“Hey look, kids, there’s Big Ben. And there’s Parliament.”
We all know that line from European Vacation as Clark Griswold tries in vain to navigate a roundabout in London. Lately, I’m wondering if local residents have been uttering it as they traverse the roundabout at North Main & Auburn Streets in Rockford.
A recent rollover accident there prompted another round of teeth gnashing by local TV media intent on building up a controversy where none exists.
I’ve been commuting through that intersection for 15 years, waiting impatiently as the traffic lights cycled from one direction to the next. When the new roundabout fully opened in October 2013, I estimated that I saved between 3-5 minutes on my daily commute. That’s about 16 fewer hours per year spent idling in traffic, wasting gas and time. Yes, I did the math.
Roundabouts are prevalent in Europe, with more than 30,000 in France alone. And they’re gaining acceptance in the US, with nearly 3,000 across the country. However, we often don’t like change in Rockford and the roundabout was change.
Have there been more crashes there since it opened? Absolutely. That’s normal and the City of Rockford communicated that from the start. Over time, however, most people get the hang of it and the low-speed fender-benders are reduced.
Until the next round of media hype begins, I say this: Stay in your lane. Use the right lane to turn right or go straight. Use the left lane to turn left or go straight.
C’mon Rockford, we can do this!
I’m Wester Wuori, and that’s my perspective.
