The Region of Waterloo is looking for feedback in regard to extending Strasburg Road to New Dundee Road with roundabout to connect them. We have a concern that this roundabout follows similar poor designs that many existing roundabouts in the region already have. Please make your voice heard by the 26th of February that we want safer roundabouts for those on bicycles and walking. There are only three open questions for you to answer.
Are you unsure what to say or how to say it? Check out this summarized response from our president, Patrick.
1. What advantages do you see to a proposed roundabout at this intersection?
- Traffic calming COULD work better IF you narrow the entrance and exit lanes of the roundabout between 3.5 or 4.5 metres wide. As well if keep the approach and departure lanes to 3.3-3.5 metres wide.
- It removes conflict points for when someone is making a left turn. It encourages people to yield rather than roll stop signs. This is something that happens often, this suggests the road current design doesn’t encourage or need a full stop.
2. What advantages do you see to a proposed roundabout at this intersection?
- Arterial Roads do not always need to be 4 lanes wide. The Strasburg extension after Robert Ferrie Drive should be a maximum of 2 lanes. Whether this area stays rural or developed we need to design for the amount and the type of travel modes we want.
- No additional turn lane on New Dundee Road to Strasburg Road. We should not assume and plan for the need of queuing. Automobile traffic won’t be that bad if you don’t plan the road and sprawl for that. We need proper mixed-use and transit-oriented developments.
- If those are multi-use paths in design, especially if want to encourage safe rural cycling travel. Let’s create an Urban or a Rural Protected Roundabout with clearly marked priority for a separated cycle track and sidewalk crossing.
- Urban Protected Roundabouts have a circular cycle track to make travel smooth and quick. Giving cyclists priority.
- Rural Protected Roundabouts have rounded cycle tracks to make travel smooth but with caution. Giving motorist priority. What will the future context be here?
- The entrances and exits to the roundabout radii encourage off- and on-ramp speeds like Ira Needles’ roundabouts. They need to be close to 90 degrees to encourage yielding and safe crossing. The Dutch Cycling Embassy mentioned this when they visited the Region in Summer 2023.
3. Is there any information you’d like to share with the project team regarding this design?
- Please take time to watch these videos. This one is with Lennart Nout from Mobycon a Dutch mobility design firm working internationally. The video highlights a typical Dutch intersection, as well as urban roundabouts.
- Mobycon also worked with Canmore, Alberta to make a protected intersection. Canmore Protected Intersection Completion Town of Canmore wins a Design Innovation Award for the Railway Avenue Protected Intersection
- Here is a time-stamped video by Mobycon. The first part points out the benefits of close to 90 degrees exits and entrances. The second part points out the differences of the Urban and Rural roundabout for all road users but how they still use similar principles.