Massachusetts falling behind other states in rotaries

By adamg on Sat, 09/30/2023 - 7:53pm

We're the state that once led the nation in driving around in circles, but now NBC News reports years of removing rotaries have left us trailing other states - which see the pi-based intersections as ways to speed traffic and even make it safer, if you can believe it. Why, Oxford, MS alone has added 21 rotaries in the last six years.

Topics:

Driving

Free tagging:

Rotaries

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Comments

We don't deserve rotaries.

By anon
Sat, 09/30/2023 - 8:19pm

We don't deserve rotaries. We are not patient, kind, and caring for fellow citizens to have rotaries anymore. We are Massholes. But we hold title in worst taffic congestion and transit system for a major city. We are selfish.

Good. Rotaries are dangerous

By Anon
Sat, 09/30/2023 - 8:46pm

Good. Rotaries are dangerous and terrible for pedestrians and bicyclists. While they may be good at increasing speed for drivers in places like Mississippi, that's not a good trade-off for making neighborhoods more hostile for everyone else in places like Boston and Cambridge where there are lots of pedestrians.

News flash

By Scratchie
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 9:39am

Well-designed, well-marked traffic circles are an efficient and safe way to manage traffic through intersections. They've been putting numerous new ones in Raleigh -- especially in high-pedestrian areas, such as the NCSU campus -- without any noticeable increase in vehicular carnage.

A matter of scale

By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 6:46pm

There's a reason that so many MA rotaries are a shit show - they are not of an appropriate size to make them safe and that is why they are being busted up.

On the other hand, the one they put in Amherst where a light used to clog up everything was a genius move. No more waiting for a half mile for 3 cars to get one green arrow every five minutes!

Yes, exactly

By Scratchie
Fri, 10/06/2023 - 11:50am

But it's also a question of signage and road markings, as well as scale. It doesn't help when you merge into a giant MA rotary and you're welcomed by nothing except a wide expanse of unmarked asphalt.

MISTER PRESIDENT

By brianjdamico
Sat, 09/30/2023 - 9:44pm

WE MUST NOT ALLOW A ~~MINE SHAFT~~ ROTARY GAP!

It's the same way with New Jersey

By Waquiot
Sat, 09/30/2023 - 10:33pm

I'll never understand why proper rotaries- or traffic circles, roundabouts, or whatever you want to call them- are so hated around here. I learned how to drive on roads that used them. They properly distribute traffic as long as there aren't obstructions.

And might I add that they even slow vehicles down, if only to take the rotary.

Can't wait for the DCR to remove the last 2 in Jamaica Plain. Progress.

I have yet to see a

By g
Sat, 09/30/2023 - 10:56pm

I have yet to see a pedestrian or bike friendly rotary yet MassDOT pushes them it seems at every intersection rebuild.

Not

By perruptor
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 12:09am

When Rte 3 north of 128 was rebuilt, they replaced the rotary in Chelmsford with an extremely annoying set of 4 signal-controlled intersections.

Yes, and ...

By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 6:47pm

VAST improvement. Rotaries are meant for smaller places. This always should have been a "normal" high volume freeway interchange.

Your opinion

By perruptor
Tue, 10/03/2023 - 1:09am

Not shared by many people dealing with it regularly. Regardless of the relative merits of rotaries, the execution of the redesign was atrocious.

MassDOT removed our rotary

By anon
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 9:23am

MassDOT removed our rotary and replaced it with the L.A. Freeway at Arborway/Morton/Circuit. Now it's used as a speedway.

Redesigned Powderhouse Circle in Somerville

By Ron Newman
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 5:38pm

is now pretty good for cyclists and pedestrians.

Disagree

By BostonDog
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 7:11pm

I really hate riding through that and the idea bicyclists should stop at every cross street. I feel like I'm going to be T-boned by someone driving if I ride in it as intended.

I normally just take the car lane like I did in the past but drivers are far more aggressive now when I do that vs before the re-designated the circle. At this point I just try to avoid it entirely whenever possible.

I'm strongly opposed to the school of thought that cyclists should be forced to stop frequently and go around cumbersome, nonstandard intersections if they want to be "safe".

/Rant

First, nice win by Ole Miss

By Chris77
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 5:17am

First, nice win by Ole Miss over LSU. I've been to Oxford, and I guess the rotaries help with all that game traffic. Second, in my hometown of Manchester, VT, years ago they replaced the infamous Malfunction Junction with a rotary, because the tourist traffic was backing up severely at the lights. You're getting old if you remember the Alewife rotary.

Alewife rotary is gone?

By mg
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 2:21pm

I guess it's been a long time since I've had a reason to go there - I had no idea it had been replaced.

The one next to Alewife station is long, long gone

By BostonDog
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 7:16pm

The ones closer to fresh pond are still there.

1987

By cybah
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 10:48am

I was curious because I don't remember a rotary being there.

And for clarification, you are talking about the rotary that existed at the end of Route 2 and Mystic Valley Parkway.

According to my favorite pass time, historicaerials.com . The rotary was last seen in a 1986 aerial. By 1987 it was replaced with what is there now.

So yeah that rotary hasn't been there in over 35 years. Time for mg to take a trip over there.. its been far too long.

Route 2 ends in a rotary (sort of)

By ScottB
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 2:21pm

Just not at Alewife.

lol sorry

By cybah
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 3:02pm

I should clarify

The rotary that is at the end of the highway section of route 2 at MVP. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoS-pMWCnvk

Tornadoes... and socialism!

By Plen-T-Pak
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 9:19pm