It seems the talk has yet to die down about the circle. I bumped into someone who has a poll going on Sun Sentinel.com related to this neighborhood improvement. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. For those who have not followed this story, there are now 21 signs to help guide you through this once ‘dangerous intersection’. I think we all agree it looks beautiful, but is it practical?
It’s silly the amount of maintenance that is needed to keep the adjacent berm (?) looking nice. For whatever reason, people can’t seem to stay in the road and thus trenches in the wood chips are continually created, about every 2 weeks.
I’ve lived here for over 15 years and I have to go through the circle at least 4 times daily. I wish it were not true, but my adrenaline rushes with fear every time I go through the circle and other cars are around. I never know if they are going to YIELD or not.
Despite any other misgivings I personally may have, I think the one thing that most people would agree causes our fear is the YIELD problem. There is a simple solution that would reduce this drastically. Redesign the circle so that you can ‘peel off’ in the direction you want to go. Currently you enter the circle and you have to jerk your steering left and right eliminating the option of using signals to help others understand your intentions. I don’t know of any other circle in any other city, including our own, that is designed quite like this one. And remember, the city expanded the land by the road to create the effect that now exists.
I don’t know how many accidents happened in the last 15 years, but I’ve come pretty darn close at least twice in the last 6 months. I’m not comfortable with it, and judging by how they go through it, and how many more signs have been added to help us navigate, neither are most other people.
What do you think? Keep the circle, change it, or abolish it?