Traffic Roundabouts



Sylvan Lake Round About

While in Sylvan Lake, Alberta recently, I noticed that they had a "round about" as the highway entered the city. Round abouts have been used in Europe and Australia for years and are increasingly being used here in Canada. This particular roundabout is located in a place that previously had a 4 way stop and was notorious for back ups and delays. On one of the busiest weekends in Sylvan Lake there was very little delay as traffic was kept in constant motion. Roundabouts are advantageous because;

-  traffic moves at slower speeds

-  there are fewer conflict point between pedestrians and motorists

-  right of way flows smoothly and consistently

-  head on and high speed collisions are eliminated

-  there is a 40% reduction in total number of collisions


Councillor Whetham has in the past raised the idea of introducing roundabouts into Cranbrook and recently there was discussion about a difficult intersection on 7th Avenue and 2nd Street.

Unfortunate descriptions such as 'circles of death' have been bestowed on roundabouts by those unfamiliar with them.  We may not be ready for a three-lane roundabout but surely we could cope with something smaller? Kamloops also uses roundabouts in some of its new subdivisions and not only do they provide safety. A softening of the hard landscape can be achieved with the addition of various plantings.

Are there places in Cranbrook we could use a roundabout ? Are we ready?