More traffic circles planned for Ann Arbor

Around, around and around they go, and where they end up nobody knows. Well, actually they do. They’ll end up on Ann Arbor‘s northeast side where the city plans to build a traffic circle this summer.

To accommodate this, the city is holding a public meeting on the project on March 5. The plan is to build a traffic circle, or roundabout, at the intersection of Nixon Road and Huron Parkway, replacing a four-way stop where the shopping center and neighborhood meet. The idea is to make the intersection friendlier to pedestrians, wheelchair users, motorists, bicycles and buses.

City officials say a roundabout will do a better job of managing traffic than a traffic signal because of other nearby traffic lights and bus stops. The city approved the $XXX project earlier this year and expects to finish it before the end of the summer.

Modern roundabouts include a central island to guide the vehicular traffic and splitter islands at each leg of an intersection to provide refuge for pedestrians. Roundabouts also involve one-way traffic moving around a central island where entering traffic must yield to the traffic in the roundabout.

These traffic circles slow and calm traffic, resulting in fewer accidents. They also decrease delays and cut down on the number of idling vehicles, reducing air pollution.

They are common throughout Europe and have been appearing more frequently in North America in recent years. More common on the coasts, roundabouts and traffic circles have been popping up in southeast Michigan‘s suburbs in recent years, including a handful at the Maple Road exit on Ann Arbor‘s northwest side.

The meeting will be held in the cafeteria of Clague Middle School, 2616 Nixon Rd, at 6:30 p.m. For information, contact Igor Kotlyar at Ikotlyar@a2gov.org or at (734) 994-6087.

Source: City of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke