I was talking to an ex truck driver who brought up an interesting point about the roundabouts. How small they are and how more challenging they are for semis to circumvent.
In Hammond, LA you have two roundabouts and a raised curb controlling US 51 Business south of I-12 and that area between the two roundabouts is with two major truck stops. So to patronize either Truck Stop, all traffic must use both roundabouts as the raised curbs eliminates left turns and creates RIRO for the business driveways thus forcing the semis to make 180 degree turns in a small diameter circle.
My question is, have state officials simply ignored the actual situation created by tight roundabouts for maneuverability to large vehicles? Or is that they feel truckers, the back bone of US commerce, are not challenged enough already so making them pay attention more and screw the rest of traffic when they have to slow down to wait patiently for a semi circumventing the roundabout as the geometry of the circle slows down the time it takes to use it for truckers? After all they’re the same greedy politicians who allow overdevelopment in rural areas without expanding the highways around it allowing the roundabouts to be norm now.
To me math suggests that the truckers are at their limit using the roundabout supporting the trucker concerns of using them. Plus the ones in Hammond, LA being placed not only for the interchange ramps, but to control movements to the truck stop patrons as well, is totally not taking in the situation that is at hand. That is with the truckers who have to use them and have to drive it with full scrutiny to avoid hopping the curbs etc. After all do most lawmakers really know what their constituents really experience?