What do suburban newspaper columnists have against roundabouts?

         First it was my former co-worker Kevin Fischer attacking these benign traffic enhancements in his weekly CNI piece, and now there's a state lawmaker who says the spread of the roundabout must be stopped, even though she admits they do what they're supposed to.

        State Senator Mary Lazich tells The Hales Corners  Citizen that she's asking the Department of Transportation to halt their future construction, including the one that's propose for Racine Avenue and I-43 in Muskego.       Is it because the numbers show they don't work?     No.     In fact, Lazich cites a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that shows "roundabouts provide a 90 per cent reduction in fatal crashes, 76 per cent reduction in injury crashes, 30-40 per cent reduction in pedestrian crashes and a 10 per cent reduction in bicycle crashes."

        All the more reason to stop their rampant proliferation, doncha think?

       I checked recently with Hales Corners officials about the relatively new roundabout at Grange and 116th Street--they couldn't say enough good things about the change.      The intersection used to be a two-way stop, with too many drivers trying to beat the east-west traffic on Grange.      The result: t-bone accidents, some resulting in injuries.     Now, they tell me, the accidents are far and few between.     Those that DO happen are minor, since speeds are reduced.      Yes, there's some confusion for the uninitiated, but the learning curve is relatively flat.      Not much more than a speed bump.       Single-lane designs are a breeze.     Two-land variations can be a little tricker, but again, the science can be mastered once a driver realizes that the proper lane has to be picked BEFORE entering, and that you can't change lanes once you're actually IN the roundabout.

       So, the numbers say roundabouts are safe--Lazich admits as much in her column.      Police like 'em, too.      So, why is she asking that the brakes be applied?

       The voice of the people, folks.    Constituents are beefing.       Roundabouts are new.     They're strange.     Even vaguely European (shudder!),      

       Lazich wonders how the DOT will adequately train the masses to cope with roundabouts--adding that few of us will go to the Department's website to view the video that will walk even the most feeble-minded motorist through the process.        C'mon--lots of folks have access to the Googles.       That Internet thing is really catching on--another one of those changes that used to scare the bejeebers out of we cave-dwellers, kinda the same effect fire had on Neanderthals.     Take 11 minutes out of your life to watch it right here.         And, you can even get a brochure, so you have hard-copy instructions on hand at all times.

       The video even addresses another one of Lazich's concerns--that truckers, road crews and drivers of emergency vehicles will have a hard time getting their vehicles to fit through a newly configured intersection.        When done right, the video says, the roundabout should include an apron that gives larger vehicles wiggle room without disrupting traffic flow for other drivers.       See?     Those wacky engineers thought of everything.

         Lazich even wants to convene--ready for this?--a study involving engineers, designers and motorists to come up with the best designs.        Great.     More studies.    No progress.      I'm guessing there are enough designs already in existence that we can borrow from and implement here.      We don't need more paperwork.

        I'm sure people freaked in the late 50's and early 60's when the first freeways started snaking across southeast Wisconsin.     The speeds!      The exits!      The signs!       I had elderly relatives who flat-out refused to come to Milwaukee to visit me, not because they were afraid of the big city but because they lived in mortal fear of the "I".         Young drivers have to learn freeway skills, just as they have to conquer parallel parking and other rigors of the road.       

       There is plenty that needs to be tweaked at the DOT.       How about the endless lines at the DMV?       How many of us have lost a half-day of our lives waiting in line to renew a license or get plates?          Let's put some energy into THAT, instead of dismissing something that the DOT did right as a pox, just because it's different?

       Take your hacks for or against at mueller@620wtmj.com.