1) Yes. My name is ____. I'm calling about the little roundabout that they built on Southport. If you're going north on Southport and then you encounter this roundabout, you're heading right for a white pole. And so I think the white pole ought to be moved out of the way. People who come sliding around the circle are going to plow right off the road into the berm and plow right into the light pole. I think the placement of the light pole is erroneous. And so you might want to take a look at that. Also, for your information, they got those little roundabouts in Mexico City, which has about the worst traffic in the world. And they are called gloriettas. And they're neat and everything. But anywho, you might want to go take a look at that. My number is ____. Thank you.

2) Yeah. My name is ___. I live out in Wasilla, ___. I used to live in Dallas, Texas, where they had one of these Russian roulette wheels. And they didn't work down there and I don't know why they would work up here in the snow. They are very dangerous, stupid and illogical to have in the snow. You know, whoever came up with this idea, obviously hasn't driven in one before. Because in Dallas, they had wrecks in them constantly. And up here, I guess you guys are having wrecks in them constantly. And that ought to be enough to tell you they don't work. Thank you.

3) Hi. I have a comment about the roundabout and the problems with people speeding, I guess, on Southport. The solution to that would be have the overpaid police department that we have to set out there with radar guns and write people tickets. And just, you know, generally hit people where it hurts the worst, and that's their pocketbook. Instead of raising or lowering the speed limit or trying to come up with some kind of new-fangled idea that's not going to work, traffic control is best done by the presence of police officers. And we have the highest paid police officers in the nation. Let's make them do their jobs, get out there and write some tickets. Thanks. Bye.

4) Yes. Good morning, ___. My name is ___. I want to leave a couple comments on the roundabout for your perusal, actually. I use that thing twice a day. And my comment is as an engineering solution for the problem, stronger light poles, stronger street signs, whatever, more cement in the flower boxes. I think if you see airbags go off over there, people finally get the word. So that's what I got to say on it. Thank you very much. Bye.

5) Hi. I bet you're getting a lot of these calls today. I live off Klatt here, not quite Southport. But I drive the little roundabout every day. And I knew from the start 20 miles was too fast because there's a lot of idiots out there driving. And they need to slow down. My biggest complaint is I do work evenings and -- well, morning and evenings. The city's not been putting in enough sand or ice or whatever they need to put down on that area there. So even ten miles an hour, sometimes you have to go slower. But it could be a little bit larger. But I think, hopefully, they'll get used to it. But like I said, there's idiots. They are the same ones that drive off into the wetlands too. But yeah, if they could ice it better -- or de-ice it, I should say, better in the winter, it might be better. But you might also consider while you're doing it more stop signs. Because once they get through the roundabout, they're winging down here off Klatt Road up to Victor and really going quite fast. Maybe even they ought to put some more police out here like they had a few years ago where they catch some speeders for a while. Okay. Thanks, bye-bye.

6) Hi. My name is ___. My number is ___. I'm calling to make some comments about the article in the newspaper today. I'm only going to be here for a short while. So if you could return my call, I'd appreciate it.

7) Hi, __. My name is ___ and I live in Hidden Cove, which is right by the roundabout. I read the article in the paper today. And I just wanted to let you know I love the roundabout. I don't know who was responsible for putting it in. But obviously, it's been fun coming out onto Southport from the west side going east, trying to turn north. I like it because we all have equal right-of-way and it slows traffic down. And I think it's great. So anyway, that's my two cents. Hope you have a nice day. My home phone number, if you have any questions, is ___. Thanks. Bye.

8) Hi. This is a comment for your roundabout. I don't know how you decided it or why, but most roundabouts are about four times as large. You've created a hazard. And I expect eventually a pedestrian will be in the middle of the roundabout and a car will come through and probably hit him. If you're saying that you think that people will get used to it is fine. But people out of the area that come through there, all of a sudden hit that intersection and the next thing they're up and over. And you're going to have continuing accidents. I would suggest you rip it out and put the normal street in or make it four times as large with an actual roundabout, not just a go-around blockade. Thank you.

9) Hi, ___. My name is Sophia ___. And you can reach me, if you need to, at ___. And this is about the roundabout at Southport. My mom was wrecked there. And she's from France and so she's really used to them. And to us, it's no big deal. But I did notice -- and it seems that my family thinks the same thing -- is that the circle seems a little tight, like it's -- I mean, because we do slide when we go through it. We try to -- I mean, as far as speed, we make sure that we're not going too fast and stuff, but it's a little tight for a circle. And maybe that's part of the problem is that the speed is -- even going slow is still it's a little tight for that circle. But anyway, that was my only comment. And we think it's fine. It's no big deal. But we do see a lot people having problems with it. Thanks. Bye.

10) My name is ___, commenting on the roundabout that was featured in today's paper. I think it's a great idea. I lived in Europe for three years. And they work great. It beats sitting at stoplights all day. I think we ought to have more of them. Thanks.

11) Hello, ___. My name is ___. I was just calling to comment on the roundabout, the one you have over in Southport. And I just wanted to support it. I think it's a wonderful feature. When we were in New Zealand, we used those. And I thought that the traffic ran very efficiently and much nicer than stop signs. And I think Alaskans just have to get used to using them. I think the more they see them, the more they'll like them. So I support as many as you want to put in. Thank you. My number is ____ if you wanted that information for any reason. Thank you. Bye-bye.

12) I would like to leave my comments on the roundabout that you're proposing and have built one. I lived in Boston where they have a lot of them. They are death traps. I see -- they are death traps. The roads are dangerous enough around here. Somebody needs to drive out and get a clue. Thank you.

