Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Roundabouts in Newton I

Where could we use roundabouts in Newton? Let's start with the three corners of the City Hall triangle, Comm. Ave. at Homer/Lowell, Comm. Ave. at Walnut, and Walnut at Homer.

  • Improve traffic flow
  • Reduce the risk of accidents
  • Provide better pedestrian and bicycle accommodation

Of course, those three factors are not site-specific, so add:

  • Improve an intersection -- Comm. Ave. and Homer/Lowell -- where a young man died
  • Provide high-visibility commitment to test the merits of roundabouts -- you can't get any higher visibility than City Hall
  • Deal better with the awkward way Homer and Walnut meet Fenno
  • Add a little wrinkle to future Boston Marathons

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

All bow to the great and glorious traffic wizard. He will now fix an intersection where someone died.
I wouldn't be counting your election votes yet. Many happy preachings to you.

Anonymous said...

Just how are roundabouts better for pedestrians than traditional intersections?