Roundabouts are reducing speed and improving traffic

Published 1:30 am Friday, September 20, 2019

I feel compelled to counter reader Lynn McCoy’s recent complaint in her letter to the editor about roundabouts (“At least let people vote on roundabouts,” The Herald, Sept 12). Unlike Ms. McCoy’s residence since 1981, we’ve been Marysville residents since 2010, but we share her love for this city, albeit not the sleepy little town of yesteryear. Seems to us such loss is inevitable with population growth, expansion and resulting traffic.

Roundabouts have a proven history of reducing vehicle speed and increasing traffic flow. Were that not so, installation expense would not be tolerated by our exceptionally fine city council, city government, and city Public Works Department.

Ms. McCoy particularly identified an incident they experienced on Second Street, which we use on a regular basis. That very wide street is residential, 25 mph, and was prone to speeding before roundabout installation. One wonders if Ms. McCoy would want her grandchildren to live there without cost-effective speed reduction.

Ms. McCoy also expressed a desire to be afforded a vote on roundabouts. Measures on ballots are costly and time consuming. More cost-effective and timely would be to appear before City Council at a semi-monthly meeting, or to attend any of Mayor Jon Nehring’s periodic Coffee Klatches – at which all city department heads are present.

Marysville citizens are blessed with a very receptive and open government, which desires and encourages citizen participation, input, and feedback. I’ve yet to know of any instance where a citizen’s concern was not addressed openly and promptly.

Robert Pearce

Marysville