Public Discussion of Roundabouts, Flashing Beacons, Pedestrian Safety/marked crosswalks/etc.
TONY Redington
Good Day TEUC and DPW Commission Members:
Two public discussions regarding signals, roundabouts, RRFBs and pedestrian safety are covered in two press reports. Note there is not one good word for a traffic signal (you know, that ugly dangerous obsolete technology!).
LaJolla, CA
The discussion here of how to treat pedestrian issue intersections is instructive as La Jolla is the home of Bird Rock 5-roundabout corridor and there is a reasonably well informed community on the range of pedestrian treatments. Suffice to say residents have no concerns about safety along the busy, mixed use, corridor of roundabouts sans RRFBs (rectangular rapid flashing beacons). Until Burlington first installs roundabouts along North Avenue in my opinion the installation of RRFBs in the absence of a proven safety problem is itself problematic in terms of likely induced pedestrian injuries.
Bird Rock designer Michael Wallwork designed Vermont’s first two roundabouts in Montpelier (1995) (first in northeast) and Manchester Center. 0 bike crashes at 5 downtown VT roundabouts in 52 years of operations even without evolved bike safety designs—not aware of any bike crashes at any of the current 16 Vermont roundabouts (Shelburne Street Roundabout right now looks to be the 17th). Note that a decade ago bike rampling (being done at Shelburne St) was not a treatment and the tight right of way in Lajolla did not allow sidewalks, narrow car lanes, and bike lanes.
You can get first hand resident views on the Bird Rock roundabouts installed a decade ago here:
Good Day TEUC and DPW Commission Members:
Two public discussions regarding signals, roundabouts, RRFBs and pedestrian safety are covered in two press reports. Note there is not one good word for a traffic signal (you know, that ugly dangerous obsolete technology!).
LaJolla, CA
The discussion here of how to treat pedestrian issue intersections is instructive as La Jolla is the home of Bird Rock 5-roundabout corridor and there is a reasonably well informed community on the range of pedestrian treatments. Suffice to say residents have no concerns about safety along the busy, mixed use, corridor of roundabouts sans RRFBs (rectangular rapid flashing beacons). Until Burlington first installs roundabouts along North Avenue in my opinion the installation of RRFBs in the absence of a proven safety problem is itself problematic in terms of likely induced pedestrian injuries.
Bird Rock designer Michael Wallwork designed Vermont’s first two roundabouts in Montpelier (1995) (first in northeast) and Manchester Center. 0 bike crashes at 5 downtown VT roundabouts in 52 years of operations even without evolved bike safety designs—not aware of any bike crashes at any of the current 16 Vermont roundabouts (Shelburne Street Roundabout right now looks to be the 17th).
You can tour the Bird Rock roundabouts installed a decade ago here:
Vernon, British Columbia (BC)—Twice the Fun
Meanwhile in the first Canadian Province Ministry of Transportation adoption about a decade ago of the roundabout as the intersection standard, the latest in Vernon gets thumbs up from all users including praise by bicyclists. Note the million dollar plus help in construction costs from a “Federal Gas Tax” infrastructure grant.
BC car insurance is done by a public provincial agency and the superior safety performance of roundabouts measured in car liability claims led to the roundabout adoption as the standard intersection there.
Tony Redington
Walk Safety Advocate
Vernon, British Columbia (BC)—Twice the Fun
Meanwhile in the first Canadian Province Ministry of Transportation adoption about a decade ago of the roundabout as the intersection standard, the latest in Vernon gets thumbs up from all users including praise by bicyclists. Note the million dollar plus help in construction costs from a “Federal Gas Tax” infrastructure grant.
BC car insurance is done by a public provincial agency and the superior safety performance of roundabouts measured in car liability claims led to the roundabout adoption as the standard intersection there.
Tony Redington
Walk Safety Advocate
What can you do?
Sign the Stop the Champlain Parkway Project and Choose the Champlain RIGHTway Petition: http://chng.it/tS9Ts5FjDx SafeStreetsBurlington.com