My family calls them the traffic circus.
Traffic circles, or roundabouts, are coming to more South Dakota roads. Reporting on a presentation made by Department of Transportation director of planning an engineering Mike Behm to the state Transportation Commission last week, Bob Mercer says the state will build roundabouts at the following locations next year:
- Sisseton: two roundabouts on SD 10.
- Watertown: South Connector intersection at U.S. 81 and 20th Ave SE (that’s the south edge of town, by the ethanol plant; to be built by BX Civil & Construction of Dell Rapids for $1.88 million).
- Minnehaha County: SD 42 and SD 17 (three miles west of the Ellis Road; three miles east of Wall Lake).
Behm told the commission these roundabouts will make Sisseton, Watertown, and Minnehaha County safer:
Nationally, they reduce fatalities 90 percent and reduce injuries 75 percent, according to Behm. He is the state department’s director of planning and engineering.
Public opinion about roundabouts before construction runs favorable in the 30s to 40s percent range, Behm said, but after they’re built support rises to more than 60 percent.
“We hope to see some good numbers on our roundabouts,” Behm said [Bob Mercer, “Roundabouts, as Safety Improvements, Return to S.D. Highway Menu,” Watertown Public Opinion, 2017.12.26].
The Federal Highway Administration offers this video explaining the improved safety and efficiency of roundabouts:
Roundabouts save the state money on traffic lights and maintenance. They save drivers money: flowing smoothly through a roundabout instead of idling at lights or stop signs decreases fuel consumption by 3%.
Roundabouts also invite far more musical associations, making South Dakota a generally happier place.
And as Sioux Falls monsters out to swallow Wall Lake and Hartford, maybe they’ll get a seven-plex traffic circus like in Swindown, England:
Or maybe the free-flowing fun of the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe, where traffic flows from twelve streets like clockwork:
Traffic circles and roundabouts are not the same. https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/BasicFacts.htm
These are all over MN. They’re a hassle at first then you get used to them. I think you will like them Cory, and we’ve heard that here that they save lives.
Ah, Patrick, so roundabouts are the newer, safer evolution of traffic circles?
Probably the center island is just big enough to advertise how many miles it is to Wall Drug….
Ad space on the roundabout islands should be restricted to billboards 40 feet above the ground. Travelers can see the ads from a distance, but then when they are at the intersection, they can get a clear view across the island to the other side so they can see everything that’s going on and not be distracted by commercial messages.
Traffic circles and roundabouts are different, at least in Madison, WI. Traffic circles are small, a hassle and unsafe in my opinion. They are used mostly in residential neighborhoods as obstacles that slow down traffic, not to make traffic flow better. The purpose, as far as I can tell, is like a speed bump in the middle of an intersection. Roundabouts are much larger and placed in higher traffic areas or in rural areas to improve traffic flow.
One feature of Minnesota roundabouts is the emergency gas can for South Dakotans who get stuck driving in circles until they run out of gas. Or that’s what my sophisticated Minnesota brother-in-law says anyway.
I foresee a problem. Smooth traffic flow through a roundabout requires the use of turn signals so everyone knows who wants to exit where. Sadly there are very few SD registered vehicles with working turn signals.
Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAgX6qlJEMc
Nice landscaping for the green space is better advertising for the community. Something like a “welcome to …..” on something is OK.
Darin,
You beat me to it! ;-)
There is talk of placing one in Pierre at the intersection of 4th Street and Euclid Avenue.
http://www.sddot.com/dot/publicmeetings/docs/US14to1804Pierre/4th-Street.pdf
Link to the proposed round-a-bout that Mr. Nemec references above…
In some cases these things are justified but in many they are not. if you have a busy four way stop or a busy light then put one up and use some common sense in doing it. I know of one that is at an intersection where there was little traffic coming in from the minor road and the roundabout just slowed traffic on the major road. The intersection also gets lots of truck traffic and the roundabout was designed to be too small. The truckers address the problem by simply driving over the center island. And one more thing….just wait till you encounter one that is busy and has multiple lanes.
PlanningStudent—interesting. Up on the north side of town, right? What’s the speed limit at that intersection now? It has red/green traffic lights now, right? How busy is 4th St?
CAH,
http://www.sddot.com/dot/publicmeetings/docs/US14to1804Pierre/Flyer.pdf
Some traffic counts are attached.
Yes its on the north side. No there is not a light there now. There was a temporary light set up for several months during the flood a few years back and lots of folks (who use 4th Street) thought is made things flow better…
This round-a-bout also involves the conversions of a 4 lane highway with parking on both sides (so 6 lanes wide total) down to a 3 lane highway that may or may not have packing on one or both sides..
Also,
Speed limit is 30, maybe, maybe 35 on Euclid, same on 4th. 4th street does currently come to a stop and Euclid does not..
I feel like the speed limit there sneaks up on me when I come into town from the north. That roundabout would certainly get me down to speed.
Those traffic counts are interesting. The peak traffic is at Euclid and 2nd, two block south of the proposed roundabout intersection. That tells me a lot of traffic enters and exits Euclid at 4th—folks headed for Walmart to the east and Jefferson Elementary to the west?
4th Street is more and more busy each year, it is a faster shortcut to the retail centers on the US14 truck bypass than driving around to the south end of the the truck route and heading up the hill. This area has seen a lot of retail growth in the last 30 years and is poised to see more. The Pierre Mall, Runnings, Menards, Walmart, Beck Chevrolet, Goodwill, Farm Credit Services of America, several banks and credit unions, SD Urban Indian Health Clinic, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Edgewood Assisted Living all call that part of town home. More businesses are going up this winter. There needs to be some sort of traffic control at 4th and Euclid you can sit at the stop sign for a long time waiting for a chance to turn onto Euclid.
Nick, those traffic counts are comparable to traffic counts I’ve seen for Highway 12 in Aberdeen at its major intersections with 281 on the west and Roosevelt Street on the east. Both of those intersections have traffic lights. Those traffic counts justify some intervention at 4th and Euclid.
Curious: are houses springing up around that retail development on the bypass?
Residential areas are located to the west and north of the retail development. Included in those residential areas, usually on the side closest to the retail, are apartment buildings and townhouse/condo buildings. The new grade school appears to be the hub of a growing residential area. Terrain will eventually limit growth in this area The beautiful natural area/parkland of Hillger’s Gulch is on the west and US14-83 is on the north, although residential development has been going on on the north side of 14-83 for years. I have also heard speculation of a traffic circle/roundabout at the 14-83 junction with the 14-83 truck bypass. This might also be a good place for one, it is downhill from all directions into this intersection and trucks often have to come to a full stop before turning and then are facing a hill climb from a dead stop.