Communities across America are being coerced into roundabouts with ensuing controversy. Amador County has been no exception. Fortunately we have defeated all of them except perhaps one in Plymouth. They are being pushed by the Federal Government, which of course controls the purse strings. Roundabouts take up a lot of land, can be confusing to motorists-especially those new to an area, are dangerous for trailer trucks and homogenize us to look like Europe. I can’t imagine riding a bicycle through a roundabout. While they may be safer for pedestrians in some instances as the proponents argue, they are appreciably less safe for pedestrians in other situations. And they have the fatal flaw of being complicated and expensive to expand unlike the relative ease of change with our current signalized intersections. When they exceed rated capacity at some future date they will have created another unnecessary crisis.
Ever though you have to stop sometimes, like at a stop sign, they generally do move traffic along without idling behind a traffic light. For this reason, they have been deemed the way to go. While this need is primarily based upon the total fraud of CO2 feared global warming, it’s all to the good to reduce unnecessary vehicle emissions. But what if roundabouts presumed advantage proved meaningless? What if this same reduction in emissions were achieved without the extravagant costs and inconveniences of roundabouts?
I have read repeatedly, and fully agree with, the prediction that the next advance in auto technology with be new batteries, probably lithium ion, that allow idling without internal combustion. Certainly the experience with hybrids has paved the way. The major new investments of Tesla and others in battery production should drive down the price. How soon will it be before all new vehicles, and perhaps even retrofitted late model vehicles, idle at traffic lights with their engines off? Will it be soon enough to make most roundabouts sheer folly?
Ever though you have to stop sometimes, like at a stop sign, they generally do move traffic along without idling behind a traffic light. For this reason, they have been deemed the way to go. While this need is primarily based upon the total fraud of CO2 feared global warming, it’s all to the good to reduce unnecessary vehicle emissions. But what if roundabouts presumed advantage proved meaningless? What if this same reduction in emissions were achieved without the extravagant costs and inconveniences of roundabouts?
I have read repeatedly, and fully agree with, the prediction that the next advance in auto technology with be new batteries, probably lithium ion, that allow idling without internal combustion. Certainly the experience with hybrids has paved the way. The major new investments of Tesla and others in battery production should drive down the price. How soon will it be before all new vehicles, and perhaps even retrofitted late model vehicles, idle at traffic lights with their engines off? Will it be soon enough to make most roundabouts sheer folly?
Copyright 2014, Mark L. Bennett
Mr.Bennett,
ReplyDeleteYour words "homogenize us to look like Europe" are the most important reason for the push to have roundabouts. The ideas of the European socialists, radical environmentalists, green parties, etc, have finally taken root in our society. Small cars, urban "stacked and packed" housing, limited choices in private transportation, power generation, attacks on carbon use, along with increased restrictions on rural living by controlling water use, land use, private property, etc. are all signs of the movement. Roundabouts are just a piece if that puzzle. If they have them in Europe, then the above groups feel they will be wonderful here despite how Americans live, especially when it comes to travel and what we drive.
It seems the United States has been thirty years behind Europe and its socialist ideas, but watching Europe with its current problems hasn't discouraged the socialist here from trying to imitate their idols when it comes to control of the population.
I wonder how long it will be before a large truck carrying grapes during harvest season will block up the wonderful roundabout with an overturned load.
I was in Dallas a few months ago and saw endless miles of Agenda 21 neighborhoods being built. They looked like Stalinist Eastern Europe. The images are burned into my head like photos of bloody ground and dead bodies following a battle. The ominous future is here, but it is coming piecemeal so most people don’t notice it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad there is another awake besides myself to this coming agenda.
DeleteThe is one thing that is guaranteed is that all of the socialists, radical environmentalists, greens, etc who are the elite leaders won't be spending their lives in those "stacked and packed" cracker boxes called "smart growth, Agenda 21 urban housing". Look at the past history of the old Soviet Union and it's former satellite countries. Do you remember how all the leaders had their nice housing as well as summer and holiday dachas, how they rode in nice cars and shopped in stores or were able to obtain goods denied to the masses. The same is true now with Communist China and its leadership. The same will be true in our ominous future as Mt Bennett says. In the world of the left all people are equal with the leadership being more equal than others. I think Winston Churchill summed it up best when he said something to the effect that the goal of socialism was to spread misery equally. He forgot about the part that the leadership isn't included in the end results.
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