Dear editor,
Norm Blondel wanted some proof that roundabout in high-traffic areas do not work.
He cited M6 motorway in England, which he has driven to Wolverhampton with its roundabouts for exits as an example of functional high-traffic roundabouts.
The M6 Motorway is a major highway in England running from the London area towards Glasgow through England's industrial midlands.
The British government posted this online about an M6 roundabout.
"The slip roads off the M6 motorway at junction 9 are quite short and the traffic lights on the roundabout are old. These two factors, combined with the number of vehicles needing to access shops on the local retail park, mean that traffic sometimes queues back onto the motorway."
The quote is about a roundabout upgrade project to relieve traffic congestion. Here is the link for Norm to read on the UK highway agency website www.highways.gov.uk/roads/rprojects/m6-junction-9-traffic-signal-upgrade.
The link says the upgrade project is underway and will last till the end of June.
In short, the roundabout causes traffic to back up all the way up the exit ramps and affects movement on the M6 motorway, the busiest highway in England. The U.K. government Highway Agency website also lists a number of other roundabout with traffic congestion problems.
In case readers do not know where Junction 9 on the M6 motorway is, it is the exit for Wolverhampton closest to London.
Nina Usherwood,
Comox