Humans are creatures of habit. While many of us may welcome an occasional adjustment to the day-to-day monotony of life, humans—in general—tend to prefer routine. We naturally resist too much change.
I use these acknowledgements as a preface to this week’s column because I plan to discuss something that seems to get quite a reaction out of people in this community.
With that being said, let’s talk roundabouts.
Anytime the News Journal publishes a story regarding roundabouts, it is almost guaranteed to get a reaction from the public. I did a quick review of the last few posts on our Facebook page that mention the word “roundabout,” and nearly all of them have over a hundred comments and shares.
One post from last November covering an update on the construction of the Fifth Street Road roundabout got nearly 300 comments and close to 200 shares. A large proportion of the comments on that post were not in favor of another roundabout being installed in the area, as many voiced their displeasure.
On a more recent post from July 31 concerning the same roundabout, some commenters suggested that traffic accidents will now increase. That is a common thread across all these posts.
However, the story from that week also details crash data compiled by the Kentucky State Police (KSP) specifically for that intersection. The KSP data showed that there have been around 50 crashes in the vicinity of that intersection over the previous 10 years, with half of them involving more than one vehicle.
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) website, approximately 45 percent of all crashes throughout the country occur at traditional intersections. But I think anyone who has traveled through that area can agree that the previous junction that existed there was anything but a traditional intersection.
The way that Barton Cutoff Road and Black Diamond Road used to meet at a blind curve in Fifth Street Road was a true disaster. I used to live in that area and drove it frequently. Even after mastering it through the many years of navigating through it, I still believe it was an act of God each time I was able to turn off one road to another without being sideswiped.
I drove out there a little over two weeks ago for the first time since it has been opened to traffic and I cannot explain how much of a massive upgrade it is over the previous configuration in every single way.
And anyone who believes it will cause more crashes or overall traffic issues must not understand how simple it is to navigate a one-lane roundabout: If someone is in the circle, you yield to them before turning into it. You then follow the lane until you get to the road you need to exit on and make a right turn out of the circle. Congratulations, you’ve done it.
As far as traffic issues, the new roundabout in that area creates much more line-of-sight for motorists, which is never a bad thing. Even if traffic becomes backed up in the area during school hours, just waiting for your turn to enter the circle is much easier and safer than having to rush out of one of the previously-adjoining roads without being able to properly see who else might be attempting to do the same.
More statistics from the KYTC website show that in areas where intersections have been replaced with roundabouts, those locations have seen nearly a 40 percent reduction in crashes overall, with a 75 percent reduction in injury crashes and a 90 percent reduction in fatal crashes.
In an area where many families and school children travel through almost every day during the school year, I believe those numbers are undeniable proof that the change is an obvious improvement from a safety standpoint.
I can understand being apprehensive to such a change, but sometimes it is worth embracing. This is one of those times.
