Editor,
I’ve been a Eurekan for seven years. I have always liked the town and its uniqueness.
I don’t pretend to understand politics.
I recently attended the meeting at the Auditorium concerning the roundabout. It seems to me to be a done thing.
Our input was put on paper. I was hoping we were all going to have a chance to speak.
I heard the following comments from those around me:
- “A roundabout is the best thing, we can even have underpasses put in so that children from the school and others can cross safely.”
- “A traffic light is out of the question. It is not cost effective and would use too much electricity and the maintenance would be outrageous, besides they slow traffic down.”
- “We should have a policeman there to direct traffic all day, every day.”
I also heard a lot of statistics being spewed. I know from research that most statistics are skewed.
I don’t know the cost of any of this. I do know the intersection is a bit dangerous. I’ve seen it. I have observed
that the average driver doesn’t sometimes realize who has the right-of-way at this intersection. I also have been in several roundabouts during heavy traffic, and no one, including me, seems to be able to navigate them properly.
As for traffic lights, they have been around for several years. They work effectively. They do not slow traffic
because they now use sensors to detect traffic flow. They can also be cost effective and operate off solar power, plus children and adults can cross with them safely.
I know that Eureka prides itself over having no traffic lights. It’s time to lose a little pride.
Thomas T. Reinhart