Residents urge council to rethink proposed roundabouts, cite safety and emergency access concerns

Multiple residents used the public-comment periods to raise safety, accessibility and parking concerns about proposed roundabouts in the city’s Local Road Safety Plan.

John Ralston told the council he worries about a proposed roundabout near Jefferson School at Lincoln and the Boulevard, saying uphill roundabouts can be difficult for large vehicles and could slow traffic. “Uphill roundabouts generally don’t work,” Ralston said, urging the city to consider alternatives such as attention at Laurel Street and the boulevard or signal timing changes.

Allison Young, a seventh-grader at Stevens Middle School, spoke about a one-block off-arterial roundabout and said she was concerned the designs would reduce on-street parking and could impede large city vehicles including snowplows, trash trucks and emergency vehicles. “Bulky emergency vehicles and roundabouts are not a good combination,” she said, adding that in a real emergency roundabouts could slow or stop responders.

Resident Susie Blake urged the council to locate at least one mini circle farther north in the Laurel corridor so high-speed traffic from Lauridsen/Highway 101 doesn’t accelerate into a roundabout and then brake suddenly. Several commenters noted crash data in the packet that supports targeted safety measures in the same neighborhoods.

Speakers asked the council to prioritize designs that preserve parking, ensure snowplow and truck access, and protect emergency-response times. No formal action on the Local Road Safety Plan was recorded at this meeting; the remarks were made during the public-comment periods and will be part of the public record for staff consideration.