tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747257535726408859.post6445123566461298940..comments2023-06-16T09:42:30.938-04:00Comments on In The 'Burg: Traffic Solutions CirclingBryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612539514239011619noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747257535726408859.post-40640899563109442242008-04-10T16:29:00.000-04:002008-04-10T16:29:00.000-04:00I had heard that 'traffic circle' was still used t...I had heard that 'traffic circle' was still used to indicate the larger diameter doughnut design, like on European Vacation, or closer to home like dupont circle.<BR/><BR/>The efficiency seems to break down when the roads that interconnect require multiple lanes.<BR/><BR/>Hopefully as we try to get this upgraded path to Wegman's, VDOT will consider something like this. Perhaps this could be the scenic route into CP/CV.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comments KCW.Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10612539514239011619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747257535726408859.post-26148428571087777412008-04-10T08:27:00.000-04:002008-04-10T08:27:00.000-04:00Roundabouts are good for low to medium traffic. T...Roundabouts are good for low to medium traffic. They are horrible for high traffic areas.<BR/><BR/>I grew up in New Jersey, the land of 'traffic circles', aka, roundabouts before people called them roundabouts in order to grab some British civility. They are destroying many that became high-traffic corridors and have a lot of difficulty formulating how to reconfigure them. Once they're up it is difficult, from a design perspective, to tear them down; especially when things develop all around them.<BR/><BR/>However the low-medium traveled traffic circles work great. You don't have to wait for a light to change in the middle of the night. No maintenance on lights, light sensors, etc, etc.<BR/><BR/>Oh and Fall Hill Ave expansion, that's easy. It would be the third access point into Central Park and will be needed whenever the Northern area of Central Park gets developed (Wagman's, etc). Ask for it now and hope you'll get it later instead of waiting until everyone is going crazy wondering why it wasn't expanded first.<BR/><BR/>Plus Cowan will eventually get crowded if/when the horse farm sells and the area between Central Park and the Hospital gets filled in.kcwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15978344360952002914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747257535726408859.post-34679765181217749852008-04-06T14:50:00.000-04:002008-04-06T14:50:00.000-04:00I thought about mentioning our few attempts at rou...I thought about mentioning our few attempts at roundabouts. There is the one at the hospital, and now there is a make shift one at George & Barton Streets in front of Maury Commons.<BR/><BR/>For a major roadway, we'll have to look a little further down the road. Just before moving here, the Charlottesville airport had just completed two roundabouts. One on a secondary road leading into the facility, and a second that reconstructed an intersection with Earlysville Rd. That roadway is a heavily traveled alternative to RT29 in and out of Charlottesville. <BR/><BR/>I've been up to John's Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in MD. Several exists in that area on Columbia Pike (Rt29) use roundabouts. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if VDOT has temporary camera setups like their traffic counters? Permanent installs would probably require a bit of investment, but it's an interesting idea. And great observation about that being 2 one-way streets. I agree that intuitively that should make it safer.Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10612539514239011619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747257535726408859.post-20151646784303585112008-04-05T18:52:00.000-04:002008-04-05T18:52:00.000-04:00Don't forget the Hospital Blvd roundabout!There is...Don't forget the Hospital Blvd roundabout!<BR/><BR/>There is resistance from one or more transportation folks in the area to roundabouts.<BR/><BR/>Another PLUS to roundabouts is that traffic signals can cost 100, 200K a pop AND roundabouts don't need electricity to "work".<BR/><BR/>But one thing they ought to be doing in places where there are a high percentage of accidents is to use 24/7 cameras.... that will help them understand what it is in particular that is leading to the higher percentage of accidents.<BR/><BR/>Then that would help them decide what needs to be done... <BR/><BR/>and if a particular intersection has a high percentage and it's driver behavior then I'd use the cameras to nail the bad behaviors.<BR/><BR/>the particular intersection... something weird is going on because it's not a 4-way to start with.. it's two one-ways intersecting so one would think that if anything the percentage would be lower than 4-ways...<BR/><BR/>They now put cameras on school buses and dozens of cameras in schools.. why not put a few where something is going on to better understand what is going on?Larry Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02282254026681944326noreply@blogger.com