New Way to Navigate Wolfeboro?

[barefootbay]

Bypass !!!!

[fatlazyless]

Suggest you take a visit to Rt 3, Daniel Webster Hgwy in Meredith to see how much faster a roundabout intersection will move traffic than a stop light intersection as Meredith has both a busy roundabout and a busy stop light within one mile.

This is an obvious observation that the roundabout keeps traffic moving, albeit slowly, while the stop lights make it stop and go, with rapid stopping and starting.

So, which one is the better choice for Wolfeboro? Wolfeboro has the easy opportunity to learn from Meredith's major blunder, stop light intersection, when it could have been a roundabout, built in about 2012. In 2012 the NH-DOT strongly suggested a roundabout but unfortunately a Meredith town warrant vote supported the stop lights.

The argument was that a roundabout would divide the town in half while a stop light would have push button activated, pedestrian walkways.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by barefootbay

Bypass !!!!

If you meant a "flyover", I'd suggest building that.

Two houses would need to be moved, but the flyover sounded good to two sisters I visited at the affected Sunoco station today.

But their first urging started with stoplights.

[tis]

Originally Posted by ApS

If you meant a "flyover", I'd suggest building that.

Two houses would need to be moved, but the flyover sounded good to two sisters I visited at the affected Sunoco station today.

But their first urging started with stoplights.

Are they upset about it?

[camp guy]

In all the postings about this topic I haven't once seen mention of what to me is a fairly simple solution - that being a uniformed, certified policeman stationed in the center of the Pickering Corner intersection directing traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian) through the intersection. In the past, there was a policeman doing this, but that function seemed to go away some years ago. Also, let's not forget that this problem is highly seasonal, and it is about the resolve itself with the passing of Labor Day. Sure, there will be slow downs, but, honestly, in terms of time, we are talking very short time delays. What scares me is that now that the State is involved something is going to happen simply because the State feels it must do something, after all, why else would they be there? I'd rather see both Rt 109 and Rt 109A be reworked and resurfaced to provide a smoother and safer surface.

[John Mercier]

Because they are state highways?
I would presume that is why the State is involved.

The seasonal aspect of your solution presents a problem. Seasonal help is very hard to come by... and removing a full time officer to the location means that other areas of concern would not be covered.

Same issue that Marine Patrol is having.

[tis]

Originally Posted by camp guy

In all the postings about this topic I haven't once seen mention of what to me is a fairly simple solution - that being a uniformed, certified policeman stationed in the center of the Pickering Corner intersection directing traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian) through the intersection. In the past, there was a policeman doing this, but that function seemed to go away some years ago. Also, let's not forget that this problem is highly seasonal, and it is about the resolve itself with the passing of Labor Day. Sure, there will be slow downs, but, honestly, in terms of time, we are talking very short time delays. What scares me is that now that the State is involved something is going to happen simply because the State feels it must do something, after all, why else would they be there? I'd rather see both Rt 109 and Rt 109A be reworked and resurfaced to provide a smoother and safer surface.

Do you remember when there was a cop downtown in the summer? And do you remember how much slower it made the traffic? I can remember when it was backed up everybody said: "The cop must be there."

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by tis

Do you remember when there was a cop downtown in the summer? And do you remember how much slower it made the traffic? I can remember when it was backed up everybody said: "The cop must be there."

I have never seen a situation where an officer directing traffic made it better…quite the contrary actually!

Dan

[tis]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I have never seen a situation where an officer directing traffic made it better…quite the contrary actually!

Dan

Exactly my point! And I also am willing to bet that neither traffic lights or a roundabout would make it better. Remember: Be careful what you wish for.

[fatlazyless]

From the Wikipedia reference on roundabouts ....... www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout ...... way down the bottom under Safety, it says:

Statistically, modern roundabouts are safer for drivers and pedestrians than both older style traffic circles and traditional intersections.(73) Compared with these other forms of intersections, modern roundabouts experience 39% fewer vehicle collisions, 76% fewer injuries and 90% fewer serious injuries and fatalities (according to a study of a sampling of roundabouts in the United States, when compared with the junctions they replaced). At junctions with stop signs or traffic lights, the most serious accidents are right-angle, left-turn or head-on collisions where vehicles move fast and collide at high impact angles, e. g. head-on. Roundabouts virtually eliminate those types of crashes. Instead, most crashes are glancing blows at low angles of impact. Further, a study based on satellite imagery of all intersections in Australia observed consistently low speeds on roundabouts compared to other intersection types, contributing to reduced injury severity in case of a crash.(77)

Yes, and allow me to add that drivers in Wolfeboro NH, the oldest summer resort in the U.S.A., who use roundabouts on a regular daily basis will experience 88% fewer cavities in their teeth, as well, and have beautiful pearly white teeth...... ho-ho-ho .... ..... sorry, could not resist that one ...... and yuck-yuck-yuck! ....

[John Mercier]

It generally takes about ten years from the initial public input to when anything will actually be done.

It lets the younger generation set the course for the future of their town... but very few of them seem to give input.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I have never seen a situation where an officer directing traffic made it better…quite the contrary actually!

Dan

In dark green "academy" uniforms, we were sent out to a busy intersection where the traffic lights were intentionally set to flashing red.

All we could was to make heavy traffic "fair"; otherwise, one stream of traffic (or the other) would dominate. Left turns would back up, slowing traffic to one stream.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by tis

Are they upset about it?

Not really. They liked the flyover idea, but now I realize it would have to be tall enough to clear 18-wheelers, which would take up too much space. A detour could be arranged, but it's the residents who would be justifiably upset.