Mar 15 2011
Opinion: Proposed Mini-Roundabouts Create Liability
A letter submitted on Mini-Roundabouts and impact on bicyclists
View proposed Roundabout and Mini-Roundabout
(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)
Whether Blair Park is developed or not, I’d actually like to see a 3-way stop sign or stop lights at Maxwelton. I was out there yesterday evening around 6pm and the speed of the traffic coming from Oakland was amazing. The Piedmont traffic heading up the hill was slower. I attibute that to our lower speed limits in town.
A 3-way stop sign will not work unless the city is prepared to aggressively enforce it. We have a 3-way stop at Hampton and Estates that is almost never enforced– downhill drivers routinely run the sign at 40 mph, without even a courtesy tap on the brakes. Uphill drivers do not speed to the same extent for the simple reason that gravity is against them. A 3-way stop on Maxwelton would be a major accident waiting to happen without consistent and strict enforcement.