Since there's a possibility of some roundabouts coming to Davenport in the future, and some people talking about what they are and aren't, I thought I'd post a few videos from the Washington State DOT that do a pretty good job of explaining how they work, why they work, and how to use them. The only example of a roundabout in the QC area that I know of is in Bettendorf at the intersection of Middle Road and 53rd Avenue, seen in the image above. Two of the possible places suggested at the meeting last week in Davenport were the intersections of 46th and Eastern, and 46th and Jersey Ridge. To me, the two biggest pluses of roundabouts are that most people never have to come to a complete stop when going through them, and the hugely decreased chance of a head on or T-bone crash.Here are a few videos that I think do an excellent job of explaining these intersections (that most Midwesterners are unfamiliar with) in a total of only 5 minutes.
Part one is called "Roundabouts - What they are, and what they aren't"
Part 2 is called "Roundabouts - How do I drive a roundabout?"
And here are links to the last 3 parts:
Part 3: Pedestrians and cyclists
Part 4: Safety benefits
Part 5: What does this mean for me?
6 comments:
In a round about way on 46th lets tear up a neighbor, demolish some houses, spent some money, do the Davenport thing. Round and round we go.
I wouldn't have a problem with a roundabout if a road was conceived as one from its inception, but these idealistic city planners want to cram a square peg into a round hole. It's like a new toy for them...they see pictures of them elsewhere, and now they have to have one too. The problem is that most of the ones I've seen were designed from the outset as roundabouts, not forced to fit into a less than ideal spot.
Both of the spots have quite a bit of right of way, but I'm also curious if the corner homes would be affected. Everyone on 46th is going to be affected when they finally connect it between Brady and Eastern, but that's bound to happen someday with or without roundabouts.
All of the adjacent corner lots in these two locations would be affected by roundabouts, and property would almost certainly have to be acquired; those intersections wouldn't be big enough for a roundabout as they are now configured. And I doubt that you'll see 46th St. extended to Eastern during Malin's tenure as CA, since he seems to be a big fan of tree-filled neighborhoods and less a fan of efficient traffic flows.
Not a big fan of roundabouts. They require a lot of real estate. They only seem to work when they are designed from the conception of the project.
What we really need is the speed limit to be changed on 46th street.
What were they thinking when the changed it to 25mph?
It should be 15 to 20mph from Elmore to NW Blvd. After all there are many elderly drivers that live on that street. How are they to get from their driveways to the street with near highway speeds of 25mph in front of their homes? Also, where are the sidewalks?
You think 46th Street should be 15-20 miles hour?? Your crazy, we are driving cars, not bikes. Lets take it to 40-45 mph and move traffic.
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