03-06-2008, 10:13 AM
At Councilwoman Naeole's first service fair in Pahoa, I talked to some of the DOT guys about roundabouts. Apparently there had been some political pressure to try one, and they even had a diagram of one for Kahakai, but their attitude was entirely negative. They told me that the local drivers did not have the necessary merging skills to negotiate roundabouts and that there would be multiple accidents while they learned, that is if they ever did. When I pointed out that the accidents, if indeed there were some, would be at lower speeds and far less likely to be head-on or t-bone, they just looked at me.
I have dealt with roundabouts in the UK and initially did not like them, but have changed my opinion about them over time. While they are not a panacea for our sort of traffic problems, they are worth trying. Why? Because if we are not going to end up with our own little LA or Atlanta, we need to try something different. In my perverse little world, the fact that the DOT doesn't seem to like them is a BIG reason to give them a try. I don't see how they could make things any worse.
Cheers,
Jerry
I have dealt with roundabouts in the UK and initially did not like them, but have changed my opinion about them over time. While they are not a panacea for our sort of traffic problems, they are worth trying. Why? Because if we are not going to end up with our own little LA or Atlanta, we need to try something different. In my perverse little world, the fact that the DOT doesn't seem to like them is a BIG reason to give them a try. I don't see how they could make things any worse.
Cheers,
Jerry