I read with interest the commentary by former Duluth city planner Tom Cotruvo regarding the roundabout proposed for 60th Avenue East and London Road (Local View: “ Let new roundabout calm traffic, mark London Road neighborhood ,” March 28).
I, too, live by London Road, and neither I nor my neighbors on our street were surveyed about the plan for the roundabout. Our community organization, Preserve the Gateway, has proposed an alternative to the roundabout that would keep University Park intact (including the Gitche Gumee Garden) and prevent our neighbor’s home from being torn down. We are just asking the city and the Minnesota Department of Transportation to consider this plan.
Pedestrian-safety issues present a complex set of problems. Whether it is a roundabout or a traffic signal, those structures by themselves will not fix the traffic, accessibility, and safety issues on London Road or elsewhere.
Other towns and cities in Minnesota have had successful results with collaboration among its citizens, law enforcement, city planners, and traffic engineers to address traffic and pedestrian issues. Duluth can certainly follow suit.
We all want similar things — safety for pedestrians and drivers; the preservation of the natural beauty of this space where land, river, and lake meet; and accessibility — whether traveling by car, by bus, by bicycle, on foot, or in a wheelchair.
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Linden Fraser
Duluth
Readers' View and Local Views
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