I don’t like stoplights. I am not sure if anyone really does, except maybe for the people who sell or install stoplights. The rest of us — especially those of us with little patience — would prefer to avoid them.
Don’t get me wrong. I always stop at stoplights. And stop signs. Always. Whether another vehicle is there or not. Whether on a rural road or in the city. Whether I am in a car or on a bicycle. It doesn’t matter. Stop means stop. I learned that the hard way.
As a teenager, I was stopped by a police officer who asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I told him the truth, that I didn’t know. He explained that, although I slowed down for the stop sign, I didn’t come to a complete stop. He succinctly taught me the definition of stop, and I am thankful to him for that. Seriously.
Ever since that day, I make sure that I come to complete stops. It’s the law. You can choose to break that law if you want, but you should expect to pay the consequence. If you are lucky, it is only a fine. If you are not so lucky, it is an accident. And if you are out of luck, it can be death.
Stop means stop. Period.
Meanwhile, I have a newfound fondness for roundabouts on city streets. Not familiar with them? They are circular intersections that allow road traffic to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the intersection. They greatly reduce traffic speeds and minimize T-bone and head-on collisions.
Modern roundabouts were standardized in the U.K. in the mid-1960s and are now commonplace in much of the world. Installations are growing steadily in America — even here in Iowa. Yes, they are a bit confusing at first, but they keep traffic moving safely — and I rarely have to stop. I actually pay more attention to oncoming traffic in roundabouts than I do at stoplights or stop signs.
Roundabouts eliminate those awkward stop-and-go moments at four-way stops when nobody seems to be sure who should go first. And, maybe most importantly, there’s no debate over what constitutes a complete stop.
What’s not to like?
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
