June 13, 2005
A graceful dip to the right, then a long and fluid swerve around to the left, and there I am: Barker Avenue.So much nicer than Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Internal Doubt: Was I here first? Should I just go? Mexican Standoff! Asshole! Ah, Barker Avenue...Roundabouts are so vilified, so much more demonized than the horrors of public transportation, it's as if traffic engineers were butchering babies in the center of these lovely constructs. "Roundabouts confuse me. They are the beginning of the End!" the haters wail. "Surely rape and pillage are nigh!"I love roundabouts because they force drivers to be engaged. I miss driving in the big city, where it's sometimes defensive, often offensive, and always requires full participation. It's odd and terrifically boring to me how passive driving in Lawrence is. Roundabouts require a wee bit of strategy and planning, and passengers always make comments about them, which in turn spark conversation. Traffic lights are so Pavlovian. Roundabouts keep us in the moment.As a big believer in city planning on a grid-no infuriating cul-de-sacs-roundabouts provide nice, softening circles among all of the sharp corners, yet still retain structure and precision. I like to think of roundabouts from an aerial viewpoint: a crude but graceful ballet of steel combining people from all walks of life. Imagine.Nostalgia plays its hand in this, too. I spent a few years of my childhood in Europe, where roundabouts are a city norm. One evening in Paris was spent with our bus lodged in a multi-lane roundabout while soccer fans whipped around and around waving flags and woo-hooing their Franco hearts out. That's right, I said multi-lane roundabout. Evil! But also damn fun.Ultimately, however, I must admit that my favorite aspect of the Age of the Roundabout is the visceral reaction it has elicited from my fellow citizens. Just when the boondoggle screeching over the "T" quieted down and I was left with the daily dirge of anti-war letters to the editor, a new crop of geriatric reactionaries have risen up in defiance against the stupidity of traffic-calming devices. The roundabout is their focus, and God bless 'em, their missives may work on me yet. This afternoon I do intend to check my Revelations again; perhaps the Four Horsemen are expected to emerge from a roundabout, and here I have been, a fool happily doodling my family around these little portals to Hell.
Comments
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chrisgladfelter (anonymous) says...
A lot of people are against roundabouts because they have no idea how to maneuver through them, even though yellow diamond-shaped signs clearly illustrate how to do so. Do they really need the city of Lawrence to mail them those proposed little instructional pamphlets on how to drive? These are the same people who scratch their heads whenever they encounter a four-way stop, let alone the 12-way stop at Wakarusa and Bob Billings Parkway.
True story: Not too long ago I was behind an SUV that had a bumper sticker saying "Welcome to America. Now speak English or leave!" As she came to the infamous Barker roundabout, she slowed down, paused, then entered the roundabout and promptly turned left. Aye, madre de Dios.
But to play devil's advocate, aren't certain roundabouts more difficult for ambulances, fire engines, and big-ass delivery trucks?
June 13, 2005 at 1:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
liz (Liz Weslander) says...
I've thought about writing on this same subject a time two - only you did it much more eloquently than I would have. The vehement roundabout protests are a perfect example of how good we have it in Lawrence. We can't think of anything better to protest than a traffic device that is commonplace and well-accepted throughout the world.
I like the roundabouts as well - and have similar memories of the multi-lane version from when I was in Mexico during the World Cup. I'd love to see the choas that would ensue is we stuck one of those suckers at 23rd and Iowa.
June 13, 2005 at 1:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
murderama (Rob Gillaspie) says...
Just wait until they put that roundabout in at 19th and LA... Pileups galore!
Also, I never figured out why they spent all that money on roundabouts BEFORE fixing the streets they supposedly streamline? Doesn't it make sense to repair an ACTUAL problem BEFORE creating a new one? Seriously, the six-foot deep poutholes in East Lawrence are ENOUGH of a speed deterrent...
June 13, 2005 at 3:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Swamphawk (anonymous) says...
Roundabouts are designed with mountable curbs. This means that that bricked curb section in the middle is rated to withstand the load of an occasional truck, ambulance, etc. Sure it is a little rougher on the suspension but it will not really damage either the vehicle or roundabout unless it is happening all of the time.
Generally, though, the trucks that will be bothered by roundabouts will not be on those streets. If it is a road that has significant truck traffic then the roundabout would be designed to make it more accessable for them by widening lanes or making the curb lower.
I think roundabouts are a very good alternative to a 4 way stop. I learned to drive on them in Australia, and it was even stranger because the traffic was on the opposite side of the road. However, anyone that has driven in towns with lots of them comes to prefer them to a stop. That being said, the big roundabout at 15th and Louisiana will cause some major problems at first.
June 13, 2005 at 3:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chrisgladfelter (anonymous) says...
"poutholes"...
Typo or not, I love it. It is now a part of my lexicon.
