<p>In response to a comment from Anne, please read below:</p><br><p>The redesign will provide a much improved environment for pedestrians then what currently exists.  Today while crossing the North Park leg heading eastbound on Cogswell towards Gottingen, you first cross a 9m wide right turn channel. Then you further have to cross 30m of roadwaywhere you would be tasked with looking for left and right turning vehicles.  In the future with the proposed roundabout, you would be faced with an 8m crossing set back 1-2 car lengths from the yield line, where as a pedestrian you would only have to look left for vehicles approaching from one direction (heading southbound on North Park Street).  Upon crossing this 8m of roadway you would then have a large refuge island(concrete median) to travel across before you made another 8m crossing looking only right for vehicles heading northbound on North Park Street.  There will be sidewalks leading up to and completely around each roundabout, with marked crosswalks on each leg that includes zebra marked crosswalks with tactile walking indicators for the visually impaired at each crossing location.  All of the sidewalks in this area are proposed to be upgraded, with a minimum width of 2m.  A 4m wide active transportation trail is also included along North Park Street in the North Common to accommodate all users.  In addition, Rainnie is being reviewed to have an upgraded cycling facility and the existing sidewalks will remain for pedestrian use. </p> <p>Roundabouts do provide a more efficient and continuous flow for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists; however they are not intended to increase speeds. One of the benefits of the installation of roundabouts is that a roundabout’s geometry is designed specifically to direct traffic around the circle at a much slower speed. Therefore, lower speeds (between 25 and 40 km/h) provide more time for all users to detect and correct for their mistakes. If a collision does occur, it is less severe due to the lower speeds. The Armdale Roundabout is a significantly larger and busier intersection that deals with more than twice the traffic (about 55,000 vehicles a day) that would normally come through the North Park Street intersections.  The proposed roundabouts at North Park will be 1 and 2 lane approaches with all one lane exits, which is significantly different than the Armdale roundabout configuration.</p> <p>I encourage you to come to the public meeting on February 5th (rescheduled from January 29th) to see how these roundabouts are promoting active transportation and shorter pedestrian crossings distances.</p> <p> </p>