Pilot project underway at Reams Road roundabout

HORIZON WEST  About two years ago, Orange County debuted a new, two-lane roundabout on Reams Road and Silverlake Park Drive, behind the Publix at Lakeside Village.

Now, Orange County District 1 Commissioner S. Scott Boyd has helped spearhead a temporary pilot project that examines how traffic flow through the roundabout might improve if the inner lane is taken away.

“For some time, we have had some folks concerned about the double-lane roundabout and weaving through and out in different directions,” Boyd said. “We’ve come up with striping and signage, but 99% of the time, it hasn’t changed the behavior of the drivers, which is part of the problem we’re having.”

Accidents and traffic confusion have been concerns of nearby residents who frequent the roadway since the roundabout’s genesis, and the project is a direct result. Orange-striped traffic barrels were placed along the roundabout’s inner lane last week in an attempt to block off access to it and simulate a single-lane roundabout. Boyd said the implementation of the traffic barrels has been a way to manipulate the traffic pattern at a low cost.

The barrels will be in place for the next four weeks or so, Boyd said, to help get a better idea of how they will work with increased traffic because of back-to-school time. After the project is over, Boyd and his team will seek feedback from residents that will help them decide whether the county ultimately needs to shut down the inner lane permanently.

“They’re experiencing what ultimately will more than likely be the fix in the traffic issues that have surrounded the roundabout for quite some time,” Boyd said. “Prior to spending money in doing so, this is the best way to figure out how it works.”

Jim Rawlings, a nearby Windermere Trails resident, started a poll on the social-media platform NextDoor after the barrels were in place to get a feel for what his neighbors thought of the project. The general consensus was that the temporary change to simulate a single-lane roundabout functioned better than the two-lane setup. 

Rawlings, a proponent for a single-lane roundabout, said the primary issue with the roundabout is where drivers exit and enter onto Reams Road.

“A single lane works just fine,” he said. “I don’t think putting stop signs in will make a difference. If it was a single lane, you have a 50% less chance of accidents happening. I’ve driven the ones in Windermere and never had a problem.”

Brian and Sharai Pittman, residents of the Grande Pines community, used to live in Reno, Texas, and were used to the regular presence of roundabouts there. 

“This was supposed to be more efficient, that they put a two-lane roundabout in, and no one here knows how to drive it,” Sharai said. “No one yields; people come flying through it. I got sideswiped in the outside lane (when) a van cut from the inside lane to the outside lane.”

Brian added that roundabouts have been proven to be efficient but can be flawed as far as practical usage is concerned.

“They work great in a single-lane occupancy, but the more lanes you introduce the more complicated it gets,” Brian said. “I really do think Orange County has provided their due diligence in trying to help. ... It’s definitely not the county’s fault. I just think we’re not getting it as a society.”

RULES OF THE ROAD

To navigate multi-lane roundabouts, drivers choose lanes the same way they would in a traditional multi-lane intersection. To go straight or right, get and remain in the right lane. To go straight or left or to make a U-turn, get and remain in the left lane. 

Upon entering a roundabout, drivers must also remember to look left and yield to both lanes of traffic already in the roundabout. Once traffic is clear, drivers can then merge into the roundabout and proceed to their exit. (From Washington State Department of Transportation)

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].