Thursday, September 8, 2011

Must have missed it

I must have missed the story of chaos and carnage in the two new roundabouts near the University of Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium.  Despite dire predictions from Internet pundits, it seems that a sell-out crowd managed to attend last Saturday’s season-opener for the Cornhusker football team without any bodies being left in the road. 

Having driven the twin-twin rounbabouts (two in a row, double lanes) several times now, I have concluded that navigating them is just pretty natural.  If you want to got right, you get in the right lane; left or u-ball, left lane; straight ahead, take your pick. 

Still, with 85,000 fans coming and going, along with an untold number of dalliers, hangers-on, and tailgaters without tix—I thought it might be a better show than it turned out to be.  The season, however, is still young.

15 comments:

Steve said...

I'm going to assume you don't need officers directing traffic there either. Win, win, win.

Anonymous said...

Of course, expecting it to be a cluster, how many people avoided the roundabouts and changed their course of travel, thereby putting heavier stress on other areas? I saw very different traffic patterns between the roundabouts and the change in East Stadium entrance paths. The crowd appeared to arrive later to the game, there was much heavier foot traffic, and they moved much slower into the stadium.

Steve said...

You couldn't get my mom within two miles of a roundabout. They scare the crap out of her. Then again, she avoids interstate highways, tunnels, busy streets, alleys, one-ways, and anything more than two miles from home. Good thing she has a grocery store close. :)

Anonymous said...

We cannot get to our assigned parking unless we navigate the roundabouts due to the one-way roads and dividing islands. It was not the cluster that everyone was assuming. Nebraskans are not as dumb as people think we are.

Anonymous said...

The slow arrival into the stadium was more likely because of the construction on the east side than because of the roundabouts. There were fewer gates to enter than last year. It was in the paper.....

Steve said...

I rode my bike down today to check out these twin multi-lane roundabouts for myself. There wasn't much traffic, but it appeared to me that it would move as smoothly through these intersections as any other kind, if not more so. I went on over to the new Antelope Valley road (or whatever they're calling it) and back south to P street (as far as it goes right now). Quite a change, and I would imagine quite an improvement. There's a lot of difference, though, between driving new roads just to check them out, when you don't really care where you end up, and trying to get to some specific place when you aren't familiar with the road and don't know where it's taking you. I can imagine a lot of older folks, trying to get somewhere for the first time on these new roads, getting really, really lost, and ending up nowhere near where they were headed.

Steve said...

Maybe I shouldn't have restricted my previous comment to older people. Lots of them might do better than our texting, cell phoning, idiot youngsters.

Anonymous said...

Tom:

I have to tell you I'm disappointed.

This "I told you so" message is childlike and unbecoming.

If anything, please consider this: Would you really want this post to be your legacy? Is this the piece you would want to be remembered by?

If so, I am even ore disappointed.

Anonymous said...

Do not miss this though. I am starting a Noon on Sunday web show. It is being cast on my blog and I will see how it goes. Not sure on the total content but I want to make it educational. Any thing about safe driving is fair game.

Steve said...

6:44

You're disappointed in "ore"? Any particular kind?

Anonymous said...

Steve 6:44: Perhaps BRASS, as in TOP BRASS????

Anonymous said...

Steve @ 6:44:

Maybe COPPER, as "YOU DIRTY COPPER" (Cop)!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with 6:44. This is a rather whiny, self righteous like, in your face kind of message, and definitely not the message of a professional.

Anonymous said...

Geeze, to Anonymous @ 6:36, Maybe I'm just denser than the average bear, but I didn't get that sense at all.

Anonymous said...

I think the Director was more stating the facts than saying 'I told you so'. If you can't deal with that then you need to quit getting your feelings hurt so easily.