Roundabout confusion

I thought there would be a bigger response to the January 27 Spokesman-Review article on the U.S. Hwy 2 roundabout (“Roundabout confusion”).

I for one find the roundabout (Spokane Tribe Casino entrance, Airway Heights) very confusing. And, possibly Mr. Al Gilson of WSDOT is correct, that it is my error and ignorance that makes it confusing. But specifically puzzling to me is the inclusion of multiple traffic lanes in a roundabout. I have driven through many traffic circles (especially in the Washington, D.C., area) and find multiple lanes in a circle friendly and intuitive to drive when one has room to change lanes within the circle. But negotiating multiple lanes of traffic into, within, and out of the tight radius/confines of a traffic roundabout is a different story. Each time I defensively go through the roundabout, I say a prayer of thanksgiving that I am not driving an 18-wheeler truck.

I hope more thought, planning, design work, traffic studies, etc. will go into building a roundabout/circle on Hwy 2 in the Mead area for the new Costco facility.

Forrest Diehl

Spokane