Community Corner
Data Says Roundabouts Are Quicker, Safer; Should IGH Have More?
According to data collected by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, roundabouts reduce fatalities by 90 percent because vehicles are forced to slow down as they approach intersections.
Inver Grove Heights has just one roundabout right now and another one planned, but there could be even more in the future.
According to a St. Paul Pioneer Press article by Bob Shaw, which cites the Minnesota Department of Transportation, roundabouts make intersections much safer by reducing fatalities by 90 percent. Even as the intersection is safer, traffic continues to move and fewer vehicles are forced to queue up waiting for their turn.
Find out what's happening in Inver Grove Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"The data show that they are the safest intersections we have," said Ken Johnson, a roundabout expert at MnDOT. ... No one has proved a connection, but fatalities started falling four years ago, which is about when the state's roundabout building binge began. ... Besides safety, the other primary advantage of roundabouts is speed.
During rush hours, MnDOT's Johnson said, cars travel through roundabouts an average of 10 seconds faster. In nonpeak hours, traffic slows only slightly at a roundabout instead of making a full stop at a red light, night or day.
Find out what's happening in Inver Grove Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Inver Grove Heights' roundabout is in the in the Argenta Hills area on Highway 3, between County Road 26 and Highway 55. Another is planned just to the north.
What do you think of roundabouts? Should Inver Grove Heights have more? Tell us in the comments.
