tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post6943368775187578108..comments2023-06-24T10:52:34.846-04:00Comments on EducateHilliard.com: RoundaboutsPaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-30657170027078246262011-11-09T21:50:53.692-05:002011-11-09T21:50:53.692-05:00A couple of observations:
1. As I've said bef...A couple of observations:<br /><br />1. As I've said before, I generally like roundabouts, when they are put in appropriate locations and properly engineered. I'm still not convinced that either is the case with this double roundabout setup.<br /><br />2. The evening rush hour is pretty miserable, with traffic westbound on Cemetery Rd often backed up to the railroad underpass. When you get up to the roundabout, the situation is exactly as I described above - cars entering the roundabouts from the south (northbound on Main) will hog the the path to the northbound Main and westbound Cemetery exits, preventing traffic from westbound Cemetery from entering the roundabout. I shouldn't give away my secret, but if I'm in the area in the late afternoon, heading west on Cemetery, I cut down High School Drive and then enter the south roundabout first, then go 270 degrees around the north roundabout to continue westbound on Cemetery.<br /><br />3. The other day I was going south on Main, then west on Cemetery. I was of course looking left to see if any cars were coming my way in the roundabout, and was horrified that before I knew it, I had driven over the pedestrian crossing. If there had been a kid crossing there, I'm not sure I would have detected it in time to stop.<br /><br />That's what terrifies me about the placement of these roundabouts. There's lots of traffic, several pedestrian crossing, five schools in the vicinity, and consequently lots of kids. We'll be very fortunate if one doesn't get hit.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-1666988870085784432011-11-09T21:03:56.477-05:002011-11-09T21:03:56.477-05:00Paul..I am anxious to hear what you think about th...Paul..I am anxious to hear what you think about the roundabouts since they have been completed? I do not go through there often during busy times, but have noticed they have not helped traffic cotming from Cemetary Road. During very light traffic, I tried crossing using the crosswalks and almost got run over...and felt very unsafe stopping in between lanes. I have also seen traffic back up from one roundabout into the other. Just a bad plan.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-19998042683888369162010-11-12T16:19:10.922-05:002010-11-12T16:19:10.922-05:00Agreed...glad my kids go to AveryAgreed...glad my kids go to AveryDannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-43265694976012806042010-11-12T14:16:07.712-05:002010-11-12T14:16:07.712-05:00Dan: Thanks for the comment.
I will withhold furt...Dan: Thanks for the comment.<br /><br />I will withhold further opinion until the second roundable is completed, and we get to see what happens during the times when kids are making their way to/from schools. I'm frankly less concerned about the impact on traffic than I am the safety of the kids and crossing guards who will be trying to get across intersections where the traffic never stops.<br /><br />I'm praying that the price of this experiment isn't a kid getting injured.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-8092985256585140602010-11-12T13:53:13.457-05:002010-11-12T13:53:13.457-05:00Funny your idea of one big roundabout...I too thou...Funny your idea of one big roundabout...I too thought of the same thing and posted it on another site (talkhilliard.com) which I think is no longer there. In any event, I too like roundabouts but think two back to back are crazy...and I know the project is not finished, but since they have finished the first one, things have gotten worse. Traffic from one inlet does take up the whole roundabout until that inlet dies down..then the next starts up. I think this is mostly because people coming down Cemetary are mostly going straight thru the roundabout and West on Scioto Darby. If they wanted to go another direction, they could have done that further down Cemetary. Right turns (or in this case exiting on your first opportunity) is what opens up gaps. Wonder if any kind of study was done to determine which patterns were used most often at this intersection? In any event, we may get used to it..but I am guessing traffic will be worse than when there were two traffic lights there.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-79649846617025207032010-11-03T20:16:38.865-04:002010-11-03T20:16:38.865-04:00Sure was a mess going south on Avery/Main tonight ...Sure was a mess going south on Avery/Main tonight at about 7pm. Traffic was backed up past the fairgrounds, and once I got to the roundabout, it looked about the same coming west on Cemetery. I think the culprit was the traffic light at Scioto Darby, which was causing traffic to back up into the roundabout, which also backed up traffic trying to go westbound on the newly opened final leg of the north roundabout. I personally witnessed a number of near misses as frustrated folks tried to jump into the roundabout whenever the smallest gap opened up.<br /><br />Is this an early glimpse of what it will be like when the project is done and there is a traffic light at the Scioto-Darby / Cemetery intersection?<br /><br />What will it look like at the start and end of the school day, when scads of kids are trying to cross? Auto traffic is supposed to stop for pedestrians. Isn't that just like a traffic light turning red? Will drivers get frustrated, as I observed?Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-6429957864859430322010-06-30T14:06:40.368-04:002010-06-30T14:06:40.368-04:00Let's hope our roundabouts don't end up lo...Let's hope our roundabouts don't end up looking <br /><a href="http://thatwillbuffout.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/funny-car-photos-i-hate-roundabouts.jpg" rel="nofollow">like this</a>.D. Lamberthttp://blog.componentoriented.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-2338981918162214512010-06-01T23:27:32.450-04:002010-06-01T23:27:32.450-04:00Mike:
