"Where Olmsted County News Comes First"
Online Edition
Friday, May 24th, 2013
Volume ∞ Issue ∞
- 5:36:49, May 15th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - Though I hated to see you reference Glenn Beck by name [Three Times ... [Read More]
- 11:42:07, May 10th 2013 - yenken - I feel very sorry for those who have commented do far, as when you stand fa ... [Read More]
- 12:10:25, Apr 26th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - Mr. "Cabtrom's" garbage-out[burst]--in response to Ms. Reisner's w ... [Read More]
- 9:51:50, Apr 24th 2013 - jeff pischke - To Jerry Grehl, the number to the fillmore county sheriffs office is 7 ... [Read More]
- 9:27:24, Apr 22nd 2013 - Cabtrom - Blah blah blah, garbage in garbage out! ... [Read More]
- 7:00:49, Apr 11th 2013 - Donald Pierce - Col. Stan Gudmundson hit most of the important nails squarly on the h ... [Read More]
- 12:44:54, Apr 4th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - My compliments to Ms. Hammer for giving us well-crafted "Rachel Rea ... [Read More]
- 5:09:06, Apr 3rd 2013 - truthiness - I see this is dated April 1. That explains it! ... [Read More]
- 12:04:33, Apr 3rd 2013 - Frank W. Hawthorne - Say WHAT?!? Stan's American-Pie [In SKY] is Falling--Not Again? ... [Read More]
- 12:40:21, Mar 29th 2013 - Jacob - It's a shame that so few people care about making their voices heard. If we ... [Read More]
29
How will you keep your kids busy this summer vacation?
Byron Frontage Road and roundabout options debated
Mon, Mar 4th, 2013
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
Comments
Drivers are noticing one common change while navigating the roads of Olmsted County recently. What are these roundabouts? They have been common to find in big cities like Chicago for many years. Roundabout intersections are a one-way street with no traffic signal where traffic flows around a center island.
Roundabouts are replacing many intersections that had been prone to traffic accidents in the past, and they do take some getting familiar with as a driver. Where to exit the roundabout and also losing a sense of direction are two common issues to drivers that are new to this type of intersection. Over time, these issues subside and drivers begin to notice the positive aspects of a roundabout’s control of the traffic flow.
The U.S. Department of Transportation study showed the roundabouts have up to a 90 percent reduction in fatalities with 76 percent reduction in crashes. Pedestrian accidents were also reduced by around 35 percent. The biggest reason for these promising results is that vehicle speeds are slowed usually to around 30 mph, giving drivers more reaction time. Impacts of wrecks are greatly reduced by the slower speeds and traffic flow angles that avoid head-on or t-bone type collisions.
The current roundabout- frontage road plan is to have a “Welcome to Byron” sign constructed in the area to be known as East Gateway. A 10-foot wide walking and biking path will be featured in the area along with a stone seating wall. The debate at city hall is over just what type of landscaping will be the best fit for this area.
“Looking at the current plan, this could end up being a lot of maintenance or upkeep for the grounds in this area,” said Council member Bret Baumbach. “Maintenance and cost for grounds-keeping tend to go up, and irrigation is also a consideration. It always looks nice and new when things like this are built, but we really do need to be sure years from now that the proper upkeep is affordable,” added Baumbach.
Byron City Engineer Bill Angerman stated, “The design that we currently have here is consistent with what other nearby areas are doing.” Angeman added that “the frontage road entrance in front of Margarito’s Restaurant will be closed at the end of the construction project.” That closure has been a hotly debated topic over the years in Byron.
The next regular Byron City Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13 at 6:00 pm. at City Hall, 680 Byron Court N.E.
Roundabouts are replacing many intersections that had been prone to traffic accidents in the past, and they do take some getting familiar with as a driver. Where to exit the roundabout and also losing a sense of direction are two common issues to drivers that are new to this type of intersection. Over time, these issues subside and drivers begin to notice the positive aspects of a roundabout’s control of the traffic flow.
The U.S. Department of Transportation study showed the roundabouts have up to a 90 percent reduction in fatalities with 76 percent reduction in crashes. Pedestrian accidents were also reduced by around 35 percent. The biggest reason for these promising results is that vehicle speeds are slowed usually to around 30 mph, giving drivers more reaction time. Impacts of wrecks are greatly reduced by the slower speeds and traffic flow angles that avoid head-on or t-bone type collisions.
The current roundabout- frontage road plan is to have a “Welcome to Byron” sign constructed in the area to be known as East Gateway. A 10-foot wide walking and biking path will be featured in the area along with a stone seating wall. The debate at city hall is over just what type of landscaping will be the best fit for this area.
“Looking at the current plan, this could end up being a lot of maintenance or upkeep for the grounds in this area,” said Council member Bret Baumbach. “Maintenance and cost for grounds-keeping tend to go up, and irrigation is also a consideration. It always looks nice and new when things like this are built, but we really do need to be sure years from now that the proper upkeep is affordable,” added Baumbach.
Byron City Engineer Bill Angerman stated, “The design that we currently have here is consistent with what other nearby areas are doing.” Angeman added that “the frontage road entrance in front of Margarito’s Restaurant will be closed at the end of the construction project.” That closure has been a hotly debated topic over the years in Byron.
The next regular Byron City Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13 at 6:00 pm. at City Hall, 680 Byron Court N.E.
No Comments Yet. Be the first to comment!
