The circle blame game YOUR OPINION

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/10/2010 (5549 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A two-vehicle collision at a River Heights traffic circle sent a man to hospital and also sent our readers to their keyboards.

Why was a circle needed? Four-way stops work just fine. Personally, these circles are a pain — they do nothing to calm traffic and, if anything, just slow it down.

east of eden1

That’s the point, they slow people down. I hated them at first but have adapted. Come on Winnipeg, go with the flow. Turn right and don’t hit anyone! How hard is that?

babble

Follow the arrow and… oh yeah, that funny rectangular sign? That a YIELD sign. Meaning that you slow down and let the other driver already in the circle continue through. Unlike the clown I saw the other day who thought because he was on the right of the other driver he had the right of way.

— BM

I trust that everything was calm when these “accidents” took place.

J Haier

These circles are obviously not as simple as people tout them to be. I have personally witnessed near collisions at them and I fully expect there will be many more over time. I do not see the need for them and the city is just asking for accidents by going with them instead of 4 way stop signs. Why waste the money anyway when there are streets to fix first?

tim5

In this city it’s obvious the folks need a 12 step program, to learn how how to use traffic circles. Maybe throw in some sensitivity training for those demanding pedestrians and cyclists who expect too much of our once pampered drivers who obviously are incapable of adapting to change and want this city’s streets to be one long drag strip.

DaPegger

OCTOBER 20, 2010 AT 12:02 PM

How many accidents happened at all the street-lights/stop signs in the city today? But one accident at a circle and it’s in the news. Bad drivers get into accidents. I honestly wish these circles were everywhere. I hate sitting at a light on Portage while zero cars cross. And then the next light, and the next light… How about on the perimeter? Gotta be trivial to put in a circle at Oak Bluff and Hwy. 6 compared to the cost of an overpass.

damaend

I encountered my first traffic circle in Edmonton 1970. It is not rocket science. I entered, circled around for a couple of hours, emerged and went on my merry way.

RareBear

But I thought these were “simple” and “easy to navigate.” Perhaps the logic escapes some, perhaps it isn’t as easy as some think. At any rate, I don’t think a traffic/speed control measure described as “simple” would need five different road signs instructing a calming circle’s use.

gwinnipeg1

People need to be told about how NOT to drive into a stationary object?

DwwtwnReader

We live in the south end where large traffic circles are very helpful in regulating traffic flow. Imagine our horror and surprise when we came upon one of those tiny traffic circles in River Heights. What a joke! I agree that they are much too small to be helpful, and are definitely more of a hindrance.

Reader 1964