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Comments and questions from fairgoers
Here are some that we've responded to already. Thank you to those who left coments and questions.
Roundabout facts
- Intersections (traditional four-way) converted to roundabouts show a 39 percent decrease in all crashes and 89 percent decrease in fatal crashes.
- Pedestrians are safer in roundabouts because traffic moves slower.
- Roundabouts can handle high levels of traffic with less delay than most stop signs and signals.
- The tight curves slow traffic making entering and exiting easier and more efficient for drivers.
- Idling decreases at roundabouts which reduces vehicle emissions and fuel consumption by 30 percent or more.
- Learn about multilane roundabouts
Question: Should you signal in a roundabout?
Answer: When exiting a roundabout, you should signal your turn and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Minnesota Driver's Manual Chapter, Chapter 3, page 26.
Question: Why the big promotion of roundabouts? Are they really worth the cost? I was not impressed with the roundabouts while driving in Europe. Why do we need them here?
Answer: We’ve started to build roundabouts because of their impressive track record for both efficiency and safety, particularly when compared to conventional intersections. Read more about Roundabouts.
Rounadbouts are roughly equivalent to the initial cost of a traffic signal once you consider everything involved. They actually have a lower long-term operational cost, as we don’t spend as much on electricity and light bulb replacement as would be the case with a signal.
It depends on where you drive the roundabouts in Europe. Some are better than others – and some might not be modern roundabouts at all. There are old-style traffic circles in Europe that are still used today. The ones we’re building here in Minnesota are based on the state of the art and should be at least as good as the modern ones you saw over there.
Question: How does MnDOT determine if a roundabout should be installed? The state is spending a lot of money to install roundabouts.
Answer: Good question! In Minnesota, we have an objective analytical process called an Intersection Control Evaluation. In short, it requires all forms of intersection configuration and control (e.g. signal, stop sign, roundabout) to be considered equally so that the most appropriate decision can be made in each circumstance. An ICE report is written for the public record to document the analysis and decision. For state roads, our engineers are required to consider traffic signals and roundabouts equally and produce an ICE report that justifies their selection.
Our ICE process is a softer version of a similar policy in Wisconsin a few years ago. There, the state legislature passed a law requiring roundabouts to be considered equally with traffic signals. It was intended to get the use of roundabouts off the ground, which it did. We decided that we didn’t want to be as heavy handed, so we didn’t pursue any legislation. Instead, we created the ICE process, which essentially does the same thing but as an engineering process rather than a legal requirement. Since that time, quite a few cities and counties around the state have adopted the ICE process for their own use, as they’ve found it to be a sound process and worth the effort.
Question: Why are there roundabouts with stop signs in northeast Minneapolis - east of University Avenue on 18th?
Response: The stop signs will be removed soon with yield signs.
Benefits of the zipper merge
- Reduces differences in speeds between two lanes
- Reduces overall length of traffic back up by as much as 40 percent
- Reduces congestion on freeway interchanges
- Creates a sense of fairness and equity that all lanes are moving at the same rate
- Reduces incidents of road rage
- Learn about zipper merging
Question: Why isn't this being communicated to drivers?
Answer: During the summer, television and radio ads about doing the zipper merge were played. There are plans to continue doing this and other ways of educating motorists on the zipper merge.
Question: Why do we need to zipper merge?
Answer: Read about the benefits of the zipper merge.
Question: Where can I get bike maps?
Answer: Download or view them from our bicycle maps page.
Question: Are there any updates on the completion/extension of the North Star Line through to St. Cloud?
Answer: In a nutshell, plans to extend service to St. Cloud are on hold while we build the case to successfully compete for federal dollars. Key to that happening is continued ridership growth on the portion of the line already operating between Big Lake and Minneapolis. Operations are going well. The trains run on schedule 96% of the time. The travel time is the same, no matter what the weather is. And, more than 16 million passenger mile were logged in the first year, safely.
The Northstar Corridor Development Authority sponsors a commuter bus between Big Lake and St. Cloud. On Fridays, the bus runs all the way to Target Field in Minneapolis in the middle of the day. To find out more, go to http://catchthelink.com.