Roundabout route may be best

Since the Montana Department of Transportation announced plans to build a roundabout at the intersection of West Reserve Drive and Stillwater Road, Breta Duncan has spoken to more than one upset caller demanding to speak to a supervisor.

"Why are we putting in a roundabout?" they ask. "Whose idea of a good time is this?"

But the roundabout won't be there for fun, Duncan said. It will be there because it's a safe way to move traffic through a four-way intersection.

Duncan, the Transportation Department's Kalispell-area engineering officer, explained the basics of a roundabout to about 15 women Thursday at a brown-bag meeting at Kalispell Junior High School. The meeting was open to junior-high parents and the public.

Roundabouts are a relatively new feature on Montana streets, but thanks to a resolution passed by the 2005 state Legislature, more are expected in the future. The resolution states that the Department of Transportation "be encouraged to construct more roundabouts instead of signalized, right-angle intersections."

One reason for this, Duncan said, is safety. Roundabouts reduce fatal accidents at intersections by 90 percent, according to Department of Transportation data. Injury accidents decline by 76 percent at roundabouts, largely because vehicles tend to receive glancing blows instead of getting T-boned.

Roundabouts are safer for pedestrians, too, she said. Instead of crossing two lanes of traffic, pedestrians cross one to reach a center island, and then cross from the island to the other side when the way is clear.

Because they're safe for pedestrians, many roundabouts are being built near schools across the nation, Duncan said.

The Reserve Loop roundabout, which should be finished before school starts this fall, is expected to improve safety at an already busy intersection for Glacier High School students.

Roundabouts benefit the environment as well, she said, by eliminating idling vehicles, thereby reducing pollution.

Keeping traffic flowing also should decrease commute times. Roundabouts increase traffic capacity by 30 percent to 50 percent, according to the Department of Transportation.

"The whole idea behind a roundabout is everyone keeps moving," she said. "We're able to keep moving and get on home."

Many people Duncan has spoken with are worried the new roundabout will look like the one in front of Costco. That comparison frustrated her until she decided to use the Costco roundabout as a negative example.

That circle is vague, small, poorly signed and poorly designed, she said. Cars can - and do - drive straight through it or turn left without following the curve, in part because there are no clear signs instructing drivers what to do.

The Reserve Loop roundabout will be much easier to navigate, Duncan said.

"I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the one that we're going to put down there," she said.

There will be center islands in the roads to force incoming traffic to go right, ensuring a proper counterclockwise flow. That and an attractively landscaped, raised center should prevent vehicles from driving incorrectly through the intersection.

At the Costco roundabout, "you can shoot straight through," Duncan said. "This is designed to make you go on a curve."

With a 150-foot diameter, the Reserve Loop roundabout will be three times larger than the one at Costco, she said, so large trucks will be able to travel through it safely. Lanes will be 22 feet wide, and an additional, 11-foot ring of raised concrete, called a truck apron, will create even more room for large vehicles pulling trailers.

The roundabout also will have many signs instructing drivers how to navigate the circle, Duncan said. "I can almost guarantee that our roundabout is going to look like there's a forest around it."

Signs will direct people to slow down when approaching the intersection. The speed limit at the Reserve Loop roundabout will probably be 20 mph, Duncan said, adding that the low speed limit gives drivers more time to react to other cars and pedestrians. This makes the roundabout safer than a straight-angle intersection for seniors and novice drivers, she said.

When a vehicle reaches the intersection, it must yield to traffic already circling the roundabout. If the way is clear, the driver turns right and drives around the center circle until reaching the correct exit.

To make what would be a simple left-hand turn at a typical intersection, for example, the driver would travel three-fourths of the way around the roundabout until reaching the correct outlet. Vehicles may make a U-turn by driving a complete circle around the roundabout.

Drivers approaching the intersection must pull over to the right to allow emergency vehicles to pass. Those already in the roundabout should drive until reaching their desired exit, then pull over.

Duncan directed drivers who want to see roundabout traffic in action to a live Web cam at a Canadian intersection.

The camera is available at www.ourston.com.

More information also is available at www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/roundabouts.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.