Have you noticed the speed tables at the Mustangs roundabout? Of course you have. And judging by the 100+ emails we received after the initial speed bumps were installed in August, you probably don’t like them.
Some people blamed our Public Works Department for putting them in. That’s not fair. They aren’t fans of them either. The decision to install them as an experiment was made by the City Council in response to a serious problem: 23 accidents in the roundabout since 2020. Clearly, something needed to change.
Residents raised a lot of valid concerns. Rear-end collisions caused by cars slowing unexpectedly. Cars swerving into the narrow bike lane by the curb to avoid the bump, endangering cyclists. Cars launching airborne if drivers didn’t slow down enough.
To better understand the situation, I spent time at the roundabout with members of SUBA (Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance) to observe what was really happening. We saw many of the issues people described in their emails—though thankfully, no airborne cars! (I’ll admit, I needed ChatGPT to help me imagine that one.)
As a result of that “field trip,” I asked Craig Shanklin and John Reed, both active SUBA members, to present information at our September 19th City Council meeting about the problem speed bumps create for bicyclists and present solutions.
Click here to watch Craig and John make comments at the meeting (their comments begin at approximately 3 hours 21 minutes into the meeting). The meeting minutes summarized this topic as follows:
The Mayor and City Council discussed concerns about traffic safety, particularly around the roundabout on Snow Canyon Parkway by The Reserve subdivision. The Mayor and City Council, as well as members of the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance (SUBA), raised issues regarding speeding and pedestrian safety. The current use of speed cushions was criticized for their ineffectiveness, as they create a rapid ascent and descent that is jarring for drivers, causing many to avoid them by veering into bike lanes. Residents and cyclists raised concerns about sightlines and drivers not yielding to pedestrians, especially near The Reserve subdivision. There were suggestions of alternative traffic calming solutions, including speed tables, better signage, the removal of obstructive vegetation, and increased law enforcement presence. The bicycle advocates emphasized proper lane markings and the need for ramps to accommodate cyclists safely. (Click here for a copy of the minutes for that meeting)
Some of the recommendations John and Craig presented
- The bicycle lane should end a minimum of 100’ from the crosswalk. MUTCD Section 9C.04.13.
- Bicycle lane markings should stop at least 100 feet before the crosswalk, or if no crosswalk is provided, at least 100 feet before the yield line, or if no yield line is provided, then at least 100 feet before the edge of the circulatory roadway. (MUTCD Section 9C.04.13.)
- The bicycle lanes at the roundabout do not follow this guidance, they end abruptly at the roundabout entrance.
- A sharrow should be placed prior to the area that cyclists will be merging, so approximately 200’. (A sharrow, short for “shared lane marking,” is a road marking used to indicate a shared lane environment for bicycles and motor vehicles. The marking typically includes a bicycle symbol with two chevrons (arrows) above it. Sharrows remind drivers to share the road with bicyclists.)
- There should be a sharrow prior to all roundabouts at 200′. This is needed even if there is a ramp to the path as there is a class of cyclists that will not be using the path and which we do not want to use the path. Think IRONMAN.
- Sharrows at roundabouts serve the purpose of alerting motorists that there will be cyclists in the lane rather than giving cyclists the right to use the whole lane, they already have this right as there is no room to pass safely.
- There should be sharrows before the bike lane ramp as bicyclists may use the entire lane in a roundabout as well as the sidewalk/multiuse path. Often this is desirable when the cyclists is an advanced one who travels at higher speeds.
- The roundabouts on Hwy 91 have an entrance ramp but do not have a ramp to return to the bicycle lane, only the pedestrian facilities which are difficult for a bicyclist to negotiate.
The following is from the Ohio Department of Transportation Multimodal Design Guide. It is the best illustration of the treatment of bicycle lanes at a roundabout.
Next Steps
The City is studying all of these recommendations and has made some adjustments based on the issues with the initial speed cushion. To reduce the jolt as vehicles pass over the speed bumps/cushions, they were replaced with wider speed tables. We’ll see if it really helps and is more acceptable than our initial speed bump.
We’re also exploring additional measures to improve safety, such as installing better signage, restriping the bike sharrows farther from the roundabout, and lowering the speed limit. We’re open to other good ideas as well, so if you have suggestions, let us know.
This experiment is part of an effort to address safety in the roundabout, and while the current solution may not be perfect, we’re committed to finding something that works. Stay tuned as we continue to evaluate and refine the approach.
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