Thanks for your comments as an experienced ...Mike:<br /><br />Thanks for your comments as an experienced roundabout navigator. Did you ever have occasion to use the one in Swindon? I traveled by train whenever I was in that part of the UK, but I've heard that one is something to experience, and absolutely terrifying for those used to driving in the right lane.<br /><br />My primary concern isn't so much the auto traffic, although either or both of us are likely correct in our predictions of it being a mess. <br /><br />But I am concerned about trying to get schoolkids safely across the road a couple of times per day. It wouldn't surprise me if there isn't an outcry to have police officers direct (stop) traffic to ensure that kids can cross safely. Imagine what that will do for traffic flow.<br /><br />The traffic engineer for the City of Hilliard is Letty Schamp, and she can be reached at 614-334-2456 or lschamp@cityofhilliard.comPaulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-26532442977281746442010-06-01T22:04:32.093-04:002010-06-01T22:04:32.093-04:00The problem with this design is not the two rounda...The problem with this design is not the two roundabouts. As someone who grew up driving roundabouts, people will get used to them extremely quickly. They work extremely well in high traffic areas.<br /><br />The problem with this design is the traffic light. And yes, it is utterly unnecessary; there is a solution to this that eliminates the traffic light completely. Unfortunately, getting the city engineer to listen to common sense has proven to be impossible.<br /><br />The reason that the traffic light is the problem is because Paul is partially correct; roundabouts can congest VERY quickly, just not in the way Paul indicates. What will happen is that whenever the traffic light turns red, it shuts down an outlet from the roundabout.<br /><br />Roundabouts work because they funnel traffic; but the bottle neck isn't the roundabout, nor are the four lanes of traffic entering at the same time. The bottleneck is when one of the outlets becomes blocked, leaving the traffic nowhere to go.<br /><br />Paul, if you can finagle it somehow, I'd like the chance to pitch the alternative to the engineer directly, and the change would require very little changes to the current plan and might even save the city some money...Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-68819528368208718442010-04-22T11:50:33.652-04:002010-04-22T11:50:33.652-04:00I agree with you that the School Board should take...I agree with you that the School Board should take a position on such matters. <br /><br />We have all just signed a letter to Columbus officials asking them to reconsider approving zoning/building permits which would allow high density housing to be built on Renner Rd, near Keim Ford.<br /><br />But it's even more powerful when members of the public attend the meetings of City Council, the School Board, or their township trustees to express concerns.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-72368940654974547992010-04-21T20:56:31.248-04:002010-04-21T20:56:31.248-04:00I also enjoy roundabouts when installed in the rig...I also enjoy roundabouts when installed in the right situations but the two at Main, Cemetery, & Scioto Darby Roads is just nuts. Alas, no one listens to the plain old citizens in town. Where is common sense? Two roundabouts right where so many schools are located is just a crash and injury waiting to happen. Our daughter attended SDE when the horrible crash occurred two years ago (the crossing guard was killed and a student was severely injured). That was just a few feet from where these roundabouts will be built.<br /><br />We were just discussing that, upon school dismissals, it will be interesting to see how the buses maneuver within the two roundabouts much less the poor children who walk!<br /><br />This is insanity at the most basic level and I realize it is the City of Hilliard but I also wonder where the HCSD Board was when these plans were being discussed. Sometimes the Board is the only organized voice for the children of town...Momnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-32306536849082642052010-04-19T12:43:20.189-04:002010-04-19T12:43:20.189-04:00Rick: Agree. I see Roberts Rd as becoming the majo...Rick: Agree. I see Roberts Rd as becoming the major east-west arterial into all areas south of Cemetery and west of Rome-Hilliard. Soon it will look like Sawmill Rd around I-270...Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-7871356399400227302010-04-19T12:36:48.481-04:002010-04-19T12:36:48.481-04:00D - I once saw a lady westbound on Hayden Run pull...D - I once saw a lady westbound on Hayden Run pull up to the roundabout at Britton Pkwy, stop, then TURN LEFT to go north on Britton. So much for the effectiveness of signs - like crosswalk signs!<br /><br />PLPaulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960574627644930183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-28958432195719493082010-04-19T11:39:46.666-04:002010-04-19T11:39:46.666-04:00Paul - I think you're absolutely right - espec...Paul - I think you're absolutely right - especially about the compound / secondary problems we're going to see with two roundabouts right on top of one another.<br /><br />One of the things we're going to have to deal with (at least for the first year or two of operation) are people learning to navigate roundabouts effectively. When I first saw roundabouts in the UK, I was struck by how rapidly and smoothly people moved into the flow of traffic, merging on the fly without coming to a complete halt.<br /><br />I am extremely skeptical that this will happen here (I've seen Ohio drivers slow to a near-complete halt on an interstate on-ramp!). As you mentioned, we've got a couple roundabouts in Hilliard already, and when I've gone through them, I invariably see one or more drivers waiting paralyzed until at least half the roundabout is cleared, rather than moving smoothly into an available gap, as the Brits do. The existence of two lanes in these roundabouts is of no consequence whatsoever.<br /><br />When we drop a couple of these into downtown Hilliard, how many times (at rush hour) do we really expect half the roundabout to clear out? Not too often, I'd guess.<br /><br />Over time, I think we'll probably see some people become more comfortable with the roundabouts, and the deer-like stares of panic will subside, but I think it's more likely that drivers will simply do absolutely everything in their power to avoid downtown Hilliard, which may not really be the outcome we're looking for.<br /><br />Like the paralyzed motorists, though, I'm not sure logic is in the driver's seat in this case.D. Lamberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17634493270180548502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289345346387194350.post-87688222856682740622010-04-19T10:40:29.560-04:002010-04-19T10:40:29.560-04:00I see real concerns with the roundabout with pedes...I see real concerns with the roundabout with pedestrian safety being the first. I can see the only solution is channeling all such traffic away from the area perhaps farther down the street. The area can be a challenge with such a concentration of traffic, students walking, buses etc. Perhaps they will reroute some traffic toward Davidson Rd, not good for residents or through the back on Alton Darby.<br /><br />I think the smart play would have been to eliminate the small extension and go two lanes each side toward the schools.Ricknoreply@blogger.com