Engineers designed this, and a construction crew built it.
But it is not functioning well, nor is it functioning properly.
It is too small, and it is not properly centered. Westbound/Southbound traffic is essentially going straight through the roundabout because they barely have to swerve a little to get all the way through the circle. There have been a number of fender-benders already. When it even marginally functions, it slows traffic to a crawl as folks are using it essentially as a three-way stop. Because the circle is too small.
I spent three days out in Perdido watching the cars try to navigate the roundabout and it is readily apparent it is not working. I see tire marks all through the middle of the circle where trucks just plow right through it.
In an effort to alleviate this issue, we have reduced speed limits and even recently added rumble strips.
Now folks are upset about the rumble strips because they are effective at slowing cars down.
We added signs, the signs have been knocked down. The plants in the middle are dying and look bad. The whole thing is, to use a colloquialism, an epic fail.
So I am tired of tweaking at the margin and trying to put lipstick on this pig. I've received major backlash on social media, angry emails, and phone calls. Enough.
Here's the way I see it. Sometimes the folks that engineer stuff get it wrong. Look at the Elon Musk Starship that keeps on exploding during the launches. Sometimes the engineers get it wrong and it is obvious. As is the case with the Roundabout.
So I'm going to solve it once and for all.
I've asked the engineering department to bring two concepts and we will implement the one that is the best, most cost-effective solution.
1. Cost to enlarge the roundabout to an appropriate size, and to center it properly so that all three roads are entering the circle at a center point.
2. Cost to demolish the roundabout, and add a traffic signal.
Least expensive option will be implemented. (Subject to a BCC vote)
To those that love the roundabout--I say this. "We tried, it hasn't worked."
To those that hate the roundabout--I say this "We'll enlarge and center it and make it work, or we will put a traffic signal there."
12 comments:
And if Kohler goes down the path it seems like he's going, shilling for the Beach in the absence of a D4 Commissioner, he'll be talking roundabout out there again in no time.
Which is part of the problem with somebody who has no concept of recent County history. Anybody advocating for that again at this point is either (a) foolish; or (b) devious. Because anyone watching meetings at that time would be well aware that I forced the engineer at Volkert to admit that the roundabout was going to fail on any given Saturday during season. And when the board asked them what then, the answer was "you didn't pay us for an emergency plan." To which I said, "Here, I'll save another 300k on the study, the emergency plan is to have deputies out there directing traffic all day every weekend." That roundabout has never been about moving cars. It's purpose is to herd pedestrians to particular places.
The reason we didn't raise a stink about the roundabout on the Key is that it seemed like it might work out there because there should have been enough room for it. But with Doug more concerned with kick backs than constituents, voila the absurd scrunched up result. If David Forte had still been the special traffic manager, that roundabout would NOT have happened like that.
So happy, but not surprised, you are keeping your word to your constituents about fixing that mess if necessary. And also for handling Kohler on his Blue Angel machinations this morning. That guy is such a menace. Now comes the part where people see I wasn't politicking when I said he'd bring far worse results than Doug, if allowed. Because he's just as big a liar, and stupid to boot.
Ah yes, the roundabout- the one accomplishment of the previous D2 Commissioner. I move that this traffic feature be named the Douglas Underhill Highway 292 Roundabout and that the county erect a plaque in its center to name it.
I don't know exactly about the engineers design on this but I suspect Underhill, in a genius in his own mind, designed it and told them what to do. And they felt they had to comply.
Same as the living shoreline in Navy Point. His kid did an Eagle Scout project with oyster shells. He posts it on facebook, and then he dreams up the idea for the other shoreline in his district, forces employees to do it his way.
Anybody with a keyboard could look them up and find info on livingshores. You don't put the oyster shell on a sandy beach. Look at the fallout for Melissa Pino pointing that out. I'm glad it's it's gone. Epic fail.
Has anyone thanked her?
Thank you Melissa. And Commissioner Bergosh.
Now this.
Wait til the hurricane and the decision to make that a county road... not smart.
Thanks for continuing to clean up the failures of Underhill.
Kohler would not have had the background to clean this up as well as the beach access issues perpetuated by Underhill.
The redistricting was important and that why it passed unanimously.
Also on the subject. It was the right thing to do to rotate the new guy, Kohler to have the chairman ship later, after he had a bit of time to adjust.
Melissa you did well on the roundabout for Pensacola Beach also.
Re:
Pensacola Beach Roundabout.
Or C)
Gullible.
It was a design that would beautify the area, allow for walkability
With absolutely no regard for handling traffic really.
If they do want to watch the old video. They guys in the background are funny.
Wait, is it “The Perdido Key Roundabout is built. It works as designed. I was at Perdido Key yesterday and it was functioning smoothly.”, or “it is not functioning well, nor is it functioning properly.”? 🤔
Least expensive solution is often not the best.
As a rideshare driver who navigates Pensacola and PK frequently I'd like to suggest using the ' wasteland ' right next to the roundabout as the west bound-no slow lane to AL/OB and GS. No need for lights. The RB causes back up to NAS backgate. The light at pk/GB needs extending back another 300 feet to accommodate west left turn traffic with smart change lights for BA practice days and you got this Jeff + Votes !!!!
The roundabout helps slow down traffic which is good for pedestrians. What's really wrong with it?
One of the major design flaws for use when yielding Westbound as you enter the circle and then the pedestrian crossing on the exit of the circle causing ones vehicle to stop in tracks in the circle?
Just install some portable toilets in the center of the roundabout and call it done.
The roundabout is fine. Fender benders happen in traditional parking lots all the time and yet we they’re still the best solution.
Now that we have a bike path running along the road, doing anything that increases speed will make using that path much more treacherous. No matter what you do, as long as we have a two lane road, traffic will be a problem during peak times. The other 99% of the time it’s fine. Occasionally annoying, but rarely a minor issue.
The pivot is an obvious pander for votes. However, whatever you propose will be yet another bandaid, cost taxpayers more money, and instead of fender benders, we’ll return to seeing much more serious accidents and no doubt, fatalities.
11:54: The circle is not big enough, period. People that love roundabouts know it, folks that hate them know it. I'd suspect you know that too, Doug. When one peels the onion back, researches it, watches the way it works, it becomes crystal clear. I'm now finding out this solution was shoe-horned in--even though the size was inadequate and folks knew that. So no, listening to experts and citizens and doing independent research is not pandering, it is actually called fixing stuff so they work optimally. Which is what I am going to do here at this intersection.
@ 11:54, you're right this roundabout works 95% of the time. A single lane road each direction is always going to produce the same results of backed up vehicles during peak periods of traffic whether you have traffic signals, rounds abouts or stop signs. Traffic backed up when there was no device to slow traffic west or east bound. Interesting as I have watched it for many days at many hours of the days and it works quite well considering it is undersized which I don't think anyone with common sense will dispute that fact. It should have been bigger, but it isn't. However, the solution is not always to keep throwing taxpayer dollars to a project especially given that it does function well for its size and will save lives as it slows the traffic. You could make it a 300-foot radius and you can't stop the idiot that doesn't know how to drive a roundabout and snarls the traffic, but you can spend another $2M in taxpayer dollars and still have the same results GUARANTEED!
Post a Comment