Coronado plans to fine-tune contentious traffic circle

Coronado plans to tweak the design of a disputed roundabout set up temporarily at a busy, three-way intersection and seek residents’ comments on the result. An evaluation of the roundabout, on Pomona and Adella avenues and Seventh Street, presented to the City Council earlier this month revealed that the roundabout was effective at meeting most of the city’s objectives. “It slows traffic through the intersection and does so without increasing accidents,” said engineering director Ed Walton. “It channels pedestrians into marked crosswalks and assists with wayfinding. It appears to be working.” However, Walton agreed with a number of residents who have complained that the roundabout is too large, has made it more difficult for some residents to back out of their driveways and takes up too much parking space. He said the design could be improved. After wading through 300 responses to an online roundabout survey and hearing from dozens of residents who spoke at the meeting or sent letters, the City Council agreed to get an expert’s help and then get community input. “I’m very happy to bring in a roundabout specialist,” said Mayor Casey Tanaka. “I’m confident some of these little problems could be fixed.” Walton said he expects to hire someone by the end of the year and hold the community meeting as early as February. Roundabouts are self-regulating circular intersections where traffic goes in one direction around a central island. Nearly 10,000 cars travel on Pomona Avenue daily. The city installed the roundabout in March. Raised pavement markers are used where curbs would be installed if the roundabout were made permanent at a cost of about $1 million. The oddly shaped intersection is used by Coronado residents, commuters from San Diego and students en route to neighborhood schools. Read the entire Union Tribune article here.