Traffic circles, or roundabouts as they are also known, are the best way to govern busy intersections, and our Cowichan communities should look at installing more of them.
In spite of what the few think who find them confusing, or at least think that everyone else does, traffic circles are actually easy to use and improve safety.
Traffic is forced by the circle to slow down, and the most severe types of collisions (head-on, right angle and left turn) are almost non-existent because everyone is heading in the same direction. Even the pedestrian crossings at traffic circles that some complain so bitterly about are proven to be safer for those walking than traditional intersections, as vehicles are moving more slowly and walkers only have to cross traffic going in one direction at a time.
Traffic circles also improve traffic flow, as people aren’t required to come to a stop in most instances and can continue on from all directions in a smooth, continuous movement.
All of the traffic circles that have been installed in various locations from Lakes Road and Beverly, to Henry Road and Chemainus Road, Sherman Road and Canada Avenue, and Cowichan Lake Road in the middle of Lake Cowichan have all certainly been vast improvements.
The City of Duncan is applying for a grant to help fund a new traffic circle at the Cairnsmore intersection. It would be the city’s first traffic circle if it goes ahead (others in the Duncan area are technically in North Cowichan, the jurisdiction that has been most proactive in installing traffic circles). This is an excellent spot for a new circle. The traffic lights there quickly become a bottleneck, especially during certain times of the day. A traffic circle will help keep vehicles moving.
There are other spots where traffic circles would prove beneficial. In Duncan, for example, a traffic circle to replace the light at Trunk and McKinstry roads would be a very beneficial change. And there’s really no doubt that the Municipality of North Cowichan should be planning a traffic circle at Herd and Bell McKinnon roads, a stone’s throw from where the new hospital is being built, which will increase traffic exponentially.
For those that did not grow up with traffic circles and find them a bit daunting, head out during low-traffic periods, like in the evening or early morning, and try them out until you get comfortable.
Traffic circles are here to stay, and we can only hope their use in our urban planning continues to increase.