Why three roundabouts on Panorama?

This week, several friends have reached out about roundabouts mysteriously appearing on Panorama Dr. north of Dillon’s Marketplace.

Panorama Dr. and Lakeview Rd. have become convenient shortcuts off 43rd Ave. since Dillon’s Marketplace opened, and usage increased when Halstead and Lucille Dr. underwent construction.

I took Panorama from the Marketplace to 43rd and saw more than one vehicle flying south, barely making the curve. Worst of all, they often blow through the yield sign. Panorama Dr. is not very wide and is in a residential area without sidewalks. The increased traffic, high speeds and disregard for signs make the area dangerous. Something needed to be done to make the area safer for its residents, particularly for pedestrians who may use that route to the grocery store or other area businesses.

I was intrigued that three roundabouts had sprung up virtually overnight.

“I understand one roundabout, but three? In a row?” mused one friend who wanted to know if I had heard anything about them.

I found no information about plans to install them but haven’t yet had time to call the city public works office for an explanation.

I decided to try the road out myself, and I think the roundabouts do indeed slow down traffic. However, they are confusing, unexpected, not well marked and will probably become costly speed bumps when (if) we get some snow. The experience was like skiing a slalom.

I understand the city is trying to get creative, considering terrible driving is everywhere. Counting the number of red lights I see run daily takes two hands. Running through stop signs, turning left into traffic, not signaling lane changes, and the lovely “distracted driver runs into a parked car” are starting to add up. I have a spotless driving record and a 10-year-old vehicle, and my insurance rates have remained steady. My son’s vehicle is older, and he is a younger driver with an unblemished record, and his insurance went up nearly $500 this year.

We are all paying the price for bad driving, whether it be a higher risk of injury to a person and/or property or higher insurance rates. Greater traffic enforcement would help, but the Hutchinson Police Department is stretched thin. The city could reap a windfall by writing tickets for the people who blow through red lights along Main St. alone. On Thursday, I was westbound on 11th Ave. around 1 p.m., waiting to turn left. The lights turned green, and the pickup truck on my right-hand side slowly inched forward, then braked hard — a lady in an SUV didn’t even slow down and ran a red full light — it wasn’t even close. She didn’t react or look around. She would have taken a full-size Ford pickup in the driver-side door if the truck had been going faster. Another person sped up through a red light on 5th, another blew through a yellow-to-red on 4th, and yet another turned in front of oncoming traffic at 1st.

We have roundabouts because they do function well for traffic control. We don’t need three in a row, which feels more like a state fair carnival ride than a well-executed traffic plan.