June 13, 2005 at 3:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Jester (Nick Spacek) says...
19th and Louisiana. Not 15th.
And I'm glad I'm moving before they put that sucker in. I mean, I know *I* am certainly capable of using a roundabout, but the majority of Lawrencians seem to view signs as something pretty to look at, rather than instructions on how to operate their vehicles.
June 13, 2005 at 6:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DJ_Trainwreck (anonymous) says...
Roundabouts kick ass. They're fun to ride your bike around when making a right turn.
Portland Oregon is full of them but they have a weird sign that has bendy arrows all over it. At first I thought it meant "WARNING: Interprative dance ahead!"
DJTW
June 13, 2005 at 7:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DavidRose (anonymous) says...
I actually like a nice boring, emotionally maintaining drive between work, home, or wherever. I have things more important and engaging than driving to get excited or upset about.
And I really don't think I care where they build roundabouts. I'm sure our town's less intelligent and more careless will figure them out quicker than most predict.
June 13, 2005 at 10:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Freakshow (anonymous) says...
I drive a Yellow cab in New York City. The massive roundabout at 59th & 8th Avenue is better than beer. I routinely scare the bejesus out of the out-of-town SUV crowd there.
Grids are boring. Anybody can drive a grid. My personal best on the Manhattan grid is 87 blocks without a red light. Personal best overall is from the Plaza Hotel to LaGuardia Airport in 23 minutes flat during a torrential downpour.
I'm moving to Lawrence in three weeks. I'll review your pouthole situation when I get there.
Look both ways before crossing the street.
June 14, 2005 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thetom (anonymous) says...
Leslie:
Well put! And they make the children really ring.
Freakshow:
As an out of towner driving in Manhattan, I learned that it pays to be an asshole. People expect and appreciate it. If you drive a yellow cab you must be a REAL asshole!!!
While I managed to get through 59th (hello lampost) & 8th, I'm not sure i ever got all the bejesus cleaned out of the uhhhhh... laundry.
Welcome to Lawrence. Traffic here will keep you pleasantly bored. Remember to check your horn every couple of months to make sure it still works.
June 14, 2005 at 2:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Freakshow (anonymous) says...
I love you, man. Do you people do turn signals?
June 14, 2005 at 8:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Jester (Nick Spacek) says...
Speaking of roundabouts... I used to live at 9th & Michigan. When they repaved the road four years ago, they put in a roundabout, due to the fact that folks going to and from Louise's West liked to lay it out down the road. The first night that road was opened, I sat out on my balcony and listened to cars race down the street, slam on the brakes, and slowly back up and go around. It was funnier than Seinfeld.
Then again, pretty much everything is funnier than Seinfeld.
June 14, 2005 at 9:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Freakshow (anonymous) says...
Word.
Jerry Seinfeld's career is proof of the existence of Satan.
June 15, 2005 at 9:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
crazyleaflady (anonymous) says...
I'm all about the roundabout on 19th & Barker. But if they're smaller--like on 17th & New Hampshire--they're not quite big enough to apply the rule "yield to those in the roundabout." 'Cause there's no "in" before the possibility of contact. It's like playing chicken at a 4-way stop all over again, with more foliage and softer corners.
On that intersection I also worry about the old folks from Babcock Place out on strolls, since no one has to actually stop at a roundabout. But hey, by the time they're there, they've already had a good run, right?
June 21, 2005 at 3:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Jillster (anonymous) says...
I just wish the city would put safety first with these roundabouts and stop putting tall landscaping in the centers that blocks the view of entering traffic from the opposite side. At the roundabout on Monterrey Way, the shrubberies make it difficult at times to see what is entering the traffic circle.
Sure, it's pretty...but is it SAFE????
June 25, 2005 at 8:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Freakshow (anonymous) says...
Guerilla action --- just go out and chop down the shrubbery. It's easier than stealing lawn ornaments in New Jersey. Trust me on this.
Next, I'll tip you off on the creation of guerilla speed bumps. It can be done.
June 29, 2005 at 12:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Freakshow (anonymous) says...
If you're afraid to cut the obscuring shrubbery down, you can always stroll over to it and empty a can of Drano on its roots just before a storm.
June 29, 2005 at 12:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Jane (anonymous) says...
Vinegar also works and is cheap.
June 29, 2005 at 11:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Jillster (anonymous) says...
They'd just replace the dadgummed things if I cut them down or killed them. Sigh.
July 2, 2005 at 8:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Freakshow (anonymous) says...
The Drano/vinegar/salt approach renders the soil barren.
The real issue is rule of law. I'm sure that if enough people complained, the city would do something about it. Lawrence doesn't appear to be an oligarchy like NYC. Daffodils would be an improvement.
July 3, 2005 at 9:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )