Raleigh City Council Expected to Discuss Roundabout Plan Today

Raleigh, N.C. — Hillsborough Street is back on the agenda Tuesday for Raleigh city council members. They are expected to discuss a plan to bring roundabouts to the area.

The city of Raleigh is considering the roundabouts on Hillsborough Street to slow traffic and make the area safer for pedestrians and better for businesses. However, not all city councilmembers are in that loop.

City councilwoman Joyce Kekas, who is leading the opposition against the roundabouts, said more needs to be done to address parking and economic development issues on the street. She points to Glenwood South and Fayetteville Street as other main drags showing signs of success without roundabouts.

"The roundabouts we are talking about solve traffic problems, not revitalization problems," she said.

Most business owners and residents in the area support the traffic circles. Property owners are convinced an improved Hillsborough Street with roundabouts will draw people to the neighborhood.

"It's going to be a win-win situation. I don't understand the argument for not doing it," said Donna Bailey, of the University Park Homeowners Association.

The student body president at N.C. State is also pushing for the roundabouts. He was busy gathering support last week to present to the city council on Tuesday.

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the traffic circles will make me frequent the merchants in the area, even less than I do now. I think it will also create more traffic along Clark, Wade and Oberlin whihc might make some of the houses and property less attractive as residential dwellings.

rand321
January 23, 2007 6:17 p.m.

Roundabouts are a classic dumb idea. We have a similar situation here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Raleigh has NC State and Hillsborough Street and Albuquerque has the University of New Mexico and Central Avenue. However, we already have one roundabout built into Central Ave. and it is a nightmare. Someone should tell Raleigh's city council to check and see what Albuquerque's mess looks like before they perpetuate this "roundabout" mess. Remember when "pedestrian malls" were the bright planning idea back in the seventies? Many of the cities that blocked off main streets have, since, reopened them and business has returned. See Hendersonville, NC and Norfolk, VA as an example ... and PLEASE see Albuquerque, New Mexico for the full view of a "roundabout" at work! I'm "GA Dees and I graduated from NC State in '72, as did my dad before me in '39 ... I live in Albuquerque now ... that place where Bugs Bunny keeps forgetting to turn left.

reconjones
January 23, 2007 4:19 p.m.

If you want to see how well a roundabout works in traffic that is only moderate in nature, look at the "traffic circle" on US15/501 and NC22 in Pinehurst. When I am down there, I will drive halfway around Moore county to avoid having to deal with it!!

yukonjohn3
January 23, 2007 1:37 p.m.

Don't we have better things to spend money on?

JennyT
January 23, 2007 11:30 a.m.

I don't get Raleigh's fascination with traffic circles. Almost every shopping center's parking lot has one and I don't see that it is necessarily solving any kind of traffic problem. I think more than anything they are cumbersome. But that's my personal opinion. I do think that they look nice though, so if they are going for aesthetics it's a good idea. But I think that Hillsborough is too heavily traveled to have 8 or 9 of them on the street.

josephnc1975
January 23, 2007 9:57 a.m.