Public skepticism stalls rollout of roundabouts

"With all the whiz-bang roundabout exhibits and sales pitches that city staff and the Austin roundabout pied piper have plied this council with, it's understandable the council previously supported this thing," said Taylor, who was among dozens of people wearing "No Roundabout on Hopkins!" T-shirts at the meeting. "However, one thing continues to be overlooked, and that is the simple fact that the majority of citizen taxpayers in San Marcos do not want this roundabout on Hopkins Street."

Roundabout research

Designed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, the modern roundabout is becoming a more common feature on U.S. streets. The roundabout is a circular intersection through which vehicles travel around a raised center island. A vehicle entering the roundabout must slow down, look for potential conflicts and yield the right of way to circulating traffic.

Because all vehicles are traveling slowly in the same direction, roundabouts virtually eliminate major wrecks such as head-on collisions, according to the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which has studied their implementation throughout the nation.

"They [also] improve traffic flow and reduce vehicle emissions, which is good for everyone," said Kristin Nevels, a spokeswoman for the organization, which is funded by the automotive insurance industry.

But roundabouts are often met with skepticism, according to the institute, whose surveys conducted in six communities found that just one-third of drivers supported roundabouts before they were constructed. After the roundabouts had been in place for a year, however, the level of public support increased to an average of about 70 percent.

"People are afraid of what they don't know," Nevels said. "Later on, people are more open to it and more accepting of roundabouts."

Kyle roundabout costs

The estimated cost of constructing the roundabout in Kyle has increased from $350,000 to $750,000 since discussions on the topic began. Assistant City Manager James Earp attributed the increase to the addition of pedestrian safety features and the addition of a second lane to the roundabout.

A signalized intersection typically costs between $200,000 and $250,000. However, when Kyle's population passes 50,000, all intersection maintenance will be turned over to the municipality. Because the cost of maintaining a roundabout is much lower than that of a signalized intersection, the roundabout is ultimately the less costly option, said Victor Vargas, assistant director of transportation operations at TxDOT. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's population is expected to top 60,000 residents by 2020.

Kyle resident Nancy Whitcome said she was worried that consideration of building a roundabout at the intersection took finances into account more than safety.

"They're very infrequent in Texas," Whitcome said. "This isn't Europe, and there's going to be too much indecision at that intersection."

The 'best option'

Engineers for the city of San Marcos and TxDOT said the Hopkins Street roundabout would have improved traffic flow while slowing vehicles and providing a safer crossing for pedestrians.

"It is absolutely the best option," Councilman John Thomaides said. "It's the safest. It moves traffic best, it costs less than a traffic light in the future, and I think it's a great entryway into a historic district, our first neighborhood."

San Marcos Fire Chief Les Stephens said a roundabout would be safer for ladder trucks and ambulances than traditional four-way intersections. A day before City Council's Oct. 2 decision, Mayor Daniel Guerrero rode on the fire department's largest truck as it navigated two roundabouts on Cheatham Street in San Marcos.

"We went all the way around it without any issues," Guerrero said.

Although Guerrero previously supported the roundabout, he noted that TxDOT intended to begin seeking bids for construction contractors the following week, and a decision needed to be made.

"I'm fine in either direction," Guerrero said. "I just want to see this thing move forward. If we need to withdraw the roundabout to move forward, let's just do it."

Councilman Jude Prather said the public outcry had convinced him not to support the roundabout, while Councilman Shane Scott said the roundabout was a bad fit for the intersection.

"I like the roundabout," Scott said. "It just seems every time I look at the picture, it looks like it is in the wrong spot. That's just me. So I would prefer to just have a straight-through."

New plans for Hopkins Street

Despite eliminating the roundabout, the city of San Marcos still intends to realign West San Antonio Street so it intersects with Hopkins Street at a more perpendicular angle, providing more visibility for drivers. In addition, a center turn lane on Hopkins Street will allow drivers to make left turns onto West San Antonio Street.

Some residents urged council to build a traffic signal at the intersection, but the project engineer said traffic does not meet TxDOT's requirements for a stoplight.

TxDOT plans to widen Hunter Road/Hopkins Street from Wonder World Drive to north of Bishop Street and will construct a new bridge over Purgatory Creek. The $9 million project is being funded by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and $4.2 million in savings from a previous project to build Wonder World Drive. Construction is scheduled to begin in March.

Council also directed staff members to remove plans to extend West San Antonio Street to Belvin Street.