News
New Audubon roundabout opens
The new roundabout at Lee Road and the Audubon Parkway is the first of four planned for the parkway as part of the comprehensive physical plan. Photo: SUE WUETCHER
The first step in converting the Audubon Parkway into a safer, more environmentally friendly roadway has begun with the opening this week of the first of four roundabouts planned for the heavily traveled North Campus parkway.
Traffic began moving through the roundabout at the intersection of Lee Road and the Audubon Parkway on Monday morning—reopening as well were the section of the parkway between Hamilton and Frontier roads, and Lee Road between the Jarvis B Lot entrance and the parkway. Those sections of roadway had been closed since April 15 to facilitate construction of the roundabout. The roundabout replaces a blinking yellow light that had been installed at the intersection, which is the main pedestrian route for students crossing the parkway to and from the Ellicott Complex.
As part of the roundabout project, Lee Road is being extended north through the roundabout, past the new Greiner residence hall, to the tunnel under the Ellicott Complex. That section of roadway is expected to open in late fall.
The key advantage of installing a roundabout at that intersection is safety, followed closely by benefits to the environment, explains Kevin Thompson, director of facilities planning and design.
“The roundabout creates a much different intersection, a much safer way for students to cross to the Ellicott Complex from the spine, and vice versa,” says Thompson. “It slows traffic to 15 to 20 mph, versus cars buzzing through at 50 mph.”
He says that students who previously had wanted to cross the parkway to travel to and from Ellicott were supposed to push a button that would turn the blinking yellow light to a red light to stop traffic. But few rarely did, he points out. “They would just walk across, with the cars flying by. We were fortunate we did not have a serious accident there.
The roundabout, he says, “is the perfect type of intersection.”
Joe Krakowiak, recently retired director of residence halls and apartments who chaired the comprehensive physical plan project committee that proposed the roundabout, says that for him, the issue comes down to safety. He says that with the completion of Greiner Hall, 3,600 students will be living in that part of the North Campus.
Moreover, “common sense says we would be more of a community if people could walk or bike throughout the campus,” he says, noting that the comprehensive physical plan envisions Lee Road as the North Campus’s “Main Street” connecting the spine to the northern part of the campus.
“You want pedestrians and roller bladers to have an easy, safe, north-south commute,” he says.
Maria Wallace, director of parking and transportation services, agrees that the roundabout, which she calls “a traffic-calming design,” makes it easier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel between the spine and Ellicott. “It’s a welcome addition to the Audubon and to our students who cross it daily,” she says.
With the roundabout, students now crossing the parkway to and from Ellicott no longer have to cross four lanes of pavement 150 feet wide; they only have to navigate 12 feet across the single lane of the roundabout in two phases—stopping on the “splitter island” between one lane and another.
Thompson also notes that installation of the roundabout reduces air pollution, since cars travel through the roundabout without stopping and no longer idle at the intersection.
Wallace adds that once it is open, the Lee Road extension will alter the Stampede bus route from Lee Loop to Ellicott. “There will be a positive effect in a shortened bus route, fewer bus runs needed and a decrease in the emissions to our environment,” she says.
The reorganization and “right-sizing” of roadways like the Audubon Parkway are key elements of the comprehensive physical plan for the North Campus. The plan calls for the installation of four roundabouts on the Audubon Parkway “to make intersections safer and more efficient.”
In addition to the intersection of Lee Road, the plan envisions single-lane roundabouts along the parkway at the I-990 expressway, Rensch Road and Flint Road.
Long-range plans call for the Audubon Parkway to become a two-lane road, with the two inner lanes of the current four-lane roadway being converted to a recreational bicycle and walking path.
Thompson notes that traveling through a roundabout will be “a new and different experience for many drivers.” According to the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT), roundabouts follow the "yield-at-entry" rule, in which approaching vehicles must wait for a gap in the circulating traffic before entering the circle.
More information for roundabout users, including motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, is available on the DOT website.
