Letter: Roundabout at Division St. and Fourth Ave., really?
To the Editor-
I vowed I would not use my energy on any issues with the Stevens Point government in the year 2024. However, I feel a response is needed after hearing about the latest roundabout plan for Division and Fourth Ave.
FDM 11-26 Roundabouts (wisconsindot.gov) is the website where you can find the facts about roundabouts.
WisDOT (FACTS) has only mentioned vehicular traffic with roundabouts. Nowhere did I find a word about how pedestrian traffic can/should be incorporated with roundabouts. I discovered the inability to cross a roundabout a few years ago when I tried to cross the roundabout at North Point Dr. and Division St. It is virtually impossible to cross, walk, or bike.
I challenge anyone who has anything to do with this ridiculous plan (on the busiest pedestrian crosswalk in Stevens Point) to try to cross the existing one before you plan a second one on the main north/south artery in Stevens Point.
In case you’re wondering what else is planned for this roundabout, Division St would be one lane in the roundabout. A merge of two lanes into one on Division St. would be required to have a single-lane roundabout. There is a lot of traffic on Division Street: school buses, trucks, and all other forms of vehicles use this road. Has anyone considered the fact that we have the main fire department one block away from the planned roundabout?
If the present two-lane road is reduced to one lane, how far north or south will the lanes merge (at least one block if not two)? Now picture all the pedestrians in the mix. And there is always the possibility of a need for evacuation in Stevens Point — and you want to create a gridlock of the main artery of escape, and the everyday movement from one part of town to another.
Who in our city government is going to have the knowledge or common sense, etc. to give up on this planned devastation and destruction of the roads in the city of Stevens Point? Frankly, I can’t think of anyone.
Ruth Pfiffner
Stevens Point
