I want to move to Alaska but I want to know more

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Here's some info from the Washington State DOT that includes an overview of safety and expense.

WSDOT - Roundabout Benefits

Well, the roundabouts is North Pole make a lot of money, but for police.

In my view they are a waste of money, at least the ones in North Pole. Now we have traffic jambs in the early morning when people drive to work (to Eielson AFB, Fairbanks, and the city of North Pole). The one at UAF works very well, but I have no idea if it saves money or not.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

Well, the roundabouts is North Pole make a lot of money, but for police.

In my view they are a waste of money, at least the ones in North Pole. Now we have traffic jambs in the early morning when people drive to work (to Eielson AFB, Fairbanks, and the city of North Pole). The one at UAF works very well, but I have no idea if it saves money or not.

When I first moved to Alaska there was not a single roundabout anywhere in the State. Now, suddenly, they have been popping up all over the place. I want to know why, and more importantly, who is the moron that is responsible for this massive stupidity?

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by tmcmillin2001

A tax that actually went back down?!?! I don't understand... I am very confused right now... #lifeinlower48

Wasilla has a unique thing going on... The city limits of Wasilla are actually pretty small and only has about 8,000 people. But withing a 10 mile radius, there's more like 50,000 people. A lot those do their shopping in Wasilla, and pay the sales tax. So we draw sales tax from about 5 times more than who the city has to provide services for. It puts the city in a great spot financially.
Plus we've typically have had mayors and city councils that have been very financially conservative.

So for the library, everyone wanted to see one built, so they were willing to vote the increase, since it was written into the law that the additional 1% went away.

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by Glitch

When I first moved to Alaska there was not a single roundabout anywhere in the State. Now, suddenly, they have been popping up all over the place. I want to know why, and more importantly, who is the moron that is responsible for this massive stupidity?

When they put the first one in at Dowling in Anchorage, I hated it. But the ones they've done here in the Valley on Trunk and the new one at Seldon make sense to me. I like them better than a 4 way stop where you are waiting for some idiot to figure out it's their turn to go...
Studies have shown that accidents at roundabouts are less severe. Instead of getting T-Boned, you just get side swiped. And other studies, including one done on Mythbusters show that they move more traffic through than a 4 way stop.
But, I get that some people don't like them. And I don't use them every day, so maybe I just get lucky that every time I do happen to use one, people are using them correctly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIhiJfN-O2Y

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by AKStafford

When they put the first one in at Dowling in Anchorage, I hated it. But the ones they've done here in the Valley on Trunk and the new one at Seldon make sense to me. I like them better than a 4 way stop where you are waiting for some idiot to figure out it's their turn to go...
Studies have shown that accidents at roundabouts are less severe. Instead of getting T-Boned, you just get side swiped. And other studies, including one done on Mythbusters show that they move more traffic through than a 4 way stop.
But, I get that some people don't like them. And I don't use them every day, so maybe I just get lucky that every time I do happen to use one, people are using them correctly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIhiJfN-O2Y

I agree with you about the four-way stop signs, but there are better ways.

For example, if traffic is typically heavier going north/south than it is going east/west, then a signal light can stay normally green for north/south traffic and be triggered to switch to red when east/west traffic approaches.

With computers at each intersection there is no reason we have to sit and wait a prescribed amount of time, like we have in the past, signal lights can be programmed to change to green automatically if there is no cross traffic.

Roundabouts only succeed in delaying everyone. Whereas if you approach an intersection and the signal light is green, there is no delay.

Traffic accidents may be less severe in roundabouts, but I will wager that they are much more frequent - particularly during the winter.

Have you ever been in a roundabout when a double-trailer semi pulls in at the same time?

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Glitch

When I first moved to Alaska there was not a single roundabout anywhere in the State. Now, suddenly, they have been popping up all over the place. I want to know why, and more importantly, who is the moron that is responsible for this massive stupidity?

You should see the DOT road graders sliding around when plowing snow off the stupid things.

[dolliedeaton]

Originally Posted by zfletch48

i'm 20 years old from Virginia and I have a job right now and I want to save up about $10 to $20,000 before I go up there so when I get there I can use that money to live off until I find a job. I want to know more about Alaska like where are there a lot of jobs? Where can I rent a cabin to live in? and I just want to know really everything about it. I have a 4 wheel drive car right now and I've been wanting to move to Alaska for a while. I just want to know more before I go.

Well, houses are more plentiful than cabins. You might take a subscription to a local newspaper so you can get an idea of what is going on in the location where you want to move. From what I gather, there are a lot of jobs available. I guess it depends on what your skills are. If you have that kind of money I doubt you will have trouble. One thing you might not know. When you purchase furniture you can't take if off the floor. You look at it and wait until it is shipped in. Air mattress and camping things are always helpful. I wouldn't advise trying to move furniture there. The cost is way too much. I would keep the four wheel drive. Move there in the summer (June). You will need two sets of tires, one with studs for winter and also you will have to get your car fixed so you can plug it in so it doesn't freeze in the winter. You might take a trip up there in the winter so you can see what it is like. Everybody loves Alaska in the summer. I generally fly out of either Louisville or Cincinnati, into Chicago and then to Anchorage. That takes 9 hours. I would try to get hooked into a route that goes into Chicago. Try to stay away from Salt Lake and then to Seattle. It takes forever that route. Alaska isn't for everyone. But it sure is for me. And a lot of other people.