Residents Start Anti-Roundabout Petition; Council Member Starts Website

With many Twinsburg residents coming forward in opposition to the proposed road constrction at State Route 91, opponents have now started an online petition.

Using the website www.change.org, a petition to Twinsburg City Council has been started, titled "Vote against installing roundabouts on the Route 91 widening project."

Phase I of the project would widen SR 91 from Post Road to Glenwood Drive and construct a roundabout at the Glenwood intersection.

Started by Laura Giammaria, the petition offers residents multiple reasons why they should oppose the project including:

• The project is unnecessary to solve traffic problems during a specific time period (6:30-8:30 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m.).
• Because of the large number of pedestrians who go through the area, having a traffic signal is much safer than constant traffic flow.
• Many drivers don't know how to use roundabouts and don't use them properly.
• Large vehicles will have to use the roundabout such as semi trucks and buses. Emergency trucks and snow plows will also have to negotiate the roundabout.

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday the petition had 282 of 500 signatures.

People who sign the petition also have the opportunity to leave comments on why they disagree with the idea.

One commenter suggested, "Few people know how to properly use a roundabout, as demonstrated by the one on Liberty & Glenwood. Drivers take it much too quickly and without thought to other cars or pedestrians."

Another person said the roundabout at Liberty and Glenwood is different because it doesn't see the high traffic volume that SR 91 has.

Law Director David Maistros said the petition doesn't have any legal standing, but can be used to send a message to council about how residents feel.

Stauffer goes digital

While roundabout opponents have taken to the web, one city council member has done the same.

Ward 4 Councilwoman Maureen Stauffer created www.twinsburgroundabout.com, a website to address concerns with the roundabout while offering research and insight on the project.

“I think it’s important to do some research and present the residents with the facts,” Stauffer said during a discussion about SR 91 Tuesday night.

Stauffer said she has spent the last two weeks “pouring over” research.

“I would not support something that would harm the residents of this community,” she said.

One area of the website addresses pedestrian safety, citing research from the Federal Highway Administration, stating, "A pedestrian has an 85 percent chance of being killed by a vehicle traveling at 45 mph. That drops to 15 percent when the vehicle is traveling at 20 mph."

The website also offers users "facts to consider" and links to safety studies and videos about roundabouts.

She also writes a letter to residents informing them about the history of the project and where things are currently.