Roundabout At 104A/Rte 7 In Georgia??

[Henry]

Milton Independent had the following article on the possibility of a roundabout in Georgia at the intersection of Route 7 and Route 104A:

http://www.miltonindependent.com/georgia-does-homework-for-route-104a-fixes/

[mirjo]

This state seems to have a thing for roundabouts lately. There is one supposedly going in Jeffersonville at the intersection of 104/108/109.

[7F24]

No question, the bridge needs to be fixed!  I think the round-about is a huge waste of money.

[Chris Santee]

I tried to get that point through to VTrans, but they gave me the run-around.

Just kidding, but this might be a good time to catch up with Carolyn.

[mkr]

That is nuts... round about is definitely not the solution, oh that will be fun when the 18 wheelers whip around in it all day there...

[ohhman]

I agree MKR that a roundabout is NOT the solution!! Using them in other states, it can be a nightmare! For years when we visited family in Cape Cod, we had to use 1 to get on the Sagamore Bridge & it was a place of frequent accidents. They made away with it a few years ago & it has been so much easier & much less dangerous.  I grew up in Burlington & having to go back through the roundabout in Winooski is crazy!  I guess this shows that Vermont is behind in some ways.

[Rev. Elizabeth]

I have driven through many roundabouts in England, and these were on the interstates where people were driving rather fast.  They do work, but people have to be comfortable with them and know how to drive through them , and consider the other drivers!  Also, they do require a bit of attention. I remember missing my turn and driving all around twice before i got it!

[7F24]

I think the problem with most VT round abouts is they make them too small.

[tfence]

I don't understand why they are putting roundabouts all over the place. When other surrounding states are getting rid of them. They have been known to be more dangerous. Especially when you have more than four exit/entrances on them. They were first created for commerce. A big roundabout with many stores and such around them. Like on 95 in Portsmouth NH..  I think the money could be more well spent on the tie rod wrecking potholes that are everywhere. Then again, the potholes are good for the auto repair stations.

[Alley759]

I agree with MKR, I hate roundabouts the one in winooski i had the pleasure of going through awhile back and had people honking at me, thought i was going to have a nervous breakdown.It was very scary the other driver were going so fast. got to be a better solution.

[7F24]

The Winooski roundabout has a light on it, which pretty much defeats the purpose of a roundabout.

[Papi]

Roundabouts are safer and more efficient than many current road configurations.  That's why they're getting put in.  As to surrounding states removing roundabouts--that's not the case.  Don't confuse roundabouts w/rotaries.  They are not the same!

[lena6]

What's the difference?

[Papi]

Here's a pretty decent summary from the internet---


Rotary vs Roundabout
 
Many folks think that when they see a circular intersection, they always regard it as a roundabout. Well, this is not entirely true as some of these so-called roundabouts (sometimes written as round-about) are actually rotaries. Without the provision of a visual illustration, it may be a little complicated to picture the difference between the two. But when you actually see these two types of circular intersections, you’ll be amazed to know that it’s actually not that hard to describe their unique characteristics.
 
The more modern roundabouts are said to be advantageous as compared to rotaries (otherwise known as traffic circles) in many aspects. First is on the yield. The limitation with rotaries is that the traffic that enters the circle may get in the way of the circulating traffic. And so, in times of heavy traffic, a gridlock is often to be expected. To help lessen the burden of such a serious obstacle, engineers made it a point that rotaries have bigger circle intersections than roundabouts for it to offer longer weaving distances. The scenario is different in roundabouts in the sense that the entering traffic will yield to the overall circulating traffic. This is one of the reasons why roundabouts are more efficient than rotaries during times of heavy traffic. Also in this connection, weaving distances are not that necessary, which is why roundabouts are created to become smaller circular intersections than rotaries.
 
The next advantage of a roundabout design is its deflection. This circle creates a form of deflection area around the so-called “central island” (the area formed by the inner circle of the intersection) which helps control the vehicles’ speed. In so doing, accidents are reduced significantly. This deflection also creates traffic gaps that make it easier for other vehicles to enter the intersection. By contrast, the rotary seems to have an inconsistent design which permits high-speed traffic. The fast-entry traffic also narrows the gap which leads to serious high-speed accidents.
 



In roundabouts, there is what you call the flare design. This allows for an improved traffic capacity at the intersection. With the flare, the intersecting streets need not be wide, thus saving the government’s need for more land and money. Because of the poor entry traffic condition in rotaries, the flare may be useless in such an intersection. Thus, rotaries need to have wider streets in-between the circles which is actually an additional setback for both land and money.
 
Summary:
 
1.Roundabouts are more modern and efficient than rotaries.
2.A gridlock is more common in a rotary style circular intersection.
3.Rotaries have bigger circular intersections and offer longer weaving distances.
4.There are fewer accidents (lower crash rates) happening in roundabout intersections than in rotaries.
5.The intersecting streets in a roundabout are usually narrower.

[lena6]

Thank you.