Free Republic

Some drivers may be confused or intimidated by roundabouts, those circular intersections where all traffic circles to the left until motorists find their exit to the right. But drivers better get used to them — the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is sold on the improved safety and traffic flow roundabouts provide and expects to install more of them to replace traditional intersections that use traffic signals or stop signs. The department last week released a study that reviewed 36 roundabouts that had replaced traditional intersections for at least three years. It found that deaths at those locations dropped to just...

Jerusalem residents and environmental groups see a threatened ecological "disaster" in the plans for a series of major infrastructure projects to expand roads and build intersections west of the city, being promoted by the Jerusalem Municipality and the Transportation Ministry. The eight proposed projects, mostly for areas just outside the city, involve construction of a large park-and-ride lot with 1,000 spots at Hadassah University Hospital in Ein Karem and highways connecting the suburb of Mevasseret Zion, the Castel National Park area and the outlying neighborhood of Ein Karem. The largest plan, recently presented for members of the public to submit...

Let me posit this hypothesis, liberalism is the new secular Puritanism. Instead of believing in a just and almighty God they believe in government. Instead of basing their beliefs and religion on the Bible they base it on their own – ever expanding – belief system: the principles of government. The Puritan ideal of living a life of pious, consecrated actions translates for the new Puritans to insisting that YOU live a pious life, consecrated to THEIR principles. Because you were born too stupid to determine what’s best for you. Hence the need for social engineering; here’s an example of...

Like other Wisconsinites, Rob Miller doesn’t know how many traffic roundabouts the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has installed on state highways since DOT started replacing selected intersections with roundabouts 15 years ago. Unlike other Wisconsinites, Rob Miller is a DOT spokesperson. “I don’t know. I don’t have those numbers,” Miller replied when asked how many roundabouts DOT has installed since 2000. In 1999, there were two traffic roundabouts in the entire state. Two years ago, the number was 268. At the time it was reported DOT had plans for more than 100 additional roundabouts. Miller acknowledged DOT has more roundabouts...

Stop the roundabouts The vast majority of us hate roundabouts. Unfortunately, the state Department of Transportation loves them, as do their close friends, the road builders. Why the road builders love them is simple - they can charge us 10 times more to put them in. Sadly, the DOT prefers to make its friends happy rather than the taxpayers. They now have taken to trying to hide their plans from us by referring to them as "broad, looping, free-flowing." Often we will be told that they work so well in Europe. However, Europe's idea of a big truck is about...

Motorists call it "suicide alley" and take 4-mile detours to avoid it. Pedestrians huddle on the sidewalk, cowering in fear. Merchants say it scares off customers.But Berkeley has come up with a solution to the East Bay's most treacherous intersection - Gilman Street and Interstate 80, where traffic barrels through from 14 directions with no stoplights: a $10 million double roundabout."Roundabouts are all over Europe and Mexico. I think we'll get used to this here," said Berkeley City Councilwoman Linda Maio. "And the beauty of roundabouts is that if you don't get it the first time, you can just keep...