By: Claire Collins
Ring-around-the-Rosie has become a traffic reality on University Avenue in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Getting stuck behind a long line of vehicles at a red light while trying to get coffee before work on a Monday morning is the last thing Cedar Falls wanted their community members to experience. Roundabouts are a growing trend, and Cedar Falls decided to jump on board with the change.
“A roundabout is a type of circular intersection that have been proven safer and more efficient than any other types of circular intersections” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. A roundabout eliminates all traffic signals or stop signs, creating a circular traffic motion yielding at an entry to the circle and providing an easy access exit to the drivers desired street. Modern-day roundabouts are designed to reduce speeds to 15-20 mph, also reducing the likelihood of t-bone or head-on collisions.
Roundabouts are all about yielding at the entrance of the traffic flow. Vehicles slowing down to the posted speed will choose a lane before entering. The left lane is a used as a turning left lane or making a U-Turn, and the right lane is used as a turning right lane or continuing forward. Stopping to enter the choosing lane is not required, however, if there are cars present, the driver must yield before entering the roundabout. Proceed to the exit of the desired location and illustrate which turning lane by the turning signal in the vehicle.
“It’s time to move on.” According to information provided by Cedar Falls city staff, at $32.5 million, installing six roundabouts on University Avenue will be the cheapest of the options considered in a study by the Foth engineering firm’s Cedar Rapids office, Brown explained.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has shown that roundabouts are safer than traditional stop signs or signal-controlled intersections. Jim Brown, mayor of Cedar Falls, recognizes how busy University Avenue is on a daily basis. “I’m always concerned about our citizen’s safety and it is important to remember what we replaced; a 50-year-old road with utility assets buried underneath. University Ave was a very dangerous place to drive” Brown said. “Roundabouts reduce the likelihood of rear-end crashes because drivers do not speed up to make a yellow or green light or abruptly stop at a red light” according to Autoblog Statistics. T-bone accidents and head-on collisions are the two most popular car accidents that cause human fatalities. With roundabouts, these crashes can be eliminated and save lives. Brown admitted, “So I guess I’d rather take a few ‘side-swipes’ or ‘fender-benders’ as opposed to one T-Bone.”
The city of Cedar Falls also received a $450,000 grant from the Gaming Commission (Isle Casino Waterloo) to help pay for ‘green’ space along the entire corridor including bus stops, bike racks, bushes, trees, etc. that will add to the “benefit” of the entire project. This grant will help provide a safer area for our pedestrians that bike or walk to work, fitness runners, and students who walk to classes or school. Roundabouts decrease the speed of vehicles, making University Avenue a safer area for community members to be around. Roundabouts have fewer conflict points as well, making drivers of vehicles see much more of the road if a pedestrian is present.
Many benefits come from having roundabouts in a community, however, roundabouts are a major concern with Cedar Falls community members and business owners. The 50-year-old street has always been a stop-light intersection haven, with green, yellow, and red shadows. The newer businesses in Cedar Falls such as Natural Foods, Slumber Land, and Firehouse Subs were especially anxious about the outcome of their new business locations. With so much construction over a long period of time, community members were avoiding the most popular street in Cedar Falls. Brown received multiple emails and phone calls regarding the overall anxiety and future business plans. “I heard much feedback, however, I also explained that the new University Avenue will drive traffic their way through the various access points both off roundabouts and various turning lanes.”
Cedar Falls First Class Cell Phone Repair was a business that was affected by the construction and University Avenue roundabout plan. “We had to change business hours by opening later and closing sooner as we needed to let some of our employees go. We just weren’t driving enough business to be hiring students and receptionists.” owner, James, expressed. The 5 star recommended business recently moved from College Hill to University Avenue. “We are excited for the construction to be over so our business can be booming like before.”
Panera Bread was another business that has seen a decrease in business from construction inconveniences. An early morning hourly employee expressed “I miss seeing our regular faces. Many senior citizens come in the morning for their morning coffee and since construction, they don’t nearly come as much as they use too. I feel like senior citizens just do not feel comfortable driving in the constant changing construction inconveniences or roundabout motion" Dee, employee of Panera said. Brown takes safety very serious as many driving classes have been hosted to educate senior citizens and other community members regarding traffic roundabouts. The University of Northern Iowa has hosted many driving classes on campus for community members and students to feel more comfortable with the traffic changes on University Avenue.
Mayor Jim Brown’s first council meeting was to oversee the approval vote for the entire project. At that point, the roundabout traffic change had been in deliberation for 18-24 months. Brown realized that the project would improve pavement conditions, enhance safety, provide bicycle and pedestrian access, improve traffic flow, and support and revitalize economic growth throughout the city. “The pros just outweighed the cons and I know the community will eventually see this healthy and positive change successful.” The final vote was 6 to 1 from the council so it had very strong support with the elected officials.
University of Northern Iowa student, Malia Gudenkauf, drives through a roundabout every day to get to work. “I am extremely familiar with roundabouts and how they work. Yes, they take practice and learning, but what doesn’t?” Gudenkauf said. “Everyone needed to learn how to drive before they started, and roundabouts are new, so yes, our community is hesitant to change, however, this change will only make our community safer and more transportable.” Just like any new technology or idea, it is necessary that people understand the changes, especially with roundabout functions. Although roundabouts have proven to be a safer and more efficient type of intersection, they are still unfamiliar to most people in the community. Through successful implementation of the roundabouts and safety factors requires community members to outreach themselves through education of the traffic ordinances.
Roundabouts in the United States today are ever changing and growing in popularity. The first roundabout was invented and designed in 1972 by Frank Blackmore. Copying the United Kingdom, which contains over 26,000 roundabouts, the United States has approximately 5,000. Every county in Iowa has at least 1 roundabout, constantly growing and changing to roundabouts eliminating all stop lights.
The University Avenue Reconstruction website has monthly updates and email newsletters that the community can subscribe to for information and updates. Brown expressed that when he took office early of 2016, he made a point to bring communications to the public from the city staff. The website itself has information regarding the project overview, project timeline, information center, traffic simulations, and biographical information about the project team. The website also includes videos of each phase with details about the traffic flow. Brown highly suggests visiting the website for more information.
Photo Credits:
Roundabout Construction Progress2016 Traffic
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