Reader Comments
Bruce Acker says:
I was disappointed to find that the bike path along Lee Rd. ends about 50 ft. before the circle. Cyclists either have to navigate the car and pedestrian traffic in the circle, which is congested, doesn't have a bike lane, and therefore somewhat dangerous, or go up on the sidewalk, which is inconsiderate of pedestrians moving between Ellicott Complex and academic buildings. Very unfortunate planning.
Posted by Bruce Acker, Assistant Director of Asian Studies, 09/16/10
Lois Baker says:
If you try to navigate through that circle on your bike, you take your life in your hands. Very scary.
Posted by Lois Baker, Senior Health Sciences Editor, UB Communications, 09/09/10
Dan Brewster says:
Complete waste of money. I really hope the university abandons plans for adding more of these roundabouts. The two lanes on Audubon all of a sudden become one with no warning signs or pavement markings. Then when trying to navigate the roundabout the driver is too focused on figuring out which way the traffic in the circle is going to notice if there are any pedestrians. There was nothing wrong with pedestrians pushing the button to trigger the traffic light, which wasn't even really necessary because you didn't have to wait long for a break in traffic.
Posted by Dan Brewster, Absolute Disaster, 09/07/10
Jillian Reading says:
I had my first experience with this roundabout yesterday as I was leaving campus for the day. Yikes! Too many places to watch for people crossing and cars lined up in the roundabout waiting for them to cross as previous comments have suspected. This is definitely a step back in terms of safety and I'm even more nervous about doing traveling this circle once it starts getting dark earlier.
Posted by Jillian Reading, Academic Advisor, 09/01/10
Darlene Innes says:
Classes have not yet started but I have already encountered several students crossing the road in the middle of the circle (not at the indicated cross walks). I expect that will increase once students are back on campus. I, too, expect there to be an increase in accidents because of that.
Posted by Darlene Innes, Staff, 08/24/10
Dom Baratta says:
While I have not been on North Campus yet to see this done, as a student who makes the walk from Ellicott to the spine every day I can say I am fairly concerned. David is right, there was nothing wrong with the old system that was in place, as I crossed the parkway multiple times a day and have not once seen someone come close to getting hit by a car. Also add this is with the "ZipCar" system that was just rolled out and I have a feeling it will get very ugly very soon. I for one will be avoiding this "roundabout" by driving around Ellicott and may have to re-evaluate walking to campus because I doubt people will look for students before entering the roundabout much less stop in the middle of it...
Posted by Dom Baratta, Student, 08/24/10
Laura Yates says:
It is wonderful! I think I was the first driver to go through the roundabout, as I saw the workers removing the barriers. It gives the university a professional look and I look forward to the changes. I live nearby and do not feel it is an inconvenience. I am actually very excited about having a main street type of atmosphere along Lee road in the future. My daughter attended UB in her undergrad and lived in Red Jacket. I was concerned about her crossing the Audubon and see that this solution is optimal for safety. Great job!
Posted by Laura Yates, Project Management Specialist, 08/24/10
Polly MacDavid says:
Anyone who has driven the new roundabouts on Harlem Avenue in Amherst/Cheektowaga knows how difficult they are to handle, especially in the snow. Taking a straight road and adding a bunch of curves is just asking for trouble. As far as the student pedrestrians as concerned, if they do not know how to cross a road by the time they are in college, then it is they who are the stupid ones, not the drivers.
Posted by Polly MacDavid, Student, 08/23/10
David Hemmer says:
The old system was very safe, as the story points out there were no accidents. Students waited until large gaps opened up to cross the road. Of course if there was lots of traffic or they were impatient they could hit the button and wait for the red light. The new system has four crosswalks. Are drivers supposed to yield to pedestrians in these crosswalks? What is going to happen when cars come around the roundabout and see a kid crossing. Are they expected to stop in the roundabout and wait? Take another lap around? I expect cars are going to be rear-ended. And it’s such a small roundabout, you’re not looking for students at 4 different crosswalks. Anyhow I have no in this matter, maybe I’m completely off base, but this may be disastrous during times with both car and pedestrian volume.
Posted by David Hemmer, Associate Professor, 08/19/10