It’s being proposed for safety reasons, but some like it and some don’t. It’s called the State Route 49 Multi-Modal Corridor Plan…

Jerry Champa with the consulting firm G-H-D presented the plan to the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, which would put roundabouts along Highway 49 at the intersections of Uren Street, Coyote Street, Maidu Avenue (the entrance to the Rood Center), and Cement Hill Road. The idea is to slow down traffic, especially coming into town from the west (or from the San Juan Ridge). Nevada County Transportation Commission Executive Director Dan Landon says getting funding is easier right now if they group the roundabouts as part of one project…

But while no one seemed to complain about vehicle traffic having to slow down, pedestrians like Matthew Colter feel that roundabouts aren’t the answer…

Cyclists also expressed some opposition. The Transportation Commission will vote on the plan at its meeting tomorrow (Wednesday), which means they can seek funding for the project. The feasibility study was authorized, and later funded, after a traffic collision during Victorian Christmas a couple of years ago, resulted in a pedestrian fatality.

–gf