Lawrence Nation! (I am trying out a new greeting) Just a little update on the Whitehead Road Roundabout so some of you can meet your negative comment quota for the day!
As you have seen, we installed our temporary digital sign facing southbound traffic five hundred feet before the roundabout with the message to reduce speed and to yield to the left at the roundabout. It will be replaced with a more permanent sign in the near future.
We have also installed temporary reflectors around the perimeter of the roundabout as further notice of its existence at night. They will remain until we install the wind turbine sculptures within the roundabout as a part of our overall streetscape project.
We have ordered solar-powered flashing yield signs that will be prominently positioned (and not blocked by other signs) to provide guidance to motorists at all entries of the roundabout.
We have ordered the commercial property owner on the northbound lane (at Whitehead Rd opposite the Dunkin Donuts) to remove the lawn signs and cut back and remove shrubbery to increase visibility for motorists entering and exiting at Whitehead Rd. (and the owner has agreed to do so immediately).
We will be increasing traffic enforcement efforts in the area. I hope some have noticed the efforts of our police throughout our community to be more visible and proactive for traffic safety. I have and am thankful.
We continue to study other options to increase the safety for all motorists....those that drive within the speed limit, pay attention to the road and signs....and for those that seemingly have a problem doing so!
NOTE: For those that have commented that we should return to the T-Intersection. That is never going to happen because it would be a regressive act that would be financially irresponsible. The cost to Lawrence taxpayers would be....many millions of dollars. There would be no state or federal funding since the project would not be supported by any objective data, and pointing to FB comments wouldn't be enough evidence to compel the State to dedicate infrastructure funding towards such a project. We can make better use of that money to improve our community in other more productive ways.
Also, a return to the T-Intersection would be a return to high-speed crashes with more serious injuries and fatalities.....crashes much different than the majority of ones that have happened so far. The memories of some have faded. Motorists traveling on US Route 1 (no matter where they are) have the mindset of traveling faster rather slower. A return of the T-intersection would be a return to motorist speeding generally and motorists speeding to beat the light that is going to turn red. Que the left hand turn serious car crash. We will not regress back to the time of more traffic congestion, lines at the light, and more serious crashes.....and pay for it with our tax money. That is something I will never support.
Note: I call the Whitehead Road roundabout a roundabout because it is NOT a circle. Roundabouts are not the same as traffic circles. Traffic circles are larger than roundabouts. Circles are designed for high-speed entries, allow lane changes within the circle, are low capacity, and have more high-speed crashes. Some circles (like the Brunswick Circle) require motorists in the circle to yield those entering.....and that's when crashes most often occur. I encourage you to Google these terms for a better understanding of the differences.
Note: No human being...or task force....has the ability to make motorists drive safely, pay attention to the road, obey traffic signs, signals and speed limits. The recent pic posted on FB of the motorist going the wrong way in the roundabout making a straight left turn from Whitehead Road onto Brunswick Ave is NOT evidence of a problem with the roundabout. It is evidence of a problem with the motorist. We can't fix that!
Final Note: Not commenting on FB is killing me at times....but it's also improving my quality of life tremendously! That policy will continue. I will post but will not comment.
Have a great day everyone and be safe out there!!!
Peace and love, Peace and love!
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