Sedona, AZ — Opinion by Cynthia Tierra…

In the SVVT February 5th issue, Charles Hinkley presented a history behind the development of roundabouts on Hwy 179 and on Hwy 89A and he claims roundabouts are an asset to the community. Public input helped determine the choices that were made, but that doesn’t mean the roundabouts are the best solution to move traffic with ease around Sedona, nor does it make them an asset to our community. Now that they are a reality, rather than a concept, problems are surfacing. Computerized traffic simulations are very different from real life driving. Those of us who reside in The Village have learned to live with the roundabouts and are used to driving in circles to get where we want to go, since we have four roundabouts in close proximity. There is a benefit to the roundabouts. Roundabouts eliminate the need to wait at traffic lights or to wait for vehicles making turns across traffic. The pitfalls are many. Drivers have no understanding of how to go through a roundabout because roundabouts are unfamiliar when compared to stop signs or traffic lights. Local residents may be learning how to negotiate roundabouts through experience, since they have to drive through the roundabouts on a regular basis, but Sedona gets a lot of tourist traffic. Despite the Yield signs, drivers often come to a dead stop before entering a roundabout, even when there are no other vehicles in the circle, or the vehicles are a safe distance away. Drivers of cars coming from the highway often don’t bother to yield at all or even slow down, creating a potential for accidents, because they assume they have the right of way. As for roundabouts being safer for pedestrians, that’s a matter of opinion. Drivers are so occupied with facing the unfamiliar territory of roundabouts, they seem not to notice pedestrians. It is as if pedestrians are invisible. Crossing the highway at a roundabout is probably safer than crossing two lanes of traffic, but it still isn’t safe.

At least the roundabouts in The Village are single lane. Once you’re in, you can get around without much trouble. The two lane back to back roundabouts that replaced our familiar Y intersection are very intimidating. I have heard them referred to as the “O-O” and “O-O” is an expression children use to indicate a problem. Entering these roundabouts when traffic is present requires intense observation of other vehicles coming from two lanes and coming from different directions. Vehicles traveling from Uptown may continue through to the next roundabout, or circle around and exit onto Hwy 179. Vehicles are also entering from the opposite side of the roundabout, potentially exiting at Hwy 179, or continuing to Uptown. Some vehicles are in the outer lane and some are in the inner lane, creating the possibility of vehicles crossing traffic to exit. Not knowing exactly what to expect can raise the blood pressure of a timid driver and challenge even an experienced driver. Just when a driver gets through one roundabout, the next one is right there. Getting through both roundabouts and heading up the hill towards West Sedona, merits a sigh of relief. Navigating the connected roundabouts makes driving in Sedona stressful.

Objecting to roundabouts is not about resistance to change. The change has been made and it doesn’t work. Life is about change. Life is also about admitting your mistakes, learning from them and making more changes. A mistake has been made, a mistake that needs to be evaluated and corrected. Driving in Sedona needs to be easy and as stress free as possible. The roundabouts do not make driving in Sedona easy or stress free.

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