Horst has a rounder solution
A new plan for the intersections in front of city hall would see traffic lights installed on Lorne and Lansdowne streets, a portion of First Avenue that merges with Lansdowne turned into a public park and drivers banned from turning left off Victoria Street onto First Avenue.
Horst Broscheit thinks he has a simpler idea: Install a roundabout.
The 80 year-old retired contractor brought his draft designs to a public input session on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Interior Savings Centre and hopes the city will take a serious look at the idea.
Why a roundabout?
“I’m European,” Broscheit said.
But, he also thinks the roundabout will improve the flow of traffic and cut down on pollution.
Drivers on Lansdowne already face several traffic lights, he said, and don’t need another.
“They step on the gas, on the break. On the gas, on the break,” he said.
But, with fewer prolonged stops, cars will spend less time idling, thus creating fewer emissions.
Since the roundabout won’t need traffic signals, Broscheit said his design will save on energy.
The Lorne Street resident said he came up with the roundabout idea several years ago, when he first heard the city wanted to make changes to the intersections.
“I couldn’t see what they had in mind there, with having the signal lights there and stopping the traffic,” he said.
So, he sat on a nearby bench and sketched.
When he heard about this week’s public meeting, he pulled out his old work.
Broscheit said city CAO David Trawin seemed intrigued by the design when they spoke, though Trawin did not return calls to KTW before press deadline.
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