Let's Improve US-41 & University! Add a Roundabout!

[d4g4m]

Problem with the Jacaranda/Venice circle. It's too small. The county traffic engineer decided 'we need a roundabout'. 'Lets experiment with an intersection in Venice'. But the ridiculous cost of $3.2 million negated buying additional property to make it a size to work and the county didn't want to get involved with eminent domain. When you take an existing intersection for a circle, it isn't going to work. When you take a 2 lane road with 2 left turn lanes and try to make it a circle, it's even worse.
If you think The Trail/University is bad now, just wait for when you have to go around a circle at that location.
I remember years ago someone suggested that The Trail at Ringling/Gulf Stream become a circle. What were they smoking? With all the small circles on Honore [single lane road] between Fruitville/Bee Ridge, why wasn't a circle installed at Bahia Vista??? Bee Ridge, east of I-75 is being widened. There won't be a circle at Mauna Loa, New traffic light pole supports are being installed.

[macrodome2]

Originally Posted by d4g4m

Problem with the Jacaranda/Venice circle. It's too small. The county traffic engineer decided 'we need a roundabout'. 'Lets experiment with an intersection in Venice'. But the ridiculous cost of $3.2 million negated buying additional property to make it a size to work and the county didn't want to get involved with eminent domain. When you take an existing intersection for a circle, it isn't going to work. When you take a 2 lane road with 2 left turn lanes and try to make it a circle, it's even worse.
If you think The Trail/University is bad now, just wait for when you have to go around a circle at that location.
I remember years ago someone suggested that The Trail at Ringling/Gulf Stream become a circle. What were they smoking? With all the small circles on Honore [single lane road] between Fruitville/Bee Ridge, why wasn't a circle installed at Bahia Vista??? Bee Ridge, east of I-75 is being widened. There won't be a circle at Mauna Loa, New traffic light pole supports are being installed.

My point exactly. And it's only going to get worse. The new Neal community- Villages at Milano, adds 700 homes north of the circle on Jacaranda and whatever is being built on Venice Ave/River Rd west of the circle will add more. Many more people trying to navigate that circle. This is by no means a "safe, modern roundabout" but a kludged up circle.

[loves2read]

Apparently using "circles/round-abouts" is just the coolist new trend in road designers' world...
they are doing the same thing in my local area in north TX/DFW -- and frankly the new ones are just stupid...
there is one traffic circle which has been around for decades and on what was originally a lightly used local two-lane-both-ways road...
Now that area has grown up and traffic is much heavier--especially at times when nearest school has traffic dropping off and picking up, it is much tricky-er to use the traffic circle--
but it is large and fairly simple in its design--no funny exits or entrances...so it still works...

there is another intersection--much more highly traveled and requiring two city entities to agree about what to do since it is on border of two towns--
they didn't really enlarge the intersection and it will be a cluster-you-know-what...
There was a 4 way stop there ever since the roads were in business--why they felt a traffic circle was better than a stop light w/turn lanes came because they didn't want to buy the extra land to add the extra lanes---very expensive intersection now--
could have done it even 5 yrs ago for reasonable amount...

traffic circles in Florida--at least in this area--means you are bringing Mexico City north IMO