For the last few years, traffic on Highway 227 from Price Canyon north has gotten steadily worse. A recent plan to install three or four roundabouts on 227 was recently and overwhelmingly shot down by the public. Data used to determine that roundabouts costing more than $7.2 million each were the only solution was found to be outdated. The example study roundabout on Highway 154 was determined to be nothing like what would be on 227.
A new roundabout study costing hundreds of thousands of dollars is underway to deal with the problem. But here is the rub. It is being conducted by the same company that did the last study. Does anyone seriously expect a different plan?
This should not be a roundabout study, it should be a traffic flow study. By calling it a roundabout study, it is saying that no other solution will be considered, and we’ll end up with the same flawed result as the last study.
The traffic problem is only on weekday mornings for about 90 minutes and only northbound, and only on weekday afternoons for about 90 minutes southbound. Southbound traffic in the mornings flows freely, as does northbound traffic in the afternoons. Roundabouts will block north and southbound traffic at three or four locations 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The real solution is widening Highway 101. However, installation of an additional traffic light on Highway 227 and retiming all of the lights along with widening 227 for a three-quarter-mile section will correct much of the delay.
We need an honest study, one that is not driven by the flawed concept that roundabouts solve all traffic issues.
Joseph Rouleau
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2020.
Adding more lanes will encourage people to drive more. It may be a temporary band-aid but is not a sustainable solution. Getting people to replace single occupancy vehicle trips is the solution. One way to do that is to NOT make it easier for people to drive but make it easier to use alternative forms or transportation.