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How do you feel about roundabouts? I recognize you may have never encountered one on LI.
Where I live now in the SW they are ripping out traffic lights at intersections and building them. The city saves on maintenance costs after a roundabout is set up, and no long, LONG infuriating red lights to annoy you. Drivers save on gas because their cars won't be idling in one place more than a few seconds, and over time some pollution is reduced.
For a while I was uncomfortable with them, but adjusted to this new thing. I'm still more used to traffic lights at intersections, but can live with it. Change can be good, so I try to embrace it.
LI could use a few of these, or is there nimby rage against them? Maybe LI is too broke to install them, as it takes a couple of millions to set one up. The current road repair frenzy here was made possible by an oil industry windfall, not taxpayer gouging.
What do you think of these roundabout things?
I can think of several off the top of my head, some of these are well known:
- around the Jones Beach water tower (Ocean Pkwy meets Wantagh Pkwy)
- around the Robert Moses water tower on Fire Island
- where the Bethpage State Pkwy ends
- around Islip Town Hall
- outside of Riverhead
- entrance to Heckscher State Park
- Canarsie, Brooklyn
- there are two in Fresh Meadows, Queens
There are actually 3 or 4 circles around Prospect Park in Brooklyn, perhaps including a giant version of a circle called Grand Army Plaza. There is also a small circle at the end of the Sunken Meadow (in Sunken Meadow State Park).
How do you feel about roundabouts? I recognize you may have never encountered one on LI.
Where I live now in the SW they are ripping out traffic lights at intersections and building them. The city saves on maintenance costs after a roundabout is set up, and no long, LONG infuriating red lights to annoy you. Drivers save on gas because their cars won't be idling in one place more than a few seconds, and over time some pollution is reduced.
For a while I was uncomfortable with them, but adjusted to this new thing. I'm still more used to traffic lights at intersections, but can live with it. Change can be good, so I try to embrace it.
LI could use a few of these, or is there nimby rage against them? Maybe LI is too broke to install them, as it takes a couple of millions to set one up. The current road repair frenzy here was made possible by an oil industry windfall, not taxpayer gouging.
What do you think of these roundabout things?
There are traffic circles in Riverhead and on Whiskey Rd & Miller Place Rd in Brookhaven.
We have a whole bunch on LI.
Especially out by me on the east end.
They don't really mesh well with the LI mentality because there is a degree of courtesy and patience involved, which is non existent on LI.
Another thing, the rules vary by locale. Some states the person already in the circle has the right of way, others it's the opposite.
That's why they can be a horror show by me with all of the out of state tourism. That, coupled with the LI arrogant and self centered mentality don't mix well.
Agree. Also don't forget to include that if no one is coming, go the opposite way on the circle because its quicker to go that way then to go 3/4 around the circle the correct way.
Agree. Also don't forget to include that if no one is coming, go the opposite way on the circle because its quicker to go that way then to go 3/4 around the circle the correct way.
I'll just go straight in that case. I have a large gas guzzling 4x4 so I just barrel right over that stupid circular median.
There are two indisputable facts here. Roundabouts do improve traffic flow vs. a traffic light in most situations and a large portion of Long Islanders can't properly use the ones we do have (for whatever reason). Utilizing them more would have tremendous long term benefits, but we would experience short term pain as everyone adjusted to the new standard.
Would never work with the rudest people and the crsppiest drivers in the neighborhood. Do you think anyone is going to volutarily give the driver already in the circle the right of way. All I could picture is road rage and plenty of fights. I vote for the red lights. We need them. At least it’s cut and dry, yet people don’t respect them either.
We don't have them because people are too stupid to use them properly, for the most part. Much like proper lane usage, roundabout use doesn't seem to be taught in driver's ed here, at least not sufficiently. Which is a shame since they're so much better than traffic lights in most situations.
A few years back I went upstate following a route I've used many times, and found that a town between Poughkeepsie and the Taconic had replaced all their traffic lights with roundabouts. Never been so quick and painless to get through that area before. But this was a relatively simple setup, single-lane roundabouts with only light to moderate traffic in the area - I could envision a few multi-lane circles along Hempstead Tpk being a disaster during at rush hour.
I think they're great when the stoopid idiots know how to navigate them. If used as designed they work excellent. Traffic moves, everyone gets in and on their way instead of hanging around for red lights and such.
But, the average driver is way too dumb, or arrogamt, to use them properly.
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