One of the nation’s top roundabout advocates spoke in Brown County on Thursday. Mayor Jim Brainard of Carmel, Indiana has overseen the installation of 40 roundabouts in major intersections, and is currently working on plans to build 30 more.
Carmel, Indiana is a suburb of Indianapolis, and has a population of about 85,000 people. The city has more roundabouts than any other city in the country.
“Our citizens are very proud of the roundabouts,” Brainard told Channel 5’s Jenna Sachs. “It’s become a source of local pride.”
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation flew in Brainard to speak about the benefits he’s witnessed with roundabouts.
“We found a community that was similar in size and character to the Green Bay, Brown County area,” said Michael Berg, Northeast Director for the Wisconsin DOT. “We thought it would be a worthwhile effort to bring the mayor up here.”
Brainard says there are four major benefits to roundabouts: cost savings, smoother traffic flow, better for the environment, and safety.
“Our experience is a 78% reduction in injury accidents in roundabouts with similar amounts of traffic, compared to stop light intersections,” said Brainard.
At Brainard’s presentation, Green Bay Alderwoman Amy Kocha said she’s optimistic about the DOT’s plans to build 44 roundabouts in Brown and Winnebago Counties.
“I’m confident people in Brown County can figure it out. It’s not rocket science,” said Kocha.
Other local leaders aren’t completely sold on the DOT’s plans. Brown County Supervisor Bernie Erickson said he wants to look at each intersection individually, to determine whether a roundabout could handle the traffic flow.
“Certain areas may have a lot more traffic than others,” said Erickson. “We want to make certain that roundabouts will be able to handle the particular amount of traffic, say after a [Packer] game day or something.”
