Sisters roundabout is fully operational

The roundabout at the west end of Sisters at Highway 20 and Barclay Drive is open and operating.

Landscape work and an art installation will be forthcoming in coming months.

The Sisters community, in a detailed public process, chose back in 2011 to pursue a roundabout as the preferred traffic-control measure at the Barclay/Highway 20 intersection. Since then, ODOT has been pursuing that route. A key element of determining the viability of a roundabout at that location was buy-in from the state's freight industry. On-the-ground tests of a mock roundabout layout earned that buy-in.

Some local residents preferred a signal, after one was installed for temporary use during the Cascade Avenue Improvement Project in 2014.

However, ODOT and the City of Sisters pursued the roundabout as the preferred option. Construction began in February and was completed on schedule for the Memorial Day weekend opening.

While the roundabout will act as traffic control at the intersection, it has no effect on the volume of traffic, which has often backed up as far as Tollgate on the Friday of holiday weekends. Last weekend was no exception, and traffic clogged the roundabout during much of the afternoon.

Some basic driving protocols apply at roundabouts:

• Slow down as you approach the roundabout.

• Watch for bicycles, they will either merge into traffic or use the sidewalk.

• Stop for pedestrians using the crosswalk in your lane.

• when entering the roundabout, yield to traffic already in the roundabout circling around from your left.

• You don't need to signal entering the roundabout, since turns are all to the right, but you must signal as you exit.

• If you miss your exit, keep circling around; don't stop or back up.

• Traffic moves smoother if everyone is courteous and allows entry to vehicles.

• Do not enter a roundabout when emergency vehicles are approaching. Pull over to the right. Allow other vehicles to clear the intersection so the emergency vehicles can move through the roundabout.

Roundabouts are increasingly being installed across the U.S., as noted in a story in The New York Times on July 30, 2016.

"Once seen only in countries like France and Britain, the roundabout, favored by traffic engineers because it cuts congestion and reduces collisions and deaths, is experiencing rapid growth in the United States," the story notes.

The key element is safety. National and international statistics show fewer accidents at roundabouts and a significantly lower level of severity due to slower speeds and eliminating head-on collisions and T-bone accidents. And that goes for pedestrians and cyclists as well as autos.

According to ODOT's research, "When signalized intersections are converted to roundabouts, there is a 48 percent reduction in crashes, and 78 percent reduction in crashes resulting in at least an injury. This is because overall speeds are drastically reduced, and there are many less 'conflict points' (for all modes), with roundabouts."