Pedestrians fail roundabout test

Pedestrians just can’t seem to get the hang of the Five Points roundabout.

Instead of using the crosswalks to get across Main Street, Pineapple Avenue and Central Avenue, many are walking directly through the center of the roundabout or walking on its perimeter.

Concerned about the danger to pedestrians, the city is creating solutions to funnel people into the proper crossing points.

During a March 19 pedestrian count, more than 31% of people jaywalked through the roundabout.

The largest problem occurred at the Central Avenue crossing and the Pineapple Square crossing next to the First Watch restaurant (see sidebar).

As a result, the city will move one of the planters in front of The Plaza at Five Points to guide people into the Central Avenue crosswalk.

Ten planters will be installed along Pineapple Avenue next to First Watch, with the same purpose in mind.
Highly visible tape will better mark the other crosswalks and will be removed after pedestrians are trained on how to use the roundabout.

The project is scheduled to begin at the end of June. It’s expected to take a maximum of two weeks to complete and will cost about $11,000.

Guiding pedestrians into the crosswalks is expected to cure much of the problem, because the city’s consultant, HDR, interviewed some of the jaywalkers and found that they didn’t know where the crosswalks were.

FIVE POINTS ROUNDABOUT BREAKDOWN
Crosswalk location    Total crossings    Improper crossings
East Main Street    371    39
West Main Street    276    93
North Pineapple Avenue    765    298
South Pineapple Avenue    478    120
Central Avenue    488    195

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].