Some residents unhappy with new roundabouts in Oberlin (VIDEO)

OBERLIN — Some residents have mixed feelings about roundabouts as construction starts to wrap up on Pyle South Amherst Road. One resident has even used his prime real estate next to the traffic circle to send a message. "Someone actually thought this roundabout was a good idea!," the sign reads. "It wasn't anyone living here." Richard Drake, better known in Oberlin as "Rip Smops," put up the sign. He said he is upset because he feels Council disregarded opinions against the mini-roundabouts that were installed at Robin Park Boulevard, Spruce Drive and Morgan Street. Drake said he and residents around him spoke at Council against the mini-roundabouts, but Council ultimately voted 5-2 at its June 3 meeting to move ahead with the project, with Councilwoman Kristin Peterson and Councilman Kelley Singleton voting against it. "I was really furious that they did not listen to us at all," Drake said. "They did not acknowledge that we the neighborhood residents have spoken to them." Along with repaving, the road project included three 20-foot-wide roundabouts and a refuge island for carts crossing the road from Oberlin Golf Club. City Engineer Randall Roberts said construction on the road should be finished by the end of October. Roberts said the main reason for the roundabouts was traffic calming. "We were not seeing accidents at the intersections," Roberts said. "But people were complaining about the speed of cars going down the road." Pat Serio lives on Pyle South Amherst Road, and while she isn't for or against the roundabouts, she said the speeding is definitely a problem. "You'd have to be blind and deaf not to notice it," Serio said. Potholes that used to be on the street did not slow down drivers. She's not sure roundabouts will either. Still, Serio is waiting to see how they work before she decides. "Anything that slows down the traffic is worth giving a shot," she said. The posted speed for the roadway is 25 mph. Another resident on the road, Rod Knight, said people do speed down the road, but that he doesn't see a large amount of traffic and doesn't see it as a problem. "It doesn't calm traffic, it annoys traffic, and all they're going to do is speed up again," he said. Knight said he and other residents came to Council with other ideas for controlling the speed, but that Council was "enamored" by the idea of roundabouts. He said he felt they already made up their minds before speaking to residents. The new roundabouts are raised, but designed to be low enough to allow fire trucks, school buses and other long vehicles to drive over them. Rick McDaniel, who lives on Robin Park Boulevard, said he's worried about making the turn. When he uses the RV to tow his jeep, it's as long as 50 feet. He's also worried about the suspension of the RV. Another addition that residents have mixed opinions on are sidewalks. After construction the road will be 20 feet wide with no sidewalks on either side. Drake said he's in favor of sidewalks, because of how many people use the street for walking and biking. Serio said she is fine biking with her dog without the sidewalks because she doesn't want to have to shovel and maintain them. Knight said he expects most people would still use the street anyway, and would rather have bike lanes. Public Works Director Jeff Baumann said he heard similar mixed opinions from residents. "When we met with residents it was clear that they wanted a safe place to walk, and some folks who live along Pyle South Amherst want sidewalks and some do not," he said. Baumann said the street was designed to leave room for the future addition of sidewalks, but so sidewalks have only been brought up in preliminary discussions. The project was contracted for just more than $720,000, and Baumann said he expects to come in under budget. He said after proper signage is up and people learn how to use the roundabouts, he doesn't see them being a problem. "I've lived in other locations where there are roundabouts, and people navigate them readily everyday," he said. Contact Sean McDonnell at (440) 329-7148 or smcdonnell@chroniclet.com.