BY VOICE STAFF
In an attempt to reduce speeding along Lookout Street north of Highway 20 in Fonthill, Town workers last week installed two temporary roundabouts on the street, one at the intersection of Brewerton Boulevard, the other at Marlene Stewart Drive.
Also known as traffic circles, the roundabouts’ slapdash appearance drew immediate reaction from local residents and passing motorists.
“I took out four of those vertical things with the trailer yesterday,” said a landscaping contractor pulling a long trailer with a tractor tied down on it. “Whoever painted that circle had a coupla beers too many.”
“Has there been an accident yet,” asked a motorist as she turned from Lookout onto Brewerton.
In a news release, the Town said that in response to complaints of speeding along the stretch, a speed survey was conducted. The results showed that average daily traffic numbered 1223 vehicles travelling at an average speed of 65 kph. The posted limit is 50 kph. Nearly 40 percent of vehicles, however, were travelling in excess of 89 kph.
The Town describes the installations as “mini-roundabouts,” part of a pilot project that will end once another round of speed data is collected.
During an approximately half-hour visit on site by the Voice last Friday afternoon, most passing traffic seemed barely to slow as it passed the bollards and hay bales.
Social media reaction was mixed. As of press time, out of 31 comments on the Town’s Facebook page, only one was overtly positive.
“Sounds like a sensible first step to find a way to deal with the problem!” commented Wendy Vahrmeyer.
“Oh, I thought the Town was holding a square dance,” wrote user Nick Lancione. “Thanks for letting us know after the fact.”
“This is a far worse hazard than the speeders,” wrote Jen Jackson-Langois. “People are going around it the wrong way and darting out in front of oncoming traffic. Someone is going to end up killed during the pilot! There is much safer ways to slow down the speeders than this!”
User Marylou Hilliard commented, “There needs to be stop signs. Consider four-way. The roundabouts are only going to confuse drivers and will create problems with slippery winter conditions.”
“Has anyone ever seen a roundabout at a 3-way turn?” asked user Steve Magno. “This is embarrassing! Roundabouts flow traffic at an intersection that would otherwise be a 4-way stop. Keep it simple Pelham. Stop signs still work.”
Many users commented on speeding elsewhere in Pelham, and cited examples of poor road repair. Some wondered whether speed humps were a better alternative.
In its news release, the Town downplayed that option.
“Residents have also brought forward the possibility of speed humps such as the ones on Haist Street. Speed humps have proved to be a hazard to emergency services as they cause delayed response time to emergency situations and are hazardous to EMS vehicles and snowplows.”
