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Are Roundabouts Working in Central Ohio?

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Started 5 months ago by News
Latest reply from columbusmike

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News
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Are Hilliard Roundabouts Working?
By: DENISE YOST | NBC4i.com
Published: December 13, 2011

The orange barrels are gone and a year and a half later, the roundabouts on Main Street in Hilliard are operational. The Hilliard Triangle roundabout project is complete, but is it helping traffic in the area? The roundabouts were intended to make the area safer, but a closer look at crash reports shows a different story.

READ MORE: http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/dec/13/are-hilliard-roundabouts-working-ar-862588/

Posted 5 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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but but but I like them

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Posted 5 months ago #
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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But the number of injuries as decreased and police said that's the intent of a roundabout: to help traffic flow while lessening the number of injury crashes.

"I think it has a lot to do with people not being able to drive through a roundabout. I've seen them go the wrong way. I've seen people stop in the middle of the roundabout," said Ryan Dotson, co-owner of Jet's Pizza on Main Street.

So I'd say they're working, people just aren't used to the concept yet.

Another issue which is rarely discussed is that the concept of yielding and the yield sign hasn't been around forever. It wasn't until the 1960s that they came into common usage, and even then it was generally used for high speed merging on freeways, not on slower neighborhood streets. We have a whole generation of drivers on the road today who were never taught the correct way to yield, and thus many of them treat yield signs as stop signs because that's all they ever learned about when getting their license.

This combined with the idea that one must proceed through the intersection at 15-20mph instead of 35 mph requires a large learning curve for some folks. I've also heard that some people get disoriented in roundabouts and don't know which exit to take so they just stop in the middle. As I said though, things will work out just fine. Anytime there is a major roadway change, there are likely to be incidents.

Posted 5 months ago #
rus

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Drive through them at least once a week. I was hesitant at first ( putting it mildly ) but it's worked out better than I expected.

Posted 5 months ago #
byJody
Rural NW Columbus
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I live out there in roundabout land and to me, they are easy (and kind of fun) to navigate. I think people always resist change, but for the most part they work well.

Lived there 2 years and just experienced my first trouble last week...when a woman in a roundabout stopped because she saw someone coming from a feeder street. Never, stop in a roundabout. Even if there is a pedestrian, the driver should wait on the feeder, not in the circle.

PS - Alex, I was hoping your video would do a 360 - that's pretty fun to do in a roundabout.

Posted 5 months ago #
cheap
Westgate
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i need for it to rain,and break the Charger out.

yeehaw

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Posted 5 months ago #
News
Columbus Underground
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State funds awarded for Upper Arlington roundabout
By Lin Rice
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Friday January 13, 2012 4:03 AM

The Ohio Public Works Commission has awarded Upper Arlington almost $1.1 million for road improvements that will include a roundabout at the Waltham-Kinnear-North Star roads intersection.

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/13/state-funds-awarded-for-upper-arlington-roundabout.html

Posted 4 months ago #
News
Columbus Underground
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Grant Will Help Pay For Upper Arlington Roundabout
By: ALLISON WENGER | ohio-votes.com
Published: February 09, 2012

Upper Arlington will receive more than $1 million for the construction of a new roundabout. The new roundabout will be at the intersection of Waltham, Kinnear and North Star roads. The grant comes from the Ohio Public Works Commission's Public Works Integrating Committee. The grant is worth about $800,000, and the other $200,000 or so would be a loan.

READ MORE: http://www2.ohio-votes.com/news/2012/feb/09/4/grant-will-help-pay-new-upper-arlington-roundabout-ar-927376/

Posted 3 months ago #
groundrules

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News said:
Grant Will Help Pay For Upper Arlington Roundabout
By: ALLISON WENGER | ohio-votes.com
Published: February 09, 2012

Upper Arlington will receive more than $1 million for the construction of a new roundabout. The new roundabout will be at the intersection of Waltham, Kinnear and North Star roads. The grant comes from the Ohio Public Works Commission's Public Works Integrating Committee. The grant is worth about $800,000, and the other $200,000 or so would be a loan.

READ MORE: http://www2.ohio-votes.com/news/2012/feb/09/4/grant-will-help-pay-new-upper-arlington-roundabout-ar-927376/

man, i really hope theotherotherpaper can train their laserbeams on this one.

Posted 3 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I'm just waiting for someone opposed to transportation spending on new projects to come out with guns blazing on this one. If we can't afford a train, we certainly can't afford a roundabout, right?

Posted 3 months ago #
rus

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Walker said:
I'm just waiting for someone opposed to transportation spending on new projects to come out with guns blazing on this one. If we can't afford a train, we certainly can't afford a roundabout, right?

Just tell people that the article also mentions bicycle facilities. That should get it started.

Posted 3 months ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
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groundrules said:
man, i really hope theotherotherpaper can train their laserbeams on this one.

If you could get video of Adam Brouillette driving on it, I'm sure they'd be happy to do a bullet point analysis of a screengrab.

Posted 3 months ago #
cheap
Westgate
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i drove through the one going to Walmart on britton this morning,and almost got blasted by some girl gabbing on her phone.
roundabaouts are insane

Posted 3 months ago #
GCrites80s
5xNW
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groundrules said:
News said:
Grant Will Help Pay For Upper Arlington Roundabout
By: ALLISON WENGER | ohio-votes.com
Published: February 09, 2012

Upper Arlington will receive more than $1 million for the construction of a new roundabout. The new roundabout will be at the intersection of Waltham, Kinnear and North Star roads. The grant comes from the Ohio Public Works Commission's Public Works Integrating Committee. The grant is worth about $800,000, and the other $200,000 or so would be a loan.

READ MORE: http://www2.ohio-votes.com/news/2012/feb/09/4/grant-will-help-pay-new-upper-arlington-roundabout-ar-927376/

man, i really hope theotherotherpaper can train their laserbeams on this one.

I didn't know this intersection was busy enough to need a roundabout.

Posted 3 months ago #
bman
New Albany
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Walker said:
I'm just waiting for someone opposed to transportation spending on new projects to come out with guns blazing on this one. If we can't afford a train, we certainly can't afford a roundabout, right?

I thought I have read in a previous thread where most on here deem UA an urban neigbhorhood, therefore this spending is in the urban core ... no?

Posted 3 months ago #
cbus11

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GCrites80s said:
I didn't know this intersection was busy enough to need a roundabout.

It does seem an odd choice, but people in UA seem to talk about the one near the Miller Park library with fondness. I guess one roundabout is cool but two roundabouts are cooler.

Posted 3 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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bman said:
I thought I have read in a previous thread where most on here deem UA an urban neigbhorhood, therefore this spending is in the urban core ... no?

I guess it would be considered that by some people. Probably depends on who you ask.

I don't think you'll find some sort of universal support for it, just because of the location though. There are a lot of people who have problems with ODOT's 70/71 split fix project, which is right in the middle of Downtown.

Posted 3 months ago #
cbus11

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They have also been installing brick crosswalks in UA, so maybe there is some special local TIF for such improvements (to coincide with the grant money).

Posted 3 months ago #
columbusmike

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I must admit, that's an odd place for a roundabout. I go past here frequently (almost every day) and I can't say I've ever waited in traffic. Actually, that light even seems to change frequently which is great if you're biking thru here.

I'm guessing the way the grant is structured the money couldn't be used for something else, such as a walking/bike trail?

Posted 3 months ago #