Roads that make sense for the people, by the people!

There has been a proliferation of road construction at multiple intersections throughout Mesa county in the past 10 to 15 years, which has included numerous roundabouts. Although roundabouts may be a "safe"alternative, that doesn't mean they are always the preferred safety change desired by the people who are most affected by it. 

Until this year, the majority of Redlands residents were unaware of plans to construct a roundabout to replace the intersection lights at Highway 340 (aka Broadway) and Redlands Parkway. The intersection was listed #3 on the Region 3 Intersection Priority List in June, 2011. A study of the number of accidents at the intersection was conducted from 2010 to 2015. Most of the accidents involved rear-end and left turning movement accidents. After input from the first community meeting on April 2016, CDOT reviewed their data and determined that the addition of "protected-permissive phasing" for left turns at the intersection, was not warranted as adequate gaps were available for left turns. If most of the accidents were rear-end collisions, a roundabout might contribute to more traffic congestion at the bottom of the hill where this intersection is located, increasing the number of rear-end collisions, especially in bad weather. Also, the study failed to document the causes of the accidents. Increased cell phone distraction and education was not addressed. Driver experience was not revealed.

We, the undersigned, oppose the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 340 and Redlands Parkway, in Grand Junction, Colorado, Mesa County. In addition, we believe the process in which intersection revisions or roundabout construction is initiated, should be more transparent and involve notification of the local community and businesses at the onset, for local input to community leaders prior to any applications for funding or approval.