Last week, the editorial staff wrote about the city’s plans for the intersection at Kasold and Harvard, speculating about whether a new roundabout would be installed, similar to the one installed in 2014 on Wakarusa. The editorial opined that “many Lawrence residents would oppose” the roundabout option. It went on to state that the design shows bike lanes ending near the roundabout, near sidewalk crossings, “presumably to encourage bicyclists to get off the street.”

This is incorrect, and Journal-World staff failed to meet their journalistic duty to understand the nature of this road design feature and instead resorted to uninformed speculation. Even without taking the time to talk to the city’s excellent planning and engineering staff, any bicyclist can tell you about how the design of the bicycling lanes are intended to work. Cyclists, as they approach the intersection, should take the lane fully, and navigate the roundabout with the traffic — which has been effectively slowed by the roundabout — through the intersection. This is a model that has been designed and works to get all travelers as safely as possible through the intersection.

Bicyclists and traffic-calming features are not a hindrance, in spite of common perception. Where there are bicycle-friendly features that slow traffic, motorists drive safer, and by driving slower, also use less gas. In fact, cyclists save drivers money!