Getting ready for the roundabout

SANDPOINT — Leonard Woods thinks the roundabout that is meant to enhance traffic flow at Larch and Boyer will have the opposite result.

It will clog traffic, Woods, who recently moved back to Sandpoint from New Mexico, said. It will defeat the purpose of a faster alternate route from downtown Sandpoint to Schweitzer Mountain and Ponderay.

“It’s a 100-percent no-no,” said Woods, who lives on Boyer Avenue.

Due to open next week, the roundabout has been on the mind of nearby residents as well as the city’s Public Works department, whose members want to make certain motorists are prepared to drive through it.

The roundabout, a circular thoroughfare that allows traffic through an intersection without stop signs or lights requires motorists entering the roundabout to yield to cars or trucks moving inside the circle. Once inside the roundabout traffic moves at 15 mph until exiting.

 The most common mistake made by motorists inside the roundabout is to yield to cars or trucks trying to enter, Matt Mulder, assistant city engineer, said.

“Once in the circle, keep driving until you exit,” Mulder said.

The single-lane roundabout includes a truck apron that is made of red bricks, which allows trailers to swing near the center of the circle.

Cars are prohibited on the red apron, Mulder said.

The roundabout was set to open for traffic this week, but storm drains needed to be rerouted and a spate of rain prevented pouring concrete to finish off the surrounding sidewalks.

The roundabout concept was adopted last year as city officials wrestled with how to deal with increased traffic at the Larch and Boyer intersection resulting in part from a new Super 1 Foods slated for the neighborhood.

City Council members at first opted for traffic lights, but later adopted the idea of a roundabout because it was less costly to maintain and would enhance traffic flow at the site, council member Carrie Logan said.

Logan, who advocated for the roundabout, said the council and city looked at traffic models before switching its plan to use a roundabout at the site instead of lights.

“It’s very, very effective,” she said. “It will accommodate traffic through the intersection for the next 20 years or so.”

The city paid $183,000 to purchase land to accommodate the roundabout, while Super 1 Foods paid approximately $360,000 to build the circular intersection in lieu of paying the same amount for a city impact fee, according to the city.

Neighborhood resident Ken Duncan is among opponents who believe traffic will get backed up at the busy intersection once the roundabout opens.

The cost of operating four lights is estimated at $15,000 annually, Logan said.

Additional instructions for motorists using the roundabout will be posted on the city’s website at http://www.cityofsandpoint.com/publicworks.asp.

The roundabout at Larch Street and Boyer Avenue will open next week and motorists are reminded to follow a few simple instructions when navigating through the circular intersection.

n Motorists should slow down to 15 mph when approaching the roundabout.

n Yield to traffic in the roundabout before entering.

n Once inside, maintain your speed until exiting.

n Pedestrians should activate the yellow crosswalk beacon before crossing at designated crosswalks.

n Bicyclists approaching the roundabout may either use a ramp to merge onto the sidewalk and cross as a pedestrian.

n Bicyclists who choose to navigate the roundabout must yield to traffic inside the circle. Once inside, choose your lane, maintain speed before exiting.