This Topic: Roundabouts at Busy Intersection(s)

[Gerry Rawlings]

It may be time for someone to get dirty again, check out the plantings at the US Bank. The retaining wall was wiped out at the corner when a dump truck pulling a 30 ft trailer cut the corner. Next time he'll wait for the traffic to clear a bit more so he can make his swing. Anyway, the wall is repaired and back in place but someone may want to check out the top soil, mulch and plantings.

Gerry doesn't want to repair the wall again and Murphy's Law says it will get trashed again. Who wants to do the repair next time? I really like the idea of a ROUNDABOUT at that corner. We're going to remodel Main Street anyway, lets take a good look at that.

Gerry

[Dean Enell]

Gerry,

I like that round-about idea for that busy intersection. They are found in progressive places, they allow drivers to have some awareness of one another and they work very well per my experiences.

Dean

[Gerry Rawlings]

The roundabout certainly works well in La Connor and I think it would work well here. We're going to remodel Main Street anyway, and it will certainly help move the amount of traffic we have. Even now it would help.

Gerry

[Steve Shapiro]

We are BIG fans of roundabouts. They calm traffic and control busy intersections without the need for cars to stop. Low landscaping and/or public art in the middle adds beauty and character.
The OTAK engineers doing the Main Street plan proposed a roundabout at the corner near the post office; but all have agreed that that is not an appropriate location because of the grade and the cars coming out of the post office. The engineers said there wasn't enough room for a roundabout at Harbor and Main; but they were assuming a minimum diameter of 100 feet. They also said most people at their presentations were opposed to roundabouts. We believe opposition is due mostly to unfamiliarity. There is a comparable intersection in downtown Winslow on Bainbridge that now has a popular and effective roundabout that was initially resisted by the population.
We think roundabouts should still be considered at Harbor and Main and at Main/Newman/Scott.
Steve and Debora

[Lynae Slinden]

In a study of Oak Harbor by the state DOT it was determined that they will be putting in three roundabouts between Swantown Road and Pioneer on Highway 525. Lynae

[Loretta Martin]

A roundabout might work at Main and Harbor while Freeland is small but I lived near two large roundabouts in Portland Oregon for 16 years. They were constantly sights of minor fender benders anf several more serious accidents. Portland did put a few center-of-street-planters in residential neighborhoods which had become second choice roads when traffic was bad, Those are like mini roundabouts and work OK since there are just two lane roads intersecting and one lane in the roundabout. However, the larger roundabouts with two lanes in the round about are problimatic and Portland is now using the more common speed bumps to calm traffic.

[Steve Shapiro]

I expect that Main St. and Harbor will both remain just one lane in each direction for many years to come. That being the case, we don't need to worry about the problems associated with multi-lane roundabouts.