A study of potential traffic solutions for the intersection of Mildred and Montezuma is past due, and the city staff deserves commendation for building one into next years budget.
The intersection is troublesome for several reasons. Only two blocks from Main, its location on the way to law-enforcement buildings, the hospital, the park complex, rec center, library, and Kemper Elementary produces a lot of traffic, including school buses and emergency vehicles that now travel unimpeded between Empire and Main. Development has complicated the traffic pattern, and the addition of turn lanes, intended to expedite vehicle flow, has not helped as much as it might because visibility is still an issue. The little bump in topography adds to that problem.
While relieving vehicle congestion, the usual rationale for replacing an intersection with a roundabout, is a valid goal, it cannot be the only consideration. Traffic planners need solid information about how a roundabout would affect pedestrians.
Three corners of that intersection are parks, attracting more pedestrians than any other part of town except Main Street. In the summer, children walk or bike to the outdoor pool, and in the winter, some walk to school. In the winter, shelter clients of the Bridge take that route twice a day. Recreational walkers, some of them with dogs, strollers, or small children on tiny bicycles or tricycles, utilize the parks smooth sidewalks, as do skateboarders. On Saturdays, Parque de Vida is filled with youth athletes and their families, bringing both pedestrians and vehicles.
If a roundabout were installed, crosswalks would be relocated farther from the intersection, but that isnt a complete solution to the risks. Circling drivers would not have a clear view down the road until they exited the roundabout, and pedestrians would have no clear signals as to where a vehicle might emerge; that gives everyone less time to react to an unexpected threat. The local propensity for jaywalking, amply demonstrated by a disturbing history of vehicle-pedestrian accidents, must be taken into account. That behavior is influenced by more by the proximity or perceived inconvenience of crosswalks than by any legal restrictions on where crossing is allowed.
By all means, modify the intersection so that vehicles can pass through with fewer interruptions, but dont change it in a way that makes the citys park complex less safe or less friendly to non-motorized users.
