Soldotna drivers getting used to roundabouts

  • By Kelly Sullivan
  • Monday, November 10, 2014 10:46pm
  • News

Since the end of construction on the Binkley Street improvements, residents have been getting used to the new traffic patterns along Soldotna’s main roadway.

“The intersections that were transformed into mini roundabouts have almost no wait times and very little congestion,” said Soldotna police officer Tobin Brennan.

“The new intersections are doing their job.”

Drivers are still getting used to the new system, so minor mishaps are not uncommon at this point, Brennan said. Around six fender benders have been reported to the police department since construction began in May, he said.

The most common issues Soldotna police are seeing are drivers failing to slow down as they approach the intersection, Brennan said. Officers also notice people who don’t yield to traffic already in the roundabout or acknowledge pedestrians attempting to cross through the intersections, he said.

Once the police department began recording multiple instances of those issues, they started increasing traffic patrols along Binkley Street, Brennan said.

“We knew there would be a learning curve,” Brennan said. “It is to be expected when people are introduced to a whole new traffic pattern.”

Officers who notice drivers committing infractions have given out verbal warnings and tried to offer some information and instruction on how to properly pass through the roundabout, Brennan said.

Particularly at the Wilson Lane intersection, where the Safeway parking lot empties onto Binkley Street, drivers will come to a full stop at the roundabout’s entrance when the intersection has no vehicles moving through it, Brennan said. This backs up traffic and causes congestion outside of the intersection, which does create wait times, he said.

Brennan said the city has plans to install road signs that post the legal speed to be traveling through the roundabouts. He said the city will also erect “Slow” signs to encourage people to slow down as they approach and enter the intersections.

“You can’t travel through those roundabouts at 25 miles per hour,” Brennan said.

Eventually people will forget the intersections were four-way stops, Brennan said. Most people don’t remember that Binkley Street used to have four lanes, he said.

Brennan’s suggestions for drivers having trouble navigating the revised roadways are to slow down and remember to yield.

 

Reach Kelly Sullivan at kelly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

The Kenai Peninsula College main entrance on Aug. 18, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Chiappone and Dunstan to speak at the KPC Showcase

Kenai Peninsula College continues its showcase with two new speakers this week and next

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, talks about issues of concern regarding the proposed merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons during a floor speech in the House chamber on Wednesday. (Screenshot from official U.S. House of Representatives video feed)
Begich leads in early results, but Alaska’s U.S. House race won’t be immediately decided

About 245,000 ballots had been counted by 11:32 p.m., and Peltola trailed by about 5 percentage points

The Alaska governor’s mansion on Wednesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is considered a contender for a post in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Election summary: Trump wins, GOP takes over U.S. Senate, Alaska may get new governor

Begich and repeal of ranked choice voting narrowly lead; GOP may lose control of state House.

Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 7, 2024. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Voters line up at the polling site at Anchorage City Hall on Nov. 4, 2024. City Hall was one of the designated early voting sites in Alaska’s largest city. It is not a designated site for Election Day voting. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Republicans lose two seats in state House, increasing odds of leadership switch

Rural Alaska precincts had reported few results by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)
Donald Trump returns to power, ushering in new era of uncertainty

He played on fears of immigrants and economic worries to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

A voter is handed as ballot at Woodworth School in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One of the most consequential presidential elections in the nation’s modern history is well underway, as voters flocked to churches, schools and community centers to shape the future of American democracy. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
Trump verges on victory, picking up Pennsylvania

Donald Trump has captured Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of the seven battleground… Continue reading

Signs and supporters line the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Unofficial results for the 2024 general election

Preliminary, unofficial election results as of 9:55 p.m.

Poll worker Carol Louthan helps voters submit ballots at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Bjorkman, Ruffridge, Elam and Vance lead in election night results

Several residents said that they came out to vote because they knew this election was “a big one.”

Most Read