As part of New Haven's anti-speeding jihad, The Elm City has begun building roundabouts (a.k.a. rotaries). The New Haven register reports the public and The Powers That Be view the results differently. "Lucy Conti, who has called this neighborhood home for 35 years, says the roundabouts are a full-circle waste. She says drivers still fly through the 30 mph zone… But Alderman Ed Madison says the roundabout is working. 'Sixty miles an hour used to be the going rate down there and now it's 30,' said Ed Madison, Alderman.Madison sits on the city's 'traffic calming committee.' His group is responsible for the roundabouts and he says more are coming." Meanwhile and anyway, police radar guns are drawn. And there's no word on the success of the Elm City's "Pace Car" decal program, launched November first. To get a sticker, a driver must pledge to drive within the speed limit and obey all traffic regulations, share the road safely within pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers, be extra cautious near schools and children and stop for all school buses. Of course, the pols just couldn't help themselves. You also have to promise to "Walk, bike, bus or share a ride when possible to help reduce traffic." Oh, and there's a chain letter bit too. You have to swear you'll "Display my PACE CAR sticker and encourage others to take the pledge." Oy vey.
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Where’s the upside for this program? Insurance discount? Get out of traffic court free card? Ride solo in the HOV lanes?
Seems like an incredible waste of municipal tax dollars.
a driver must pledge to drive within the speed limit and obey all traffic regulations, share the road safely within pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers, be extra cautious near schools and children and stop for all school buses
Didn’t we agree to this when we got our license?
Thumbs up for the round-a-bouts. When people know how to use them the work well and traffic can actually be quite fluid.
Thumbs down on the silly Pace car signs
Drifting roundabouts FTW.
virages: Agreed! I’ve never seen roundabouts used as a method for slowing traffic in the sections between them (and can’t see it working well), but as an alternative to four-way stops or traffic lights, there’s nothing better.
When people know how to use them, anyways.
Three things are good about (well-designed) roundabouts.
Traffic is fluid. On a junction with traffic lights, there will always be several seconds during which nobody is moving. Thus, a roundabout is able to handle more cars per hour.
Accidents happen, but are less severe. In a roundabout, plenty of fender-bender stuff happens. However, you don’t have the ram-the-side collisions caused by running red lights that are so often fatal.
People are forced to be more alert; driving is more fun: that’s the killer argument for me.
I agree, drifting roundabouts rules! I am puzzled by the statement “when people know how to use them”. Having grown up in Jersey, I can assure, this will never happen.
Having also grown up in Jersey – “traffic circles” were a way of life and generally were pretty efficient. Some of the replacements for them were fine (overpass/underpass scenerios). Many of the others, especially the notorious “Airport Circle” in Camden were a far better solution than the mismash of traffic lights that slow all traffic to a creep no matter what time of day.
a driver must pledge to drive within the speed limit and obey all traffic regulations, share the road safely within pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers, be extra cautious near schools and children and stop for all school buses
“Didn’t we agree to this when we got our license?”
Thanks creamy. My thoughts exactly. Although they should have included obtain a license, carry proper insurance, and have your car registered. And is there an extra penalty if you break your vows while toting around one of these assanine decals? How could you possibly have your head so far up your ass to think all this nonsense is in any way going to help? Will there be a spanish version of the decal for all the illegal immigrants who procure a license?
My wife (ex-British) opines that roundabouts (rotaries) won’t work in the USA because drivers must be competent to understand what roundabouts are about.
I hope she’s wrong and that we get millions of roundabouts throughout the USA, because it facilitates the flow of traffic some 50% higher than stop-lights.
And Lord knows, nobody in Michigan pays any dang attention to stop-lights any more. or speed limits. or laws prohibiting following too closely. or running brights all the time. or stopping at stop signs…..
In short, Michigan drivers SUCK.
Seems like the stickers should read “Lane Monitor”
Several roundabouts have just been put in near my home — I love them!
No more waiting forever for red lights to change, especially if you have the misfortune of being on a minor side road approaching a major highway. No more hoping that the green light in the distance won’t change before you get there. No more silliness at 4-way stops, where so many people don’t wait for their turn or make up their own rules, such as “If I’m turning right, I don’t have to stop at all.”
With the roundabouts, you generally don’t have to make a full stop, and no one can make a left turn across your path.
I love the rotary (roundabout). I grew up with them approaching and on Cape Cod when I was a kid, and found the really big, mulitple lane roundabouts in England to be a marvel. Heck, I even have one in Goshen, Conn, on my daily commute. I’m almost looking forward to my next drive in New Haven.
They should make me a pace car driver. Traffic would start moving more quickly.
Having lived in/around New Haven for a while, I can tell you that the drivers don’t know how to handle traffic lights. Stopping when the light is red seems to be beyond a large percentage of them.
A northern suburb of Indianapolis is tearing out every 4-way intersection & putting in circles as fast as they can.
At first, traffic came to a complete standstill (yes, once they re-opened the roads), but after a while, the pace has picked up quite a bit. You still get the occasional granny stuck at the corner in terror as her brain tries to process yet one more new thing, but many of the circles are on 4-lane roads, so you can get around her.
I go out of my way to take the side-road with circles and avoid the main drag with traffic lights – the side road moves faster, and it’s waaaay more fun!
oh, and ditto to Robert Schwartz! If only we can get ’em to issue us an official flashing yellow light-bar!
Roundabouts. Feh. I hate every one I come across.
Farago, you’ve lived too long in both Olde and New England. They’re a.k.a. traffic circles in the rest of the first world…
Roundabouts are great! They are so efficient and easy to use. We have a couple here in Santa Barbara. The problem is that so many tourist don’t know how to use it and freak. I see so many people just pull into it without even slowing down. Most people don’t signal out of it.
Anyhow… I hope CalTrans and the County have the balls to install more. There are a few more 4 & 5-way stop sign intersections around here that would be perfect for a roundabout. Right now they are just clusterf**ks as people sit at the stop sign and stare at each other wondering who goes first.
If I had a “pace car” decal on my car, I wouldn’t dare park it in an vulnerable place. It might as well say “This car belongs to a jerk who self-righteously drives slower than the speed limit in the passing lane just to slow other people down.”
Agreed, 50merc.
Might as well hang an “I am stoopid!” sign on one’s ride.