Roundabout idea going nowhere for now, Urbana mayor says
URBANA — Despite a consultant's claims that roundabouts at two intersections would make the crossings safer, Mayor Laurel Prussing said on Friday that the city is unlikely to build the circular intersections in the near future.
She remains convinced, however, that roundabouts are "proven techniques" for reducing injurious and fatal accidents and said she will continue investigating the special intersections. But for two intersections — at Florida Avenue and Philo Road and at Race Street and Windsor Road — where a consultant has already studied the effects roundabouts would have, "maybe those aren't the two best places to start," Prussing said.
The city paid Madison, Wis.-based Ourston Roundabout Engineering $15,000 to study the two intersections and determine whether roundabouts would be practical replacements. Those two crossings were due for improvements anyway, so city officials decided to examine them more closely before they went ahead with traditional upgrades.
Mark Lenters, Ourston's president, reported his findings to the city council last month, when he said there is no question that roundabouts at those two intersections would make them safer. However, he added that it would not be the right financial choice for the Windsor-Race intersection.
Re-engineering the Florida-Philo intersection to develop a roundabout would cost about $550,000 more than simply replacing the traffic signals, which are nearing the end of their lifespan. A roundabout would require a larger footprint at Windsor and Race, where it would cost $851,000 more to construct a roundabout than it would to simply replace the four-way stop signs with traffic lights.
Those figures surprised Prussing, who said her assumption was that roundabouts would be cheaper than traditional intersections, and she wonders if landscaping costs threw the ratios out of whack. The difference in the dollar amounts is one of the questions she intends to explore.
"Our original impression was that roundabouts would actually be less expensive, so we're going to find out what are the actual costs," Prussing said.
The city will also need to figure out how to make the crossings safe for people with disabilities. The Florida-Philo intersection, where a roundabout now seems to be eliminated as an option, is very close to the PACE Center for Independent Living. Residents from that facility gathered last month to tell the city council that roundabouts pose problems for people with visual or physical impairments.
"They were obviously concerned about it, so we take their concerns seriously," Prussing said. "So we'll have to be see what can be done."
Prussing said she hopes to speak with the mayor of Carmel, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis where officials have made regular use of roundabouts as traffic controls. The Indiana city has a page devoted on its website to roundabout education, and a separate website details the city's project to free certain thoroughfares of traffic signals altogether.
Mayor Jim Brainard said on Friday that his city's 85 roundabouts are the most in the nation. He said the next closest is Colorado Springs, which he estimated has 45 roundabouts.
Carmel officials have been gradually evaluating four-way-stop intersections as they look to upgrade them to either a traffic light or a roundabout.
"We've chosen roundabouts in almost every situation," Brainard said. His primary reason is that they are safer — injurious accidents in Carmel have been down significantly. They have also proven to be cheaper, he said.
Generally, the public has come to accept them.
"There's some skepticism in the beginning as there is with anything," Brainard said.
Carmel officials have plans to convert almost 40 more intersections to roundabouts in the future. But drivers should not expect to see conversions in Urbana too soon, Prussing said. At least "not until we get the information."
so after spending 15000.00 on the survey she says maybe its not a good idea.When i first heard of this i said give me the $ and you will have the same answer.Thank You Mayor for another waste of money.On the brighter side last week i had no problem locating a parking spot in downtown thanks to the new signs.Lol That was a joke as well quite wasting what money we have Mayor!
While roundabouts may work in Carmel, Indiana, I don't consider Urbana a suburb. We are mid-sized town. What are their similarities to our situation?
I do ask that Mayor Prussing spend time crossing Windsor and Race -- on foot, around 6pm, as recreational walkers do. As for Philo and Florida, if she were to wear a blindfold and navigate with a red-tipped cane for a week, she might scrap the idea of a roundabout there, too.
The first cost of any two choices is a poor way to compare. Life-cycle cost is the best (present value of future costs, a.k.a. net present value). When comparing modern roundabouts to signals for a 20-year life cycle (the standard period), modern roundabouts usually cost us much less. Costs could include: first cost (design/land/construction), operation and maintenance (electricity, re-striping, etc.), crash reduction, daily delay (what’s your time worth?), daily fuel consumption, pollution (generated), area insurance rates (this costs more where it is less safe to drive). Each of these things, and others, can be estimated for any two choices and everyone near or using the project area will pay some portion of all of these costs.
Modern roundabouts are the safest form of intersection in the world. Visit www.iihs.org for safety facts. The safety comes from the ‘slow and go’ operation instead of the ‘stop or go fast’ way a stop light works (or the ‘keep going fast’ large traffic circle fantasy). The smaller size of the modern roundabout is what makes them safer and keeps speeds in the 20 mph range. This makes it much easier to avoid a crash or stop for pedestrians. It also means that if a crash happens the likelihood of injury is very low. Safety is the #1 reason there are over 2,300 modern roundabouts in the US today and many more on the way.
Slow and go also means less delay than a stop light, especially the other 20 hours a day people aren’t driving to or from work. Average daily delay at a signal is around 12 seconds per car. At a modern roundabout average delay is less than five seconds. Signals take an hour of demand and restrict it to a half hour – at best only half the traffic gets to go at any one time. At a modern roundabout four drivers entering from four directions can all enter at the same time. Don’t try that with a signalized intersection.
I have no strong feelings about traffic circles. What strikes me, however, is how timid we and our governments are when it comes to innovation, quick to backtrack in the face of even minimal resistance. C-U is not viewed favorably in terms of quality of life for residents and students, and much could be done to improve it. Yet the dominant mood seems to be one of complacency and resignation. There is a real need for vision, for creativity, for long-term thinking, for energetic leaders who are willing to face opposition from vocal minorities.
Why not Race, and Main? Put another one on Cunningham, and University. Wright, and Green would benefit also along with Florida, and Lincoln. They would benefit access to the high speed train. They must have parks, and statues in the middle of them though. If the money is not going to be spent on these progressive ideas, could it be spent on public safety?
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