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About 20 area residents of Onalaska poked their heads into the public information session to learn about what might be the first traffic roundabout in Onalaska. In the end, a strong majority of those who expressed an opinion favored building a roundabout.
The city has plans to reconstruct Sand Lake Road from Riders Club Road to Highway S to replace worn pavement and provide for increasing traffic volumes. As part of those plans, the city is considering a roundabout or a traffic signal for the intersection of Sand Lake Road and Riders Club Road.
Motorists get through a roundabout by driving counterclockwise around a circular center island. Proponents say they improve safety and cut down on fuel consumption and pollution because motorists don’t have to sit with engines idling at a stoplight.
The public session was designed to gather input on which plan the public might favor.
A presentation by the city’s traffic consultants — Strand Associates — indicated the existing intersection would be inadequate by 2030. They predicted a 250 percent increase in traffic at that intersection by then.
The Strand Associates report indicated installing traffic lights would be more efficient than what is there now. But even if the city installs signalization now, the intersection would have to be redesigned again in 2030. The consultants say a roundabout would be more efficient for a longer period.
The cost is comparable for both options. The biggest advantage to a roundabout over signalization, according to Strand Associates, is a significant reduction in traffic accidents. A 14-state, 55-intersection study in 2007 showed roundabouts reduced vehicle crashes by 35 percent and reduced fatal and incapacitating injuries by 76 percent.
They did not have any statistics reflecting pedestrian or bicycle crashes/injuries/fatalities in roundabouts.
Part of the plan is to install a bicycle path on the east side of Sand Lake Road from Redwood Street up to the intersection of Highway SN. As designed, bicyclists who want to go through the intersection of a roundabout could either act as a vehicle and merge with the traffic or join pedestrians at the crosswalk.
Pedestrian and bicyclist safety seemed to be uppermost on the public’s mind.
John Boland expressed his concerns about safety. He serves on the La Crosse Area Planning Commission’s Bicycling and Pedestrian Safety Committee. “Bicyclists should not have to descend to the level of pedestrians,” Boland said. “They will be like cars. And you must provide for their safety in the design.”
He pushed for bicycle access and crosswalks and recommended the designs of the median provide high visibility as well as a safe harbor for them.
Josh Straka, a representative of Strand Associates, said the problem with safe harbor in the median for bicyclists is it would impinge upon space needed for large trucks to get around safely.
One resident, Jean Latham, said she travels through the intersection regularly. “If we shop at Menard’s and try to get back on Sand Lake Road to go north, it’s bad. “It’s not conducive to bicycling.”
Latham said a roundabout would be a good thing for motorcyclists. “The single largest cause of motorcycle/vehicle accidents is oncoming vehicles turning left in the path of the motorcycle,” Latham said. “They don’t see the cyclist. A roundabout would prevent this from happening.”
Mike Henderson was a little more skeptical. He travels through the intersection on a regular basis, by either car or bike, to get to the YMCA. “I have concerns,” Henderson said. “Will traffic, in fact, stop for pedestrians and will there be safe paths for cyclists?”
He’s especially wary of the safety due to increased development. “There will be many more bicyclists due to more development, especially with proposed commercial buildup on the east side.”
Ruth Bartsch echoed those concerns. “My primary concern is pedestrians and cyclists,” she said. “Are we going to become road kill? Right now going up Sand Lake, it’s ugly. Some cars don’t care if you’re there or not.”
Developer Marvin Wanders said he likes the idea of a roundabout. “I like it for safety. It moves a lot of traffic and it’s efficient,” Wanders said. “It might take a little while for everyone to learn how to use it. It’s like cell phones. Once they have it they’ll love it.”
The public input was successful for the consultants because they learned of a few problems with the drafted design. Customers of the nearby veterinary clinic would not be able to turn left when exiting. Traffic would still be braking for customers entering the clinic.
The public input gathered Tuesday will be reviewed by the city’s Board of Public Works, which will then make a recommendation to the full Common Council. The next board meeting is July 7. City officials hope to have a final design by the fall and begin construction in late 2010 or early 2011.
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