LETTERS

Roundabout at Apponaug

Warwick Beacon ·

To the Editor:

In a recent Beacon, Mr. Jim Morgan took issue with my article on the Apponaug Roundabout, asking where did I get my information, as he states his history of living in France and England argue against the differences.

Well, I did get this information from the RIDOT when they first reported about the project in the newspaper. The engineering of the roundabout was explained; he must have missed that.

I recommend he also look up on the web an article by the Herald Tribune dated June 21, 2009 on a roundabout in Florida, or on the site Word Difference, or an exhaustive article on the world’s roundabouts on Wikipedia.

I will give some facts that you will find:

1. Roundabouts are more modern and efficient than rotaries.

2. A gridlock is more common in a rotary style circular intersection.

3. Rotaries have bigger diameters, 300 to 600 feet. They also have an accident rate of 3.5 to 6.5. They also have typically higher speeds from 30 to 50 miles per mph.

4. Intersecting streets in roundabouts are usually narrower.

5. Roundabouts are designed with diameters from 16 to 180 feet. They have an accident rate of 2.5 to 3.5 with speeds of 15 to 25 mph.

Mr. Morgan was correct on the problem of timidity and aggression as much of the problem, and I did state so, but not in those words. He said he’s tired of these comments about roundabouts, but I believe that maybe an informed public is better off no matter how they get informed.

Richard Russell

Warwick