one with your perception of flawed logic. 😊
Jeff
March 29, 2011 at 5:34PM
I find it interesting regarding the Wyoming link that the accidents were “likely less severe in roundabouts” since speed is lower. The way red light runners are in Lincoln this is big to me. And one accident involved a pedestrian (the 14th roundabout proposal has underground crossings).
Also, from the article “The people’s response to the roundabouts is “generally positive,”” And ‘They like it that there’s less delay at the roundabouts.”
Sounds like a good idea to me personally. Anything new and different will typically get the hand-wringers out…
Stacy
March 29, 2011 at 6:20PM
Jeff, you assume that the pedestrians will use the underground crossings. This is a main walkway for Goodrich middle school. From looking at the diagram, the underground crossings adds a lot of extra walking, kind of like the the one that runs under 27th and Capital Parkway. I see lots of bikers using the underground path. I see a lot of younger kids using the crosswalks. I can easily see the kids ignoring the longer underground crossing and opting to go across the roundabout instead. After watching kids refuse to go down to the crosswalk for Schoo Middle School and instead, cross at a closer intersection that does not have crosswalks, or in the middle of the highway, I don’t think I’m wringing my hands… but pointing out what others may not be looking at.
Dave K
March 31, 2011 at 4:05AM
Did the 62% say that it’s a horrible idea, that they’ll avoid Superior like the plague, or both? If they’ll avoid Superior, then I’d say that the project will be a tremendous success, since congestion will be reduced there. Have fun sitting at stoplights while I cruise blissfully through the roundabout.
I’ve driven in many roundabouts, including those of the multi-lane variety, and I’ve rarely had a problem with them. I used to drive up and down 40th Street every day, and those roundabouts, though congested at times, shuffled the traffic through quite steadily. The only time it really backed up was during rush hour and you’d have someone who thought the roundabout had to be clear in order to go through, and those people were becoming rarer and rarer.
Add many more roundabouts, and turn the useless traffic lights to flashing reds and yellows after 10 (better yet, remove them), and Lincoln becomes a much more car-friendly town.
Comments
See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
I hope you’re being sarcastic. I think this is a horrible idea and I will avoid Superior like the plague when it’s finished. Considering 62% of those surveyed said the same thing, I’m really surprised that this is going forward. Lincolnites barely know how to use a single lane roundabout… I could see this project after *many* more roundabouts were being utilized in Lincoln but not right now.
We can’t have more roundabouts until we have more roundabouts? I sense a flaw in your plan.
Are there any actual flaws with the roundabout plan, or are you just engaging in the art of FUD? It’s cheaper, it’s safer ... what’s not to love?
I don’t understand why the city would conduct a survey. If the traffic engineers believe this is right place for this project, why seek the opinion of the general public when you know the general public hates change, in general? I also don’t know why the general public thinks it knows more about traffic than traffic engineers do. I guess that’s human nature.
I’m no traffic engineer, but I am a little perplexed by the idea of a multi-lane roundabout. Sounds like trouble. I have a wait-and-see attitude. I tend to like the ones that I use in LNK overall.
Well, then you sense incorrectly. The mass majority of the city residents do not have experience with single lane roundabouts. So, we are telling this population “Yeah, we understand that you’re not really that experience with single lanes, but that’s okay.. we’ll throw out a multi-lane one for you to learn on instead”. That’s like throwing your 15 year old into the driver seat for their first driving experience and instructing them to hop on a busy interstate and learn how to drive there instead of a residential street with little traffic.
And that is the point of my post. They are throwing a street structure that, unless you’ve driven it many times, will cause confusion and trepidation on how to properly use it. I’m not sold that it’s safer.
http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2010/03/20/news/01top_03-20-10.txt
Derek Schuler, who works for the city of Loveland’s traffic division, said the crash rate is probably higher here because this is a two-lane roundabout, and it’s a busy area.
Also, drivers get confused when they are using two-lane roundabouts. Another one-lane roundabout saw only six crashes during the same time period.
^^^ Guess I’m not the only one with your perception of flawed logic. 😊
I find it interesting regarding the Wyoming link that the accidents were “likely less severe in roundabouts” since speed is lower. The way red light runners are in Lincoln this is big to me. And one accident involved a pedestrian (the 14th roundabout proposal has underground crossings).
Also, from the article “The people’s response to the roundabouts is “generally positive,”” And ‘They like it that there’s less delay at the roundabouts.”
Sounds like a good idea to me personally. Anything new and different will typically get the hand-wringers out…
Jeff, you assume that the pedestrians will use the underground crossings. This is a main walkway for Goodrich middle school. From looking at the diagram, the underground crossings adds a lot of extra walking, kind of like the the one that runs under 27th and Capital Parkway. I see lots of bikers using the underground path. I see a lot of younger kids using the crosswalks. I can easily see the kids ignoring the longer underground crossing and opting to go across the roundabout instead. After watching kids refuse to go down to the crosswalk for Schoo Middle School and instead, cross at a closer intersection that does not have crosswalks, or in the middle of the highway, I don’t think I’m wringing my hands… but pointing out what others may not be looking at.
Did the 62% say that it’s a horrible idea, that they’ll avoid Superior like the plague, or both? If they’ll avoid Superior, then I’d say that the project will be a tremendous success, since congestion will be reduced there. Have fun sitting at stoplights while I cruise blissfully through the roundabout.
I’ve driven in many roundabouts, including those of the multi-lane variety, and I’ve rarely had a problem with them. I used to drive up and down 40th Street every day, and those roundabouts, though congested at times, shuffled the traffic through quite steadily. The only time it really backed up was during rush hour and you’d have someone who thought the roundabout had to be clear in order to go through, and those people were becoming rarer and rarer.
Add many more roundabouts, and turn the useless traffic lights to flashing reds and yellows after 10 (better yet, remove them), and Lincoln becomes a much more car-friendly town.
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