*insert outrage from all the people who still don't know how to drive a roundabout*

"Do you have a busy intersection near your house? Does it create a hazard for traffic? Try a roundabout! "

It's like a bad infomercial, but it's what the county wants to know.

The Genesee County Board of Commissioners gave approval to Rowe Engineering yesterday to do an assessment to figure out where new roundabouts should be built. The contract is for an entire year and would cost $312,678; final approval is expected by next week.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, roundabouts have proven to decrease traffic congestion and accidents.

We have one by our house that's fairly new and we can confidently say that it reduces a LOT of traffic back-backups that used to arise from the previous four-way stop. And yes, I'm painfully aware that a lot of people don't know how to use them. So, here's some friendly instructions:

Trust me, it's worth learning. Roundabouts aren't going away anytime soon and they really do solve traffic problems. The two keys are:

  • do NOT treat it like a four-way stop; that's probably what said intersection used to be
  • don't wait too long; when you see an opening, take it

Good luck, Michiganders! I've already got a mental list of Genesee County intersections that could use roundabouts. What about you? Where would you like to see them build one?

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