Roundabouts to be painted, odd-shaped

A new style of roundabout will be installed at two Dunedin intersections as part of a trial which the city council hopes will help reduce dangerous driving on the city’s streets.

The Dunedin City Council will install two painted roundabouts at the intersections of Shetland and Nairn Sts in Kaikorai Valley and Carnforth, Boomer and Neill Sts in Green Island. The design of each roundabout will depend on the size and layout of each intersection but they will both be painted and may have flexible bollards around the edge.

Council transport group manager Richard Saunders said the roundabouts were expected to improve safety while still being low-cost options that would be quick to install.

They would be designed so larger vehicles could drive over the edge of the roundabout if needed, while still following the road rules, Mr Saunders said.

Each one would cost between $2000 and $4000 to install, depending on the bollards and raised rubber platforms used, he said.

Elsewhere in the city, the council planned to install a roundabout at the intersection of Forbury, Bay View and Allandale Rds next year.

There have been a number of serious crashes and near misses at the intersection and last year the council proposed installing a peanut-shaped roundabout to make it safer for both pedestrians and motorists.

The shape was designed to deal with the roads that approached the intersection at an angle rather than straight-on.

Mr Saunders said based on the significant amount of feedback the council received on the proposal last year, it seemed a roundabout would be a good safety improvement.

All the feedback would be thoroughly reviewed before any detailed design started but construction was planned for 2019.

It would  probably cost about $500,000, he said.

tim.miller@odt.co.nz