KALAMAZOO, MI -- Love them or hate them, it seems roundabouts are here to stay, and new ones are planned for installation in Kalamazoo County over the next few years.
The ongoing debate also seems to be here to stay, at least for a while, as roundabouts seem to illicit polarizing opinions from motorists.
People living in the Kalamazoo area regularly debate the pros and cons of roundabouts. Many of the conversations about roundabouts are hosted online such as on Facebook, where they sometimes devolve into mudslinging about driving skills and education.
Some point to government research showing roundabouts significantly reduce fatal crashes. Others think they’re confusing and a waste of taxpayer money.
People have mentioned trucks tipping over while driving in roundabouts, confusion among drivers about how to use them, improved or worsened traffic flow, and the differences in safety and speed compared to traditional intersections.
“I don’t like them,” Kalamazoo resident Tina McClinton told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. “I will go a different way to not have to go through them.”
The Sprinkle Road roundabout is “a mess,” she said.
“People are confused about how to drive through them all the time,” she said. She believes they are a waste of money and those dollars should be spent to fix potholes instead.
Ted William said people dislike roundabouts because of their “inability to accept change.” But the alternative is either waiting longer at an intersection for traffic to clear or putting in a four-way light, he said. He and his wife like roundabouts, he said, though he shared some criticism.
“We both like them when used properly but the new one on Gull Road/G Avenue is still confusing,” he said.
Another resident told MLive that he’s had more than a few close calls on the Sprinkle Road roundabout often with some drivers failing to yield or coming to a full stop when they shouldn’t.
The Road Commission of Kalamazoo County (RCKC) held a meeting this month to talk with residents about two new roundabouts coming to Oshtemo Township in 2023.
“We are working to share more information on the benefits and use of roundabouts. They are not meant for every location. There are key engineering best practices on what type and where appropriate,” RCKC Communications Administrator Sarah Phillips told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.
The agency has chosen to hold project informational meetings so far in advance of the project to help spread more information about roundabout best practices and what kind of locations benefit by their use, she said.
Christina Marie, a resident near the roundabout planned at Parkview and 12th Street, said she is thankful for the new project.
“I believe roundabouts actually create better flow of traffic,” she said.
“I don’t think we will ever get away from roundabouts so maybe educating people somehow is the next step,” said Tami Penny.
H.K. Miller criticized the design of the Sprinkle Road roundabout and believes design issues may have played a role in some recent crashes. A tractor-trailer rolled onto its side on the roundabout on March 3.
Related: Semitrailer rollover closes Sprinkle Road near I-94 in Kalamazoo
“Who was the architect that thought this is a great design for the busiest highway in the nation between Detroit and Chicago?” she said.
Miller said she loves roundabouts when they are properly designed.
“Not when they are breeding grounds for trucks to tip,” she said.
Another crash happened at the Sprinkle Road/Cork Street roundabout on April 30, when a tractor-trailer carrying steel rolled onto its side.
MDOT spokesman Nick Schirripa said the Sprinkle Road roundabouts are pretty large, relatively speaking.
“All MDOT roundabouts are designed to handle commercial vehicles but sizes vary depending on different factors such as right-of-way constraints, connecting streets, traffic types and volumes, and approach speeds,” he said.
There is not a pattern of tipping truck crashes at this or any other of our roundabouts of which MDOT engineers are aware, Schirripa told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.
Overall, MDOT views roundabouts as a valuable alternative intersection design, he said.
“Roundabouts are a safer type of intersection and more efficient in terms of keeping people moving. Even while calming traffic, they can reduce delay and backups when compared to traditional intersections,” he said.
Roundabouts encourage lower vehicular speeds and reduce conflict points to increase safety not only for motorists but also for cyclists and pedestrians. Roundabouts have been shown to reduce fatal and injury crashes by as much as 80 percent when replacing stop-controlled and signalized intersections, he said.
A 2015 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation states research has confirmed that severe crashes, defined as crashes that result in injury or fatality, are less frequent at roundabouts than at conventional signalized and stop-controlled intersections.
That’s why Michigan State Police supports them, according to Spl/Lt. DuWayne Robinson, public information officer for the Southwest region.
“Anytime a particular road or intersection model/design is used in order to save lives, prevent or reduce severe and/or fatal crashes, Michigan State Police is in full support,” he said.
Roundabouts can be used in place of signals, two-way stop controls, and all-way stop controls, and they are an effective option for managing speed and transitioning traffic from high-speed to low-speed environments, such as freeway interchange ramp terminals, and rural intersections along high-speed roads, Schirripa said.
Still, as MDOT and MSP provide research-based reasons for installing roundabouts, the debate continues.
Jessie Smith said he is reminded of the scene in National Lampoon’s European Vacation, in which driver Clark Griswold played by Chevy Chase is stuck in a roundabout, driving past Big Ben and Parliament again and again, because he can’t change lanes to exit.
In the 1985 movie, they were seen as a European oddity, but today they seem to be more common in the U.S.
“I’m not sure why roundabouts are such a trend these days, perhaps it’s because they don’t utilize power like a traditional stop light does,” Smith told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. “People seem to be reluctant to use them, and maybe there just needs to be more education on how to navigate them. I feel that if they are going to be installed, they need to be built large enough to accommodate semi trucks, many seem too small.”
People who want to learn more can go to the next meeting about roundabouts, which will include a question and answer session with road commission staff.
At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25 at Schoolcraft Township Hall, 50 East VW Ave. in in Vicksburg, the road commission will hold a public information meeting focused on the 2024 project to install a roundabout at TU Avenue and 23rd Street.
Read more:
$3.4M bridge rehabilitation contract approved in Kalamazoo
Fireworks to return to South Haven for Independence Day after 2-year hiatus
Ad Choices