Poll: Do You Think the Salem Roundabout Will Make Four Corners Safer?

Terry D July 5, 2012 at 11:02 am

It dosen't matter if it is a rotary or a four way stop, accidents will continue there as long as people disobey the traffic controls.

Joe S. July 5, 2012 at 11:20 am

I agree with Terry D. I usually enter the Salem 4-corners intersection from East Haddam and turn right heading South. Many, many times a car coming from the Norwich side will cut me off. I have the right-of-way but they seem to think they do. They are crossing the over the lane of traffic, so they are suppose to yield, but they don't. There is something wrong with the design is all I can think of.
Ask anyone who has driven the Killingworth round-about, Connecticut drivers do not know how to navigate a round-about. Even prolific signs before the intersection don't seem to help. Summer seems to be the worst with the tourists not paying attention. My bet is that it will be gone in 10 years.

Barbara Hageman July 5, 2012 at 11:22 am

I lived in Massachussetts fo 14 years where both traffic circles and roundabouts are in use. They take some getting used to.
Depending on their configuration, and when there are commercial businesses nearby with driveways, in addition to medians separating traffic directions, it can be confusing to navigate. The confusion for drivers not accustomed to this traffic pattern could lead to more accidents. The Salem roundabout looks cramped and is very close to business entrances. It seems like there is very little room for error and quick decisionmaking is required on the part of the driver who doesn't navigate it regularly.

Reg Patchell July 5, 2012 at 11:27 am

I have been over to Scotland, Ireland I England several times and all three have NUMEROUS roud a bouts, ALL are a LOT safer then our traditional stop lights since it seems that so many people around here just speed up to get through a yellow/red light rather then STOPPING as required. MAYBE if we had more troopers & officers stopping the idiots who are causing these accidents through the continued use of cells & texting and the injuries from lack of seat belts then just maybe the injury and accident rate would go down! EVERYAY how I wish to have several ticket books just for the cell phone usage along including our elected officials who seem to think that they are above the law for talking about crap that can and SHOULD wait until they arrive at a office!!

Keep the river front for all of us July 5, 2012 at 12:27 pm

It looks like another Killingworth/Rt. 81 fiasco to me....................it's gonna happen no matter what WE think...........we just have to navigate them............PLEASE USE YOUR SIGNAL LIGHTS..............that helps !!!!!!

janette lacombe July 5, 2012 at 12:32 pm

they should have spent the money on Rte 11 it would have helped with accidents all along 85

David Carey July 5, 2012 at 03:10 pm

I haven't seen the project lately. But if it is no bigger than the circle in Killingworth, it's only going to be a glorified four way stop with no stop signs. Won't that be fun. How on earth have we come to a point in our evolution that we can't understand a traffic light and negotiate the intersection accordingly. I am afraid that leaving the guess work to continuous/slow moving traffic will lead to just as many accidents as the old intersection, if not more.

Dale scoville July 5, 2012 at 03:27 pm

I Live in salem And i know its not going to work ,chesterfield is going to pay for it they have 2 lights,and its already backup and yes they should of used the money for rt. 11 as is we lost 2 historic buildings.the best that the corner work was when after the harricane in september when it was a fourway stop , and what a mess last week when they tried to let rt.11 traffic drive threw it sucked ..........

Ronald Bangs July 5, 2012 at 07:53 pm

that new aroundabout is not going to make it better or safe you are having accident there because driver are not paying attention to the traffic lights
it this just another way of our State wasting tax paider money

Belle July 6, 2012 at 12:43 am

Money should have gone to "finish" Route 11.

Lakehouse Guy July 6, 2012 at 01:43 am

Wasn't aware that since traffic light installed at the four corners there have been many accidents there. Most people in the US have no experience with roundabouts.
Having driven in countries with roundabouts, I am of the opinion that they are difficult to navigate and so I expect there will be a lot more accidents after the roundabout is in operation.

Ronald Bangs July 6, 2012 at 02:16 pm

Yes the money should to finish Route 11 after all they reported that by finishing Route 11 it all take some of the traffic off Route 85 & 82

ScottRAB July 6, 2012 at 05:01 pm

Agreed. The article title is also wrong. Roundabouts can have fewer total crashes (their not accidental), but usually does not. They are safer than signals, though. The difference is crash severity. Modern roundabouts usually only have fender benders. I am aware of only 2 fatalities at modern roundabouts (not other kinds of traffic circles) since they began construction in the US in 1990 (Nevada).
If you want to see the difference between a traffic circle, a rotary (UK roundabout) and a modern roundabout, search www.k-state.edu to see pictures. The FHWA has a video about modern roundabouts that is mostly accurate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhHzly_6lWM ).

ScottRAB July 6, 2012 at 05:04 pm

Modern roundabouts, correctly designed, operate at or below 20 mph. Quick decision making is greatly reduced. Rotaries and large traffic circles are the high speed and unsafe versions.

