by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
At its July 21 meeting, the Sanibel City Council instructed City Manager Dana Souza to prepare ballot language to ask voters whether to move forward with a roundabout.
The single-lane and two-lane roundabout concepts for the Causeway Boulevard, Periwinkle Way, and Lindgren Boulevard intersection
Council members discussed the wording of the advisory referendum. The City Council has previously determined that an advisory referendum serves a valid public purpose by providing the electorate with an opportunity to express its opinion on this significant transportation matter before the City Council makes its final decision.
The advisory referendum is intended solely to obtain the opinion of the electorate. It does not authorize the construction of a roundabout, appropriate funds for such construction, or otherwise bind the City Council to any future legislative or budgetary action.
Council narrowed it down to two choices, and the matter will come before Council again at its September 14 meeting.
“What I want is for the citizens to make the decision whether we have a roundabout or not,” said Council member Richard Johnson. “If they say no, you will never hear me bring it up again.”
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No Roundabout. Most drivers do not know how to deal with this. Better to have a full stop before driving on into and out of the island.
What counsel members are being paid to try to push this idiotic idea through??
why can’t We be honest about this project. People are roughly ten to one against it so why don’t we just drop the whole thing and save some money. After all the money wasted on studying this project wouldn’t that be the prudent thing to do. Why are we still pretending that some people want this and going ahead with all these preparations and a vote. Do the right thing, kill the project and move on. Thanks, Jim weyant
YES Roundabout! I have 30 years of experience driving in Europe 3 months of every year. I have lived through the entire transition period from stop signs/lights to roundabouts everywhere, in small and large towns.
In my area, which is the French equivalent of Sanibel, roundabouts have made huge improvements to very heavy seasonal traffic flow, with no major downsides that I have seen. Wherever there are still traffic lights, the traffic backs up for miles in season, but not at roundabouts. I hear no complaints about them, and the French complain about everything.
My American guests who have never used them before are always surprised at how easy it is to adapt to them. They make intersections safer, not more dangerous, for all users. While they make traffic slow up just a little bit and pay better attention at that spot, they keep the traffic moving better.
One-lane ones can be put in even very tight spaces, much smaller than the Periwinkle intersection. They can be designed in a way that allows even very big vehicles to make it through. And the Periwinkle intersection is ideal, because most heavy traffic is proceeding in the same direction at any given time of day. Even when the traffic is heavy, the design creates breaks so that people coming from other directions can get into the roundabout. The only time I see backups at roundabouts is when they are two-lane ones — getting into those is harder.
Clearly the system we have is not working. I think we should try a solution that has a proven safety and efficacy track record in Europe.