Opinion: Traffic Circles at LU Have You Covered

Have you ever wanted to turn left? Well, if you want to turn left on University Boulevard, your job just got easier thanks to the brand-new traffic circle on campus. Say goodbye to waiting in the left turn lane, praying traffic will ebb just enough for you to complete your turn. Say hello to moving with the flow of traffic.

Traffic circles give every driver the chance to continue moving without waiting for a light to change or a break in traffic. When all the drivers are moving in the same direction, you can slip into the flow of traffic more easily.

Studies of traffic circles in New Hampshire, New York and Washington by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed an average of 89 percent decrease in vehicle delays. We all have places to go. Traffic circles can help you get there faster.

Traffic circles are more convenient, but are they safe? According to research done by the Washington Department of Transportation, traffic circles reduce overall collisions by 37 percent. They also reduce collisions resulting in fatalities by 90 percent. Think about it. If you only need to watch one direction of traffic at a time, you don’t have to worry about overlooking a car coming from the other direction.

Traffic circles help reduce collisions because they keep vehicles moving in the same direction at reasonable speeds. Drivers usually move less than 20 mph in traffic circles, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

When everyone is driving around the same speed, collisions are less likely to occur. Additionally, even when accidents do happen, they usually result in property damage, not personal injury.

So, next time your parents come to visit and cringe at the thought of driving on campus, you can calm their nerves by reminding them that the new traffic circles are safer than the old stop-and-go system.

What about pedestrians? Yes, we all must walk sometimes. If you are walking across University Boulevard, the new traffic circle has you covered.

Instead of making a mad dash across four lanes of traffic, you can calmly walk across one section at a time. You no longer need to worry about losing one of your favorite pairs of sandals as you sprint across the road. Relax and take your time.

Traffic circles make it easier for pedestrians to cross safely. According to the Washington Department of Transportation, traffic circles reduce collisions involving pedestrians by 40 percent.

While the traffic circles will not fix every traffic problem on campus, they will help traffic move at safe speeds. Whether you walk or drive, the traffic circles at Liberty have your back.