Roundabouts working to reduce accidents
Motorists are learning to drive the traffic circles
Some motorists are confused about how to properly navigate the roundabouts that opened this summer at the intersections of Routes 73 and 662 in Oley and Ruscombmanor townships, but no major accidents have been reported, officials said Dec. 31.
PennDOT contractors painted white arrows on the road at the two intersections to show motorists the correct direction to drive. There also are four directional signs on each roundabout.
Mark A. Hoch, vice chairman of the Oley Township supervisors, said the arrows and signs hopefully will help alleviate the confusion.
“Some people don’t like the traffic circles,” Hoch said. “They were making their own rules. I think the roundabouts are working out well. The arrows will be a big help.”
PennDOT spokesman Ronald J. Young Jr. said more work on both roundabouts in the $5.7 million project is expected to resume in the spring and be completed in October. The work involves more paving, lighting and signage.
Young said there have been a few minor traffic incidents at the new roundabouts, but no major accidents have been reported.
At 3 a.m. on Dec. 21, a motorist plowed into the Ruscombanor Township roundabout’s concrete median and knocked down a directional sign, according to state police reports. The investigation is ongoing.
Ruscombmanor Township Supervisor Don T. Miller said the crash was not likely due to the roundabout.
Miller, however, said there is concern about trucks being able to navigate the roundabout during bad winter weather.
“The tractor-trailers need to slow down,” he said. “They have to go slowly down the hill (from Route 12). Everyone is in a hurry to get places. People need to understand they have to take time to navigate the roundabout.”
The roundabout in Oley Township also was recently struck by a vehicle, leaving tire marks and a badly misshapen directional sign.
PennDOT’s new roundabouts are designed to slow down traffic and reduce accidents on busy highways. The intersections of Routes 73 and 662 have been the sites of numerous serious crashes, including one that resulted in the death of an Oley Valley High School student in 2011.