Traffic Oval Proposal Feedback

"It seems clear that there are too many accidents occurring at 13th and Motter. I think a traffic light would be cheaper and easier to install, and would solve the problem just as well (or not) as the proposed traffic circle would. But traffic lights lead to backups, and we already have a problem with that in our neighborhood as it is, with only a Stop sign. So in that sense, I think the traffic circle would be the better choice, as it will both reduce the number of accidents, while also preventing the traffic backups we see multiple times a day in our neighborhood. (I honestly don't understand all the hate that traffic circles get. I have never found them difficult to navigate in any way, and they are statistically proven to reduce accidents and prevent backups.)

I'm less convinced on the topic of pedestrian safety, however. Which is definitely a major issue for this area, what with lots of children and parents walking to and from both of the local schools. And in this case, I think that the increase in traffic flow that the circle brings, would also lead to the intersection being more difficult for pedestrians to navigate. The whole point of a traffic circle is to keep traffic moving, which by its very nature makes it harder for people to cross through on foot. I think if pedestrian safety is the primary concern, then a traffic light would solve the problem much better than the traffic circle would.

I think this increase in traffic flow through the cirlce will also inevitably lead to an increase in the flow of traffic down our street, which is already a major problem. Our neighborhood is treated like a highway to get from one side of town to the other, and to avoid the speed camera by the school. This has been a major problem here for years now, and improving the flow of traffic through the intersection will only make it worse. I think something needs to be done about the already too-heavy traffic in this situation FIRST, before making road improvements that would just throw gasoline on the fire. (Traffic cameras to catch the trucks that come down our street illegally every day; speed bumps that people can see, and that actually force them to slow down before they can safely be crossed; adding small center islands to the road to slow down traffic by making it slightly more difficult to navigate. Any of these ideas could help the current traffic problem.)

In short, I think the traffic circle will bring improvements to both vehicle safety and traffic flow in the intersection, but is otherwise bad for our neighborhood and our quality of life, unless the other issues are addressed first."