OAKWOOD — The City of Oakwood wants people to weigh in on the potential for roundabouts in the city.
“We encourage everyone to take part in that,” said Mike Tanner, Captain of the Oakwood Police.
It’s part of the city’s master plan for the future and there’s one intersection that’s gotten the attention.
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News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz says the city commissioned a study for it. The intersection of Far Hills Avenue and Thurston Boulevard is a possible candidate for a roundabout.
“That’d be a perfect location,” said Julie Gilkeson.
She thinks that the intersection, also known as Five Points, would be much better with a roundabout.
“Many pedestrians get stuck there,” Gilkeson explained. “You see people with walkers that can’t get across the intersection.”
“It’s one of the most complex intersections in our city,” said Mike Tanner, Captain of the Oakwood Police.
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He told Hershovitz the City of Oakwood began a comprehensive plan last fall looking at their signaled intersections. They hired an outside firm to look into it and come up with some suggestions.
“The outside firm suggested the possibility of building a roundabout at that intersection,” said Tanner.
He says it helps with the flow of traffic.
“More importantly, they create a safer intersection for not only vehicles but also pedestrians,” he said.
Hershovitz says no decision has been made but safety is their main goal.
“Within the last four years, we’ve had 21 accidents there with a small percentage being severe,” he said. “However, we can always do better. So, that’s what we’re looking at is to try and eliminate the severity of crashes and the number of crashes.”
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Gilkeson hopes there will be a roundabout in Oakwood soon.
“I think roundabouts are good for Oakwood,” she said. “I hope we have one.”
Hershovitz says if people want to make their voices heard on whether this intersection should have a roundabout or not, the City of Oakwood is hosting open houses next month.
The dates for the open house will be June 14, June 19, and July 11.
They will all take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Oakwood Community Center.
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