Kenora bears to the right: roundabouts greener, safer alternative to improve traffic flow.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: TRANSPORTATION

Kenora motorists are quickly learning they don't own the road, but need to share it.

The northwestern Ontario municipality opened a traffic roundabout last fall as part of its larger $25 million 'Big Spruce' downtown and waterfront revitalization project.

Though common in Europe, roundabouts have been slow to gain acceptance in North America by reluctant municipal planners and drivers. But more green-minded communities are introducing them for their traffic flow and safety benefits.

It's always the fear of the unknown, said Roy Houston, manager of Civil Municipal Services for the KGS Group, the designers of the traffic control device.

"At the outset it's always about 75 per cent rejection, but afterwards it's just the opposite."

Kenora was no different.

When the idea was first proposed in 2004 as part of Kenora's new urban strategy it was a huge selling job to convince skeptical residents and some city administrators of their advantages.

Turns out, "it's not that big a deal in the end," said Houston.

The $1.2 million roundabout is situated at the western entrance to Kenora's downtown where Highway 17, also known as Lakeshore Drive, curves around the harbour front onto Main Street.

Previously it was a conventional three-way intersection with traffic signals, and two side streets, Veterans Drive to the north, and Bernard Drive going south along the waterfront.

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The roundabout, which opened last October, is designed to carry 18,000 to 20,000 vehicles per day and is hoped to reduce the summer time downtown traffic snarls.

Roundabouts are a new specialty for the KGS Group, the Winnipeg engineering consulting firm, which is overseeing management of the two-year urban project being carried out by Wilco Construction, also of Winnipeg.

It's KGS' second roundabout and it is believed to be the only one on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Unlike traffic circles, roundabouts are generally smaller and the right of way is given to vehicles already inside the roadway.

Kenora's roundabout has only a 20-metre radius with a single asphalt outer lane for automobiles. An inner ring of rough granite cobble serves as a truck apron to accommodate the turning radius of large transports. It poses a rough enough ride to keep cars off it.

An off-ramp, known as a slip lane, allows eastbound traffic to by-pass the round-about and head down toward the water-front where a future tourist information centre pavilion will be built.

Roundabouts have...