POLL: Do Roundabouts Support Traffic Safety?

They're growing in popularity among traffic engineers and the Wisconsin DOT, but not everybody loves this form of intersection control. Vote in our poll and tell us more in the comments.

Traditional American attitudes about traffic roundabouts were probably best summed up in the 1985 film “National Lampoon’s European Vacation,” when Clark Griswold famously “can’t get left.” But in Wisconsin and the United States, roundabouts have been increasingly developed at problem intersections. Wisconsin has more than 200 roundabouts, according to the state Department of Transportation. Three have been added on the Highway 33 construction in Port Washington, and they are sprinkled throughout suburban counties. Not everyone loves them, of course. Sussex emphatically rejected the idea as part of Main Street reconstruction, with overwhelming community support. And an accident Wednesday night at the intersection of Highway LL and Sunset …

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Plans to Drastically Widen Main Street Shut Down

First the Village Board killed the idea of roundabouts, and now the idea of widening the street to create a center turn lane meets the same fate.

Main Street is on the fast track to a reconstruction project that changes very little. The Sussex Village Board agreed Tuesday evening to no longer consider drastically widening Main Street in order to create a center turning lane for drivers. The idea to do so would have caused the village to purchase 5 to 10 feet of property on both sides of the existing road. After discussing the various options, members on the board agreed that the less they can disturb residents and businesses on Main Street, the better. “I’m in total agreement with many things, but widening the road isn’t one of them,” Village President Greg Goetz said. “The right businesses are going to come to Main Street eventually, and the ones that need a little more room on the…

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Hoping for a Bridge Over Railroad Tracks? Don't Hold Your Breath

Sussex Village Administrator Jeremy Smith says putting a bridge over the railroad near Quad/Graphics to alleviate traffic problems isn’t going to happen, and the cost of doing it in general is astronomical.

When Village Board members announced they’re no longer considering roundabouts, a new issue on Main Street presented itself: a bridge over the railroad tracks. With 35 trains passing through Sussex every day, especially around the time when school begins or ends, backups and delays have become a part of every resident’s life. Sussex resident Mike Carlson started the conversation about the need for an overpass during the May 15 Main Street workshop. With the construction project limited between Locust Street and Waukesha Avenue, Carlson wondered why village officials didn’t address the train problem while the project is being negotiated. “I’ve lived here for 31 years,” he said. “I want to know why this board will redo this Main Street. When…

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Roundabouts are Over; What's Next on the List?

Now that Sussex officials crossed roundabouts off the Main Street construction plan, what's the next on your list of most important things to consider? Join the conversation and take the Patch Poll.

Main Street Roundabouts Officially Dead

Every Village Board member came out against the idea of roundabouts on Main Street during Tuesday night’s workshop, a vote that had the close to 100 attendees applauding.

“It’s off the table,” concluded Village President Greg Goetz. “It’s off.” Goetz is referring to roundabouts, and after every Sussex Village Board member expressed a disinterest in them on Tuesday, the village president ordered architects to kill the idea of roundabouts for Main Street. The group of officials met on Tuesday evening for the first-ever Main Street construction workshop, held for convenience reasons at the Public Safety Building. And good thing it was; close to 100 concerned residents packed the room and lined the walls waiting for their turn to speak to the board. However, rather than an endless stream of comments opposing roundabouts, the Village Board was met with something else: applause. Goetz summed up comments from …

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Cthlulu

9:33 pm on Sunday, August 19, 2012

I've noticed that in this state most drivers don't stop for the pedestrians even at crosswalks (despite being required to by law), and if you stop, the driver behind you will honk and probably make an expressive gesture.   more ›

Sussex Week Ahead: Rock-A-Thon and Main Street Meeting

From the community grill-out on Tuesday afternoon to the hugely controversial Main Street workshop meeting on Tuesday night, this is a list of the most interesting stuff happening in Sussex this week.

The Village of Sussex is holding its annual Rock-A-Thon event on the Village Hall’s front lawn, and what better way to kick-start summer than with live music and a good-old-fashioned cookout? Scheduled for Tuesday between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., people can come out and pay $4 for a freshly grilled burger or brat, chips, pickle and a drink all while enjoying live music from area favorite Dante’s Bop, a southern soul and country band. Patch will even be there serving pink lemonade, handing out goodies and hanging out with everyone (even we can’t pass up a good cookout). The Village Board will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Public Safety Building on Main Street. The meeting won't take place at Village Hall because officials are anticipating …

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Business Owners Getting Serious About Killing Roundabouts

A family owned business in the heart of downtown is telling Sussex residents to "Tell Village No to Roundabouts," and with their property on the line, the owners are getting nervous.

The new message to Sussex residents: “Tell Village No to Roundabouts.” It’s plastered on a huge sign in the heart of downtown Sussex. With the first official meeting among Village Board members to discuss the Main Street construction project scheduled for Tuesday, Toots and P.J. Cain are doing everything they can to get residents to show up and oppose roundabouts. The Cains are the owners of Paul’s Service, a second-generation, family owned auto body shop on the corner of Main Street and Maple Avenue. If the village chooses to construct a roundabout on that corner, Paul’s Service could be in line for some real changes. “We’ll be affected big time because they’re talking about taking in the edge of the road between 8 and 15 feet to …

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First Main Street Workshop Set to Hash Out Construction Details

The Village Board will meet for the first time to talk over details of the Main Street reconstruction project. The May 15 workshop is open to the public, so any interested residents are welcome to attend.

After gathering comments at the latest public forum, and after Village President Greg Goetz tried to clear up some "confusion," Sussex has set a date for its first workshop meeting on the Main Street reconstruction project. The Village Board will meet at 6 p.m. May 15 at the Public Safety Building on Main Street. The meeting won't take place at Village Hall because officials are anticipating a large crowd.  The purpose of the meeting is for the board members to begin to look over the comments gathered at the multiple public forums and begin to talk about the various options. Consultants from the design team will be on hand to answer any questions from the board.  "This will be the first time the Village Board will have walked through the …

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Business Owners Getting Serious About Killing Roundabouts

Sussex residents are talking. Quick vote in our Patch Poll and join the conversation in the comments before the big Main Street meeting on May 15.