Ready or Not, a New Roundabout Is Coming to West Michigan

Whether you love them or you hate them, roundabouts continue to pop-up across Michigan.

Brace yourself West Michigan, the next roundabout may be rolling your way!

I, personally, think roundabouts get a bad rap. I happen to find roundabouts way easier to navigate than 4-way stops. However, the big issue with both of these traffic-calming measures can be chalked up to one thing: human error.

Stop being polite and waving me through at the 4-way stop. There are rules! Stop confusing everyone and just-- go!

Despite the Federal Highway Administration's claims roundabouts are in fact safer than traditional 4-way stops, for every "traffic circle" fanatic you'll also find a detractor. Here in West Michigan, all you have to simply do is whisper the word "roundabout" and you'll find an angry mob of drivers on your doorstep telling you you're wrong. If you're not a fan of roundabouts then consider me the bearer of bad news:

A new roundabout is coming to the Vicksburg area.

According to WWMT and the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County (RCKC) a new roundabout has been approved at Sprinkle Road and TU Avenue in Vicksburg. However, you will probably be surprised to learn that according to the news outlet, this was actually a resident-driven decision. 

the RCKC heard from several residents that those roads were a problem area and that people often drove too fast...Residents told News Channel 3 off camera that they have seen several crashes through that area and that they wanted something done about it. - WWMT

Vicksburg residents can expect to see the new roundabout completed by 2027.