Just fix the roundabout

By JACK REED

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 12, 2000

Approaching the grocery store checkout counter, I heard the end of a conversation between the cashier and two shoppers. "It took me more than an hour," the cashier said. "I won't be driving out there again." The customers nodded in agreement.

"You're talking about the roundabout, aren't you?" I said. They were.

A topic is officially hot when it makes it to the grocery store because it has to beat out "Can you believe these prices?" and "You call these tomatoes?" as conversation starters.

I'll bet the roundabout is also being cussed and discussed at hair salons ("What do Jennifer Lopez's dress at the Grammys and the roundabout have in common?" "They both stop traffic.") and doughnut shops ("Where is everybody today?" "They're investigating fender-benders at the roundabout.")

As for subjects of letters on this page, the roundabout is quickly approaching U.S. 19 as the leading cause of heartburn.

So, when Clearwater City Manager Mike Roberto brushes off complaints about the roundabout as bad drivers or something in the water, he is missing the point.

Look at the numbers: The roundabout has had an accident a day since it opened. Look at the emotions: Many, many people are afraid to drive it and angry at the way their money was spent. Look at the bad publicity: Traffic chaos is challenging sand and sunsets as Clearwater Beach's claim to fame.

The time has come for city commissioners to take control of the situation and say something like this: "Stop making excuses, Mike. While some complaints may be exaggerated, the roundabout is not performing as promised. It is inefficient and dangerous. We want an objective investigation into the problems and a list of fixes, both immediate and longer term. Report back to us on (pick a date in the not too distant future)."

Roberto could start by reading the letters on this page over the past several weeks. Many Times readers make more sense with their constructive criticism of the roundabout than the traffic experts. (The readers have a better sense of humor, as well.)

Consider:

Rules of the road. If a driver can't navigate the roundabout properly without reading a pamphlet first, the city is in trouble. Driver education can be helpful, but vacation spots should have rules of the road simple enough to put on road signs.

Signs. Signs leading to and within the roundabout are woefully inadequate. Signs at European roundabouts are ideal; they are large and show a drawing of the roundabout with its exits clearly marked. Signs could also inform novice roundabout drivers of the basic rules of the road (whenever the city settles on what those are).

Pedestrians. Many residents are still waiting to hear how walking around Clearwater Beach will be made safe and comfortable, especially near the roundabout.

Traffic control. On crowded beach days, the police should control traffic more effectively. There will be times when officers with whistles and reflective vests will be the only thing standing between gridlock and movement.

Alternative transportation. The city's latest effort to get people to park downtown and take a bus or ferry to the beach is a good idea. But unless it is widely advertised and run efficiently, it won't get many takers.

The design. For the volume of traffic, the roundabout appears to be too small, with too many exit and entrance points and lanes that are too narrow. That's an amateur opinion, but one that many of us amateurs hold. (If you don't believe it, compare the Clearwater Beach roundabout experience to the St. Armand's Key roundabout experience.) Because of those flaws, the roundabout's inside lane is either useless or, at best, a gamble.

A permanent fix. Roberto says more parking and "tweaking" will improve traffic movement in the roundabout. Maybe so. But will it be enough of an improvement? City commissioners might have to consider a more permanent (and more expensive) fix. They should consider this common-sense suggestion from several letter writers: Build single lanes that bypass the roundabout by letting traffic flow continuously from the causeway to north beach, from north beach to south beach, and from south beach onto the causeway. That would leave a less-congested roundabout for left turns or traffic moving south to north on the beach.

There are obviously other possibilities and other concerns that should be addressed. The important thing is that Roberto and the commissioners take off their blinders, swallow hard, admit they have a problem and resolve to fix it.

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