Roundabouts safer, more efficient

BY JOHN DECOSTE

jdecoste@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

If the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal has its way, look for more modern roundabouts on Nova Scotia roadways in the future.

The department has announced that two modern roundabouts will be part of the proposed new Granite Drive connector that will link Commercial Street in New Minas to a new Highway 101 exit.

One of the roundabouts will, according to the department, improve safety and traffic flow on Commercial Street near the Kent Co-Op while the other will enhance access to the County Fair Mall and Home Depot.

The first modern roundabout in Kings County was built in Avonport as part of the 101 twinning project between Avonport and Falmouth.

Senior Highway Design Engineer Keith Boddy says the Avonport roundabout is already simplifying traffic flow in the area. “The principal of the L.E. Shaw School tells us he is very excited about the advantages of the roundabout,” he said.

Boddy suggests research has shown that roundabouts are a viable option, even for areas with high traffic volume. He cited added safety for both vehicles and pedestrians, economy in terms of fuel savings and saving on travel time and time spent idling at intersections.

Not rotaries

Boddy said modern roundabouts are not rotaries, which have proven difficult and confusing for many drivers to navigate.

In a roundabout, vehicles “yield on entry, not on merging,” then you simply “follow the circle until you reach your proper exit.”

Traffic flow is circular and promotes slower speeds, particularly in congested traffic areas, with “fewer conflict points.”

The opportunity for head-on collisions is eliminated, as is the possibility of ‘T-bone’ collisions common at regular intersections.

Boddy noted, “there are lots of good studies on roundabouts and how they work. They’re not perfect, or the answer to everything, but we believe they are the answer when appropriate.”

The two roundabouts planned for New Minas, while not part of the highway twinning, will be completed in conjunction with that project, with work on the first of the two commencing this summer.

Both roundabouts have the potential to allow for “a number of different roads to be served by the same intersection” and in a way that is “safer and more efficient for all potential users,” both driving and walking.

As well, in that it will “eliminate the need for another set of traffic signals on Commercial Street,” the plan “is a good news story” for the village, he said.

Boddy added, “this is not an experiment. We feel we have proven evidence that this will be a more efficient option.”

Meanwhile, though, other traffic problems on Commercial Street remain, which is “something we will be continuing to study in the near future.”