To the editor:

After reading the article on the proposed roundabout at Inverness and Wakarusa, I can only say I think this would be a tragic mistake. The argument that a roundabout would result in fewer “T-boning” accidents is reasonable; however, as an individual who uses that particular intersection 3-4 times a day, I don’t personally recall ever seeing an accident at that intersection in the past. Like Commissioner Farmer, I also go through the Harvard/Monterrey Way roundabout frequently, which can be a very difficult task when traffic is busy (why wasn’t there simply a stop sign placed on Harvard to allow the busy north-south traffic to flow unhampered?).

There are four times a day when the traffic is extremely busy at Inverness and Wakarusa: early morning, when parents are dropping off their children at Quail Run School, when the kids are being picked up after school and when people are returning from work. A roundabout would be a nightmare at those particular times.  It would seem a stoplight would be better able to move traffic during those times more quickly and safely.

Would a roundabout really be more cost-effective in the long run? With the maintenance of the landscaping and curbing repair, it seems difficult to believe that the cost of maintaining a roundabout would be less than that of a traffic light.  In addition, as traffic patterns change over time, as they surely will, it seems it would be much more cost effective to reprogram a traffic light than to alter a roundabout.