I have seen the future… and I’m going to share it with you, esteemed readers, in my typical roundabout way.
Quite simply, we’re going to get more roundabouts (also known as traffic circles). Oh, I know these new(ish) road patterns can be a bit tricky when you first encounter one, see below. It’s not my intent to explain here how to navigate them. And I’ll admit, they’ll not likely be a major feature in our rural communities, a term applicable to maybe 75 of our 99 Iowa counties (rough estimate) for quite some time. But most of us have ready access to cars, and we drive for business and shopping, for events and visiting friends and family… meaning travels, even for us in rural areas, take us in and out of population centers.
So, get ready. The “roundabouting” of our nearby world is about to happen, to the extent it hasn’t already. It’s not a particularly bold prediction. Here’s why: when compared to conventional intersections…
--Roundabouts reduce fatal and serious injury car crashes. Significantly.
--Roundabouts are safer for pedestrians. Significantly.
--Roundabouts are safer for bicyclers. Significantly (although somewhat less so).
--Roundabouts improve traffic flow through congested intersections. Significantly.
--Roundabouts are more cost effective. Significantly.
--Roundabouts are more environmentally friendly. Significantly.
These reasons make roundabouts inevitable, wise, and appropriate. Let’s look briefly at that last claim, environmentally friendliness. Roundabouts reduce pollution from vehicles not waiting at traffic signals, reduce fuel consumption, and minimize traffic noise, while generally using less land than traditional intersections, since turning lanes aren’t required.
But probably the most compelling reason for roundabouts: a decline in injury crashes. According to a Minnesota DOT administrative engineer, “After we install a roundabout, we typically see an 80- to 90-percent reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes, versus before conditions.” Significant. According to experts, safety is often the result of lower speeds. There's a 90 percent chance of survival after being hit at 20 miles per hour; at 40 mph, chances shrink to 10 percent. Hugely significant!
So, the tale of two states. Minnesota, population 5.7 million people, is now two-plus decades into roundabouts, the very first being at Medford, just off Interstate 35, between Owatonna and Faribault. There are now just under 500 roundabouts in Minnesota. Iowa, however, population 3.2 million, has “about 60”. In the Cedar Rapids / Marion community alone, there are 23, with more envisioned. Trust me – they’re coming. Iowa has been slow on this. I’ll let you decide whether this is good or bad.
I do vividly recall my first roundabout experience, now about 35 years ago, our first trip to London. We rented a car and drove out into the country for the weekend. We were headed back into the city… as was every other vehicle in England. Sadly, this was long before a disengaged voice would patiently guide a harried driver through directional twists and turns. It was dusk, moving swiftly toward darkness.
I’m at the wheel, Paula beside me, map in hand, staring intently at small print in dim light. To heighten our challenge, our beloved British colleagues decided ages ago to place the steering wheel on the right side of the auto while stubbornly insisting it be driven on the left side of the road. Furthermore, standard transmission must have still been a novelty in England; our vehicle had manual transmission.
This is all background for coming upon our first roundabouts. I suppose there were ten, each between four and eight lanes, that we somehow managed to navigate in wending our way back to the hotel. After practicing on the first half-dozen, I became quite accomplished, ha. (Well, significantly improved.) Suffice to say, we lived to tell, no personal nor vehicular damage incurred. Perhaps my clearest recollection was the immense surge of relief upon arrival at our destination.
The upshot: If I can make this transition, then so can all Iowans enduring the inevitable roundabouting of our state. I’m ready. Are you?
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I’m pleased to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. My colleagues:
I’m really liking roundabouts when I encounter them. Any idea what the smallest town in Iowa is that has one?
A quote from your column on roundabouts:
"But we all have access to cars, and we drive for business and shopping, for events and visiting friends and family… meaning travels, even for us in rural areas, take us in and out of population centers."
No. No to every word. But only for some of us. No doubt, everyone you know in St. Ansgar would agree with you, at least to an extent. But my social media are crammed with pleas from people my age, now alone, asking if anyone can help them get a ride to the dump, to the doctor or dentist, to a friend They have no living relatives. They have visual, hearing, or other physical impairments that make driving impossible. While there are substitutes such as Lyft, Uber, buses and cabs, they aren't particularly useful when what you want is a quick ride to a necessary service (and back again) or transportation to see a friend who has just notified you that she's going into Hospice care-- in another county. You know that you will never see her again, if you don't find a ride before she moves.
Just recently, a man asked on social media if anyone had leftover supplies of wet cat food. He had a physical impairment that made leaving his apartment impossible, at least temporarily. Yes, he could have signed up for some grocery delivery, but his injury was, evidently, quite new. Deliveries leave the food at your door; he lived on the second floor and hadn't figured out a way yet to get downstairs. Like many of us, he had no relatives left in the area (or the state of Iowa, for that matter). His close friends had died. So this was his last try. Fortunately, he received several answers and lots of canned cat food, plus some new friends. I hope they will make sure the supply continues.
A friend of mine lived alone in a large house. As she approached her 85th birthday, she began to leave the house totally unlocked all night. Obviously, that was risky. However, she explained, it was necessary because when she fell at night (almost every night) she could punch a button on her watch and police or firefighters would come to help her stand up again. They couldn't get into the house if it was locked. Her unused car sat outside.
I do have access to transportation. I have friends. I am extremely lucky and thankful for it. I'll be happy, if you just take "all" out or your statement about access, and bring all my friends who have no access into this good column.
Anne Tanner