I-35 / US 30 Flyover Progress

Roundabouts still suffer from large construction costs. Especially if they are used in rural areas and need to get lighting out to the intersection. There is definitely a shift in the industry to try more low cost "mini" roundabouts.
 
So this morning I was going down south on Clark from 24 street, there was vehicle in front of me that turned right and then turned left on Jensen. I kept going straight, but the vehicle had stopped and waved me on after I had slowed to stop not knowing who has the Right of Way or Yield. I wonder if people signal left or right when they turn north off of 20th onto Clark as to whether they are going up Jensen or up Clark? Is this the neanderthal version of a round about?

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I don't mind round a bouts but the 2 that are on Highway 30 by Mt. Vernon are absolutely dumb. Round a abouts have no business on a major highway with big trucks.

Those 2 are really odd. There is a lot of truck traffic on that road too.
 
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Trust me in plenty of small towns a stop sign is used to control speed. you can argue whether or not they should be but they are. Keeps the little kids in the towns safer because drivers exiting town can't get going as fast. Lots of people might make a rolling stop but most don't just blow through them.

Right, that is what I'm arguing. They should only be placed for right of way designation. Do you not think a mini roundabout would be safer than a stop sign that can be ignored in the situation you described (obviously cost aside)?
 
Trust me in plenty of small towns a stop sign is used to control speed. you can argue whether or not they should be but they are. Keeps the little kids in the towns safer because drivers exiting town can't get going as fast. Lots of people might make a rolling stop but most don't just blow through them.

But a stop sign can be ignored, you can't ignore a roundabout.

I hate four-way stops. They are literally the worst because people are idiots. Give me a roundabout every time.
 
Right, that is what I'm arguing. They should only be placed for right of way designation. Do you not think a mini roundabout would be safer than a stop sign that can be ignored in the situation you described (obviously cost aside)?

I'm completely convinced that most small to medium-sized towns that have a major highway passing through put up stop signs not for safety but for commerce under the guise of safety. Anyone who's ever traveled with a sleeping passenger - especially children - know that when you are forced to stop, suddenly everyone wakes up. And lo and behold, right by the stop sign is a gas station or fast-food joint ready to serve you!

Put up a stoplight or build an interchange on highway 30 in Boone and how much do you suppose tax revenue drops? (The rumble strips are especially devious.)
 
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Right, that is what I'm arguing. They should only be placed for right of way designation. Do you not think a mini roundabout would be safer than a stop sign that can be ignored in the situation you described (obviously cost aside)?

I'm talking really small towns it would take their entire street budget for multiple yrs to pay for a roundabout. There are different ways to solve the same problem and most of them work.

I really don't care either way. I stop at stop signs and I drive through roundabouts. Now that they are more common I've certainly gotten used to the roundabouts either is fine with me. Neither way is worth arguing about in my IMO. Have a good day.
 
They built one in Ottumwa at the intersection of highways 63 and 34 about 8 years ago. Before that they had a 3 lane stop. There was an accident or two there every week.
I have been told that since they put the roundabout in, the wrecks are down 90% over what they were before.
They have had a least one semi roll over because he did not use the inside curb to get around it, but there is a sign saying, large vehicles use the inside bricks to get around the roundabout.
People down here raised hell when it went in, now no complaints at all, in fact they have added at least 2 if not 3 more around the town.
 
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The city of Tiffin is currently building a roundabout on US 6 in between Tiffin and Coralville. 55 mph road with major truck traffic, and they decided on a roundabout. :facepalm.
 
You'd rather stop than...not stop?
At that point yeah. I’ve already slowed way down. I might as well stop at that point. Stop signs are simple IMO. They are also easier to deal with people who don’t understand how they work. If someone doesn’t understand at a stop sign you basically just get in a standoff or sit there a second longer. At a roundabout when there is miscommunication you have to make adjustments while driving and turning. There’s one on 156th south of Douglas that I don’t mind because it is generally used appropriately. The ones in Johnston I avoid because they are not used correctly. You have to slow down to basically a stop and you have no clue what others are doing.
 

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