On the other hand, I'm starting to notice that there are a number of things about this country that just work really, really well. So well, in fact, that I think it's a real shame that we Americans can't raise our heads just a bit and take notice that there are other ways of doing things, and those ways are actually better. First, we really must figure out how to introduce this roundabout concept as widely as possible, because it's actually brilliant. I think about this every morning as I take John to school because to get there I have to pass through a very small and very, very busy intersection. This intersection is sandwiched between a centuries-old tavern with exterior walls that are only about 18" away from the side of the road, and between an even older town gate that consists of a central arch about the width of a small car, set between two octagonal towers. There are four roads that converge at this point, though none of the roads meet each other at a 90 degree angle. One of these roads, the one that passes under the town gate, is actually one way, going away from the intersection, but that still doesn't mean that a surprising amount of traffic passes through this intersection each morning. And yet, because it's a mini-roundabout, the traffic passes through efficiently and one has to wait at the intersection for a few seconds at most, even during the busiest part of the morning "rush."
I notice this because, at home in Hamilton, I live just north of a very busy intersection as well. Folks from Hamilton call it the "five-way" because it's a crossroads in which two roads converge and a third begins. So, there are five points of entry/exit into the intersection. It's an enormous intersection, and it's governed by traffic lights that work in a three-part cycle. So, one of the roads has a green light while the other two roads have a red. That guarantees a substantial wait time for any car that comes upon the intersection, and an especially long wait time for any pedestrian trying to figure out how to cross the intersection. In fact, the wait time for pedestrians is so long that even the most well-meaning of them eventually give up and just cross against the red light, probably assuming that it's all just malfunctioning. Folks in Hamilton complain about the intersection constantly, and a good deal of time and money has been thrown at the problem in previous decades, with one study after another commissioned on how to address the issue and fix the intersection. Each study comes up with a different solution, and each solution seems to suggest some small fix that might moderately speed or clear things up. Every solution comes with an enormous cost that Hamilton can't afford, and so the suggestion goes on the shelf with all the others, and folks continue to complain.
I see from living here that the obvious and clear solution to the Hamilton "five-way" is to put in a mini-roundabout. I know I'm not the only one to think that. But, when it's mentioned, someone will say something about how the intersection is too small to fit a roundabout as per DOT regulations, and we all just shrug our shoulders and move on. I don't know what the DOT regulations are, or if a mini-roundabout is even permitted in the U.S, but after seeing this one outside my house here, I KNOW one will fit. I'm quite tempted to measure the darn thing and bring the numbers back to the village administration. So, if you see some kind of click-bait on the web in the next weeks about an American woman who was run over while trying to measure a roundabout intersection in the UK, it's probably about me.
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| The vast "five way" intersection in Hamilton |
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| An especially arty depiction of the wee roundabout between the Whey Pat Tavern (shown) and the West Port Gate. |
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