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Round the bend

17/4/2019

5 Comments

 
PictureCairns roundabout. This is tourist territory, like Philip Island. Visitors must slow down just to read traffic signs: diverging road is40km/h speed limit, give way, reduce speed, slippery when wet, pedestrians, cyclists, destinations, left turn must turn, and more.
Roundabouts are a costly and ineffective solution to Phillip Island's traffic problems, argues Bernie McComb. Anfd think what else we could do with $40 million.

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By Bernie McComb
 
IT’S disappointing that so little has been accomplished on the Phillip Island Road project since 2014. The only thing that appears to be going ahead is the roundabout at the Woolamai Beach Road, a minor T intersection with a main road. The objective is said to be to improve traffic flow as well as safety.
 
Roundabouts do indeed reduce the few, if any, fatalities and serious injuries but they actually increase the number of crashes and moderate injuries, compared with stop signs and traffic lights. Crashes don’t figures in accident statistics unless ambulances are called.

With single-lane roundabouts, there is enough road width for B-double trucks to get around. Smaller vehicles get around in pretty much a straight line at reasonable speed. Dual-lane roundabouts have a large diameter. You need to slow to enter the roundabout at almost 90 degrees, followed by a long curve, then exit at almost 90 degrees. Vehicle speed is much slower and visibility is not so good at further distances. In the US, roundabout speed limits are often as slow as 15 mph (24 km/h) and many roundabouts in Australia have 40 km/h signs. 
 
Contrary to expert opinion that drivers are rational, there are many instances of cars spinning off the road at roundabouts, caused by drivers turning on too much power too soon, just for fun. I “lost” my first car in this way. Never again!
 
Another problem with dual lanes is that many drivers are hesitant enough to exasperate other drivers. Some of us believe we should give way only to traffic from the right on roundabouts when the road rules actually state that we need to give way to all vehicles wherever they are. Those who stop to comply with the law “cause problems” for others who don’t. It’s too time consuming to discuss the complications of drivers changing lanes while circulating, possibly to make space for other vehicles but often just for “fun” and aggro.
 
Incidentally three roundabouts that are "notorious for traffic jams”, including Frankston-Dandenong Road/Thompson Road (Carrum Downs) and Thompson Road/Westernport Highway (Lyndhurst), are being replaced  with traffic lights as part of $175 million Regional Roads project to improve traffic flow.
 
Sure, everybody feels that something needs to be done about traffic on the island. But more spending on roads always means more cars and more problems. The closer you look, the more you realise that nothing is possible, short of a full-size freeway.  
 
Three roundabouts and 2.5km of four-lane divided highway through the middle of Newhaven won’t make any difference in traffic flow. How could it ever make sense with 15kms of two-lane road on the mainland and the same again across the Island, with just 2.5km in the middle?
 
Think of what else we could do on the island with close to $40 million by changing to traffic lights. We are seeing more empty shops and failed business on the Island. In all the community consultations, there are no ideas how to attract more people in off-peak times.
 
And think about how traffic lights can make a break in the never-ending traffic convoy. So much safer for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, so they can say they've actually delivered their “highest priorities”.
 
Bernie McComb was a member of the community reference group advising on the implementation of the Phillip Island Integrated Traffic Study.​

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The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, at the junction of five major roads, has twice been voted the scariest roundabout in the UK. Consisting of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle, it has actually resulted in a dramatic fall in accidents.
5 Comments
Sunny
19/4/2019 06:34:14 pm

I agree that roundabouts will not solve much especially in San Remo, there are many shops empty and struggling due to no parking and the flow of traffic into and our of San Remo, it does need traffic lights that should operate at least on weekends and the busy seasons.

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Chris Day
20/4/2019 09:10:57 am

I agree Bernie roundabouts are not a good answer if traffic coming from all four directions like the ones you mention as you travel on Thompson Rd and the flashing lights vicroads put up for peak times are ridiculous .
Having driven in most capital city's fit my work in national job I've seen roundabouts thstvwork well where they have full sets of traffic lights only working at peak times and test of day they work as normal roundabout so your not sitting st traffic lights with nobody coming which drives all motorists hate.
It works well in some of busiest areas in Sydney and could work here. We owned property at Cape Woolamai from early 70's and it was impossible to get out at holiday time but even more dangerous at non peak times with traffic speeding over the slope at you with no vision of them coming. Why as traffic safety expert Mike Hammond said wasn't slope removed much cheaper than roundabouts and more effective ?
The issues in San Remo are far more complex and as VicRoads is finding out you try to fix one problem and it creates two more problems.
There really is no answer as there simply not enough room to find a solution that assists those trying to get through town as against those living there trying to access the shopping centre precinct.
The extension of town boundary's should never have happened unless Bass Coast Council and Vicroads agreed to proceed with the recommendations of the access strategy the council and state government appointed and paid for. Instead of that they basically never talk to each other.
Good reason again to ask why do we have 3 levels of government it certainly does nothing for the Australian people except cost billions of dollars. If you were in business and ran like the various governments you would go broke.
The incompetence of having several Victorian Government dept and ministers responsible in a small town like San Remo is farcical and the blame game between them never ending yet their all in the end responsible to the government and premier of the day.

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David Norton
21/4/2019 08:59:12 pm

I remember living in Cape Woolamai banked up for 1km trying to do right hand turn onto Phillip Island - it was murder. At least if I went to the supermarket in Newhaven - I could go via the roundabout back through the back streets of Newhaven instead of waiting near the bridge to do a right hand turn onto Phillip Island Road. Cape Woolamai and San Remo have hours of bumber to bumber traffic over the January and Easter period. A roundabout in either town is the best way to stop the traffic to allow entrance onto or off Phillip Island Road. Cowes, Inverloch and Wonthaggi seem to manage quite well with roundabouts

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Braxton
22/4/2019 10:47:11 am

My thoughts are, now that Newhaven College has gone from Newhaven it would make sense to remove that roundabout (no longer required for school buses) and for anyone that lives on the Island you would agree that once you are past this point the traffic flow picks up. The other two roundabouts make sense on the way in to Cowes, however leaving the Island there will be a problem as the 2.5km of four-lane divided highway will have to merge to a single lane bridge. See the problem, the thought went in to getting people on the Island but this plan may impact getting off. Just an observation folks.

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Ken Barnes
23/4/2019 11:44:38 am

Thank you for this Bernie and in particular the point that we are supposed to give way to traffic already on the roundabout.Too often vehicles approach and glance to the right then keep going often at speed and vehicles waiting to enter are unable to do so without being hit. A policeman on duty at any roundabout would write a small fortune in tickets.

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