I FEEL SO ALONE

CAPTION: "Round and round the Mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel." 

 

Okay, I did my homework. It is not true the engineer who built one of this country's first traffic circles in Long Beach, California died in an accident in that circle. He'd designed it for getting to aquatic events in the 1932  L.A. Olympics. (Share that history with any developer who tells you he has this great new idea for traffic control in your neighborhood.) It's a little sad. It's always been such a wonderful urban myth for those of us who hate driving in circles.

I'm bringing this up because here in this state every developer and engineer with a protractor is dropping a traffic circle into our urban and suburban lives. You read the literature? Traffic circles slow traffic, reduce accidents, are friendly to pedestrians.

I'm sorry but this is TRULY  a case of WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES  AROUND. And I am NOT buying it.  I know there are people who've moved here form the East to get away from traffic circles ( Roundabout is the new fancy name).

Sorry guys. They never did really catch on in California, where it is actually codified into law to "EXPEDITE THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC." If traffic circles EXPEDITE the flow of traffic? California would have them, all kinds of them.

(I know that because I beat a traffic ticket in court with that argument once.)

Anyway, if you read most of the available literature on the damned things right now, they have come to save us from all our traffic sins. Where have I been?

I hate the things. Nobody I know knows how to use them. Nobody I know likes them. I am a nervous wreck getting into and out of them.  And I can't count the number of times I've missed my street because I was paying attention to the traffic instead of where I'm supposed to be going.

Well I just ran into one today...so I thought I'd share my frustration with you. If there is someone out there who loves them? Please stand up! I promise I'll keep it our little secret.