By Stephenson Beck
sjb23@email.byu.edu
In order to slow down traffic and increase safety, Provo City has added a number of roundabouts to its neighborhood streets.
'Statistically speaking, roundabouts have a lower accident rate,' said Joseph Howell, a Crime Technician for Provo.
The roundabout at the intersection of 700 East and Center Street has cut its accident rate in half, according to local traffic records.
Since 1995, the intersection has had 30 accidents, but since the construction of the roundabout last fall, there have been only three.
The severity of the accidents has risen, but that should not necessarily be attributed to the roundabout, Howell said.
'The people who get in wrecks are disregarding the traffic signals. To say it's the roundabout's fault is like saying the yellow line on the street made (you) wreck. It doesn't make sense,' Howell said.
Residents who live near the intersection enjoy the convenience the roundabout brings, said Kelli Valdivieso, a BYU graduate from Lakewood, Colo.
'It used to be that my husband would have to wait several minutes in the morning to get across Center Street. It was really hard to get across, but the roundabout slowed down traffic a little,' Valdivieso said.
'They are efficient and they keep traffic down,' said Issac Wagner, a freshman from Essex Junction, Vt., majoring in electrical engineering.
Valdivieso said she doubts drivers follow the rules of the roundabout.
'My main concern is that no one really obeys the law,' she said.
Wagner said Americans just do not know what rules apply as they drive through them.
According to Provo Traffic Engineer Casey Sears, there is no statutory law in Provo established specifically for roundabouts.
Traffic should follow the yield signs, two of which are placed at each of the four entrances, he said.
Some BYU students wonder how a traffic structure that has no laws will be able to decrease accidents.
'I don't know how it would increase safety - if anything it would make it more confusing,' said Alysha Waldron, a junior from Missoula, Mont.
Several Web sites have been created to discuss roundabouts, including Modern Roundabouts, at www.engr.orst.edu.
According to the site, the first safety disadvantage is that 'since roundabouts are unfamiliar to the average driver in the United States, there is likely to be (an) initial period where accidents increase.'
Some BYU students say they have encountered drivers who are not familiar with roundabouts.
'I've had a couple of close calls because they didn't yield,' said Emily Waite, a senior from LaGrande, Ore., majoring in sociology. 'The people on Center think they own the circle.'
Clearwater, Fla. and Brookefield, Wis., have experienced trouble with roundabouts in their cities. The St. Petersburg Times reported that since last December, 300 accidents have been reported for a roundabout in Clearwater, 80 being serious enough to require police reports.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported an incident where Brookfield town residents were protesting a roundabout during a town meeting. In the course of the meeting, there was an accident on the roundabout.
Avoiding situations such as these requires care in selecting the location of a roundabout, Sears said. 'You don't want to put them on your high volume streets.'
The location is needed where two yield signs can be placed at every entrance and the speed limit can be slowed to 15 mph, he said.
Sears said that the intersection at 700 East and Center is Provo's most aggressive push of a roundabout into a traffic setting.
Howell said many students coming from BYU campus go through that intersection, and a way to decrease problems is to make them aware of the roundabout.
'I like the idea of a public service announcement - maybe a public notice for BYU students,' he said.
One disadvantage to building roundabouts is a higher construction cost.
This was not the case for Provo, as a stoplight would have been the more expensive option, Sears said.
'There is an alignment problem, and we would have had to do extensive property changes.'
Provo city has two new roundabouts planned for the future: one at the intersection of 920 South and 200 West, and the other at the intersection of 720 North and 550 West.
Roundabouts do have a few advantages, such as cheaper city maintenance and shorter overall delay. Some students believe their biggest advantage is the fun things that can be done with them.
'It's fun to just drive around them,' Waldron said.