ScottRAB July 6, 2012 at 05:07 pm

I disagree. A crash (it's not an accident) at 30 or 40 mph is much more severe and much more likely to result in an injury or fatalty. Modern roundabouts operate at about 20 mph. This speed is transformative in the increase in safety gained during a crash. Such crashes often only result in autos being dented or scraped.

ScottRAB July 6, 2012 at 05:07 pm

Modern roundabouts are the safest form of intersection in the world. Search www.iihs.org for FAQs and safety facts. The safety comes from the ‘slow and go’ operation instead of the ‘stop or go fast’ way a stop light works (or the ‘keep going fast’ large traffic circle fantasy). The smaller size of the modern roundabout is what makes them safer and keeps speeds in the 20 mph range. This makes it much easier to avoid a crash or stop for pedestrians. It also means that if a crash happens the likelihood of injury is very low. Safety is the #1 reason there are over 2,400 modern roundabouts in the US today and many more on the way.
Slow and go also means less delay than a stop light, especially the other 20 hours a day people aren’t driving to or from work. Average daily delay at a signal is around 12 seconds per car. At a modern roundabout average delay is less than five seconds. Signals take an hour of demand and restrict it to a half hour, at best only half the traffic gets to go at any one time. At a modern roundabout four drivers entering from four directions can all enter at the same time. Don’t try that with a signalized intersection.

EH Parent July 7, 2012 at 04:16 am

It is a colossal waste of taxpayers money. Roundabouts for most people are confusing and annoying so they are more dangerous. ! They are destroying a perfectly fine intersection.

Norman Gobelle July 7, 2012 at 02:05 pm

Roundabouts are dangerous and very confusing. I deal with them at the Villages in Florida five months of the year. If the money was spent on rt 11 it would reduce traffic by about 95% at 4 conners. But what do I know?

Ronald Bangs July 10, 2012 at 03:06 pm

I have to leave this comment, Is roundabout made to keep traffice moving ? The State change the roundabout in Killingworth on Route 80 & 81 they made it smaller it is to small that if you are on 80 and traffic this coming on 81 you have to stop the old one you could keep going.

Rachel Baer August 22, 2012 at 12:40 pm

Ia m used to roundabouts having lived in the UK for many years, I went through the four corners yesterday & maybe it was because the traffic cones are all still up, but I thought it was very confusing. I hope once it is all finished it will be better, but surely a stop & go would be better than people approaching the roundabout not really knowing the correct way to enter& yes I agree with other. Omment, signaling is always helpful & not just on roundabouts!

Shari August 22, 2012 at 01:08 pm

What a waste of money....the State surely has better ways to spend 4.5 million $$$...it looks just like the one in Killingworth and we still laugh at the cost and design......yearly upkeep in necessary as the concrete constantly gets plowed into and trucks need to drive on to it in order to make turns. Good luck Salem.....

Tom vaillencourt September 18, 2012 at 10:27 am

The problem is that left turning traffic from norwich can sometimes sit through several green lights waiting for a gap in traffic from the south side of the intersection. The green light is too short, and at certain times of the day the traffic heading to norwich or waterfors from rt 11 is nonstop. This forces drivers to jump into small gaps in the flow or wait through multiple green lights. I make this turn more than once a day, and many many times ive had to turn right into the plaza so i could go to the other plaza exit, where i could turn left towards the intersection and get a guaranteed green light to proceed strait to waterford. This gets old. However i really dont think the roundabout will really relieve congestion significantly. The biggest problem in the area is the light at the corner of rt 161 in chesterfield. During the afternoon rush this light can frequently back westbound traffic up as far as the waterford speedbowl. I use Butlertown rd. to avoid these congestion periods. It can save you almost an hour wait.

Joe S. September 18, 2012 at 11:21 am

I stopped at Dunkin Donuts at the roundabout a few days ago and heard the horn-blowing as I waited in line. People entering the roundabout still think they have the right-away. They seem to ignore the signs as they enter the roundabout.
I believe the roundabout is too small. It is very confusing as you come to it and traffic in the circle happens too fast. If you compare the Killingworth small roundabout and the Madison large roundabout you will understand what I mean. The Madison one has a much smoother flow of traffic because your larger sight-line for oncoming traffic allows more time to make a decision. The Salem roundabout will probably work well for the daily commuters that get used to it, but the newcomer to the area is going to be the boondoggle. Are there any statistics yet on accidents a this location?

Tom vaillencourt September 19, 2012 at 12:57 am

I'm truly surprised how many people find roundabouts confusing. And unfortunately accidents in roundabouts are caused by people who dont know how to use them. They get in the circle and stop to let other traffic enter, or worse they stop before entering when there is no other traffic. These things are incredibly simple people... The flow is in a counter clockwise circle, you YEILD to enter the circle. If there is no other traffic you can enter without stopping. Once in the circle YOU have the right of way. DO NOT STOP inside the circle- you continue until you exit. Thats it!