No need to resist proposed roundabout
Dear Editor: Re “Kingston roundabout plan ‘craziest thing I have ever seen,’” July, 18, 2017, by Ronnie Colgan Hazzard: Sensitivity to roundabouts in Kingston is nothing new.
I was very young when the one at the opposite end of Col. Chandler Drive was rebuilt in 1999, but I still remember the local radio jockeys taking calls from residents complaining about the design and safety implications.
The fact is roundabouts increase vehicular safety and efficiency. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s publication “Roundabouts: An Informational Guide,” roundabouts increase safety by lowering the absolute speeds vehicles can travel at, minimize the relative speed of any crash that does happen, and drastically reduce the number of total potential conflict points in an intersection, which are plentiful in the intersection in question. In terms of pedestrian safety, in particular, the number of paths of oncoming traffic are reduced so pedestrians need only to be vigilant of one direction at a given time. There also is the option of adding pedestrian crossing lights that will stop the traffic to allow for safe crossing.
Bicyclists in a roundabout have the option of traveling as either a vehicle or a pedestrian. If one chooses to act as a vehicle, then the same reduction in conflict points applies. The biggest impact to pedestrian safety is actually the bicyclists who choose to act as pedestrians. Given this fact, the proposed bike lane would not be impacted by the roundabout plans and, in fact, the two proposals should operate in tandem.
Turning this confusing, inefficient intersection into a roundabout will enhance the area for all parties involved, and anyone asserting otherwise has not done their research. The price tag is an investment in our community.
Uptown, Downtown and Ulster Avenue may be cut off from one another, but with adequate parking, efficient roads and alternative modes of transportation, those gaps can be bridged.
Emily Mance, Hurley