Dear editor,
A roundabout is not answer for the Ryan/Lerwick intersection.
Without stoplights and crosswalks, how will pedestrians get across Ryan or Lerwick?
There are already pedestrians in the area with North Island College, the aquatic centre, the area’s retail and residential development. It will only be greater with the hospital and other growth planned in the area.
I think the letter writers calling for a roundabout at Ryan and Lerwick have never actually had to use a roundabout in a high-traffic zone.
There used to be a roundabout called the Micmac Rotary in Dartmouth, N.S. The policemen would arrive before rush hour every weekday and spend hours directing vehicles to try and keep the traffic moving.
The truth is, roundabouts do not work in a high-traffic area.
In 1992 after spending six years away, I arrived in Dartmouth by airport cab. I knew we would be going partway around the Micmac Rotary area rush hour on a Friday.
I was not paying attention to the drive when I suddenly realized we were not reducing speed but had passed the rotary at 80 km/h. As I looked back, I saw the rotary was gone and in its place was overpasses.
I think an underpass for Ryan Road might fit in the current roadway area. Yes, they are extremely expensive. Red-light cameras would be cheaper.
The Colosseum in Rome is not a roundabout. A person cannot drive on the west side, as there is no road, only a cobblestone footpath. On the remaining three sides with streets, there are two sets of stoplights.
Piccadilly Circus is also not a roundabout; you cannot drive around it. Piccadilly Circus has stoplights, not yield signs on every street, most of which are one way, into it.
Trafalgar Square, ironically named, is indeed a roundabout but it also has stoplights on every street leading into it. Check Google street level for yourself.
Nina Usherwood,
Comox
