Some of you are aware of the city’s plans to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Sare and Rogers Rd, near where our OWLS group starts most of its Tuesday-Thursday training rides. We send large groups of cyclists through the intersection about once a week in season.
Just take a look at the planned monstrosity:
It looks like something more appropriate for I-69. It is completely unacceptable for use by all but the most daring bicyclists, and completely unacceptable for pedestrians.
This plan is on the verge of final approval!
Local transportation activist Buff Brown (founder of B-TOP) made an eloquent plea a couple of weeks ago to the Citizens Advisory Committee, pointing out serious flaws in the plan and advocating for a more sensible, vastly smaller, four-way stop sign. (Even in its current state the intersection is vastly too wide, at 100 feet between the east and west stop lines.)
The proposal is part of a larger package – called the Transportation Improvement Program – of such roundabouts. In addition to its intrinsic flaws it will eat up much or all of our local federal allocation for transportation infrastructure. It is now moving on to the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board meeting, Friday, April 8, 1:30 pm, at City Hall.
If you are concerned about bicycling infrastructure (not to mention urban sprawl, increased vehicle traffic, speeding traffic, etc.) it would be worth putting in an appearance at this upcoming meeting. There will only be a limited opportunity to get this proposal changed.
Buff Brown has prepared a detailed 16 page document addressing fundamental concerns about this proposal and proposing more reasonable alternatives. Click here to download it. (6.8MB PDF file)
Edit Monday April 4: Taking into consideration the public input we have received, including the resolution passed by the Citizens Advisory Committee, Mayor Kruzan has decided to postpone the construction of the Sare and Rogers roundabout by one year until Fiscal Year 2013. This will allow for more consideration of the design and details of the roundabout. The City will be making this recommendation at the Policy Committee meeting on Friday, April 8. [From City Director of Public Works, Susie Johnson.]