The Michigan Department of Transportation wants your opinions on roundabouts.
Those controversial traffic circles which rely on drivers who yield and cooperate divide the driving public into two camps -- those who love them and those who hate them.
You can join the conversation -- and offer your thoughts -- by going to http://bit.ly/c5IyKR and adding your 2 cents to the comments on the bottom.
Here are a few from those already on the story:
"Roundabouts get me turned around. I may want to simply go straight but can't figure out which exit is straight... maybe if the signage was better? Keep in mind in some locations you could have a large vehicle in front of you and may not see some types of signs."
"It's not just ignorance of how to use them, people are always in a big hurry and try to beat the other traffic. I've never seen anyone stop for a pedestrian in a roundabout; they just race around them before they get far enough across to really block the traffic. Lights are better because most people obey them."
"I loved the incident at Maple & Drake Rds. They put in a roundabout to eliminate the light, then they had to reinstall lights because the pedestrian traffic couldn't cross that busy intersection. Can we say WASTE of money?"
"There is a roundabout on Tienken by Stoney Creek H.S which is the worst. Students don't yield and one side gets to go for several minutes before the other side finally gets one car who has to hurry and go through. I am surprised there hasn't been several accidents in this roundabout. I get nervous every time I am out there. The buses are even worse. They all just go together without yielding. Perhaps it would be bettter to have a stop light or stop signs in this area."
"I love the roundabouts! My GPS enabled phone tells me how to navigate an unfamiliar roundabout a quarter of a mile before I get to it and then zip zip I am usually through without having to stop."
"Try driving a vehicle with a trailer (properly) through one. Move to the left lane and try to get back over for your turn in that small space? Never happen.
Oakland county spent millions on traffic detectors at intersections to ease the flow of traffic. Why not get them working? You sit at an intersection with no cross traffic, why doesn't the detector flip the light green in a reasonable time? It's like the lights are still operating off timers.
How much does it cost to buy the land, build the roundabouts, and maintain roundabouts as opposed to an existing intersection? Somebody's mowing the grass, etc. There is no expense for that at conventional intersections. Any savings in time and gas needs to be offset by the maintenance expenses and fuel used to drive from one to the other to mow maintain them.
This is just another government campaign to convince us they need to spend more money, even if we object to the end result. Government STILL hasn't caught on to the mood of the country."
" I freely admit that I have no idea how to drive in a roundabout. I panicked the first time I drove through it; it’s a blur as to what happened. Second time, someone laid on their horn at me the entire time, but I still have no idea what I did wrong. My parents live on the East side which is why I encounter them at all. I drove through one with my mother a few weeks ago and even with her telling me how to do it, I needed a Xanax after I made it out of that circle of death. It's now the thing I fear and will not under any circumstance drive through one again. Glad to read I'm not the only one inept at maneuvering through. MDOT - Stay out of Troy with those things. "