13) Hi. My name is ___. And I want to give you a positive comment about the traffic circles in Alaska, here in Anchorage, specifically. And I think they're a great idea. And I'm sure a lot of people are giving you a lot of heat for it, but I'm saying good job. Install more of them. Save people time. They are better -- people do just as well in them as they do in four-way stops. And that's my opinion. You can reach me at ___ if you like. Bye.

14) Hi. I'm calling to make a comment about the roundabout. I'm a police officer. I go through there quite a bit during the day. The problem I have with it is that thing in the middle, the planter or whatever it is, makes it so you can't see across it to see if other traffic is in the circle. So I think that's -- to me anyway is a big problem with it.
You know, to yield to the traffic, you can't -- especially if you're driving in -- when I'm in my patrol car, I can't see real well if somebody's coming from the other direction until right there around the corner. And then it may be too late. I usually go pretty slow, but that -- that's what I would suggest, that that one or if any one's are again if you can lower that thing in the middle so that you can see or not have anything in the middle at all or, like I said, something low so that you can see the traffic coming instead of the former. Anyway, that's it. Thanks. Bye.

15) Hi, ___. This is ___ calling to comment on the roundabout article in the paper this morning. Those roundabouts are, I think, excellent. I drove around in Africa, kind of got used to them. And I know in Cape Town and also in London, you don't have to stop, you know. But, you know, you can slow down. And it's kind of a fast deal. But I notice over there after people got used to them -- there's one in Cape Town that was like -- it must have been probably ten or 12 lanes. And it was the center. And there was quite a few intersections there. And I was amazed at how well people, after they got used to it, were able to zip around in that thing accident-free. Anyway, I'm going on. But I'd like to see more of them. They keep traffic flowing better and, I think, ultimately are safer. We have people running through these stop signs. If you want to get hold of me, ___. Thanks. Bye.

16) Yes, __, this is ___. I live out on Toy Drive. And I'm commenting about your roundabout plan. It stinks. You know, you can do a lot better than that if you're an engineer. So that's my opinion. Bye.

17) Hi. I'm calling because of the newspaper article in the newspaper this morning about the roundabout on Southport Drive. And I grew up on the East Coast where roundabouts are very, very common. And the only comment I would have about this roundabout is that it is woefully inadequate compared to the roundabouts where I grew up because it is about maybe one fourth or one fifth the normal size of a roundabout. And I think that is 90 percent of the problem. Back where I come from, even in gruddy old Boston, Massachusetts where the drivers are as aggressive as they get, the roundabouts worked very, very well. But they are much, much larger than that little dinky thing out there. Anyway, that's my two cents' worth. Thank you.

18) Hi, ___. My name is ___ and I live in the area of the roundabout made famous today in the Anchorage Daily News. I live on Spindriff Loop and access and use that roundabout every day going to and from my house. I'm calling just to comment -- or give you my comment. And I'll also send you an e-mail to this effect. And that is, I don't think we need anymore abundance of signage. I think personally that signs are really urban clutter. And we've got too many of them already. So I'd really like not to see a bunch of signs go up to try to help every idiot that doesn't understand a roundabout. I think you're much better served or will be much better served by a little more education to the public by sending out letters to people in the area and maybe having the Daily News or maybe the State of Alaska, whoever's responsible, pay for some kind of information in the local paper, be it the Daily News, the Press and whatever. But I'm really against a lot of signage. When you first opened that roundabout, there were some enormous signs on it which made me want to go out in the middle of the night and take them down. And I don't know if someone went out in the middle of the night and took them down or not. But before I could really make the phone calls and send the e-mails, they were taken down and changed. So no to more signs. Yes to more education. And I'll e-mail you too to this effect. My phone number at work is ___. Thanks for the time.

19) Hi. I'd like to register one vote in favor of the roundabouts. I think they work very well. And -- but that's true, it's going to take some training and that perhaps they need to be a little bit larger. But I think they're an excellent way to avoid four-way stops and to keep traffic moving. And I think the one at Dowling that's projected is going to be excellent. Thank you.

20) This is ___. I'm responding per the request for comments on the roundabout. And my husband and I, are very much in favor of roundabouts, having experienced them in Europe. And think they would help with pollution, red light running. We'd like to see way more roundabouts in this town. We saw -- we tried your little one out in Southport, thought it was on the small side, a little tight, but still a good start, and hope that we see more of them. Thank you. Bye.

21) Hi, __. This is ___. I live out in Southport on Washington Drive. And just wanted to give a quick comment on the roundabout there. For me living on Washington Drive, I'd be -- I'm strongly in support of the roundabout. I think it's been a good addition. It moves traffic for us getting out onto Southport much better. Also, for pedestrians trying to walk across Southport Drive, being able to walk across there as opposed to what used to be there is much better. You know, trying to walk across four lanes would have been a nightmare. So it's much safer, I think, for adults or certainly children to go across there. It feels much safer, a lot more visibility.
Obviously, the folks coming from the -- normally from the south as we try to get out are not slowing down. That's the biggest problem is they just flat don't slow down as they get up to the roundabout there. I don't know if it would be better to have maybe a -- I don't know -- maybe a flashing light warning them as they are coming up to it both directions to slow down. But again, for someone living on Washington like myself, I'm strongly in support of that. If you have any questions or any other information that I can give you, I'm at ___. Thank you.

22) Yes. My name is ___. I am at work at ___. Apparently yours was the number to call if you had questions or comments about the traffic circle in South Anchorage. And I just wanted to run something past you, if you could return the call. Thank you.

23) Hello, ___. My name is ___, born and raised in Anchorage. I live in Big Lake now. I've never driven on a roundabout, but I'm going to go drive on the one that we have here in Anchorage right now. And I think they're the greatest thing since Hershey bars. Just the concept alone is terrific. I don't know why people are having problems. I think you ought to replace every four-way stop in town with a roundabout.

24) Yeah. This is ___. I'd like to comment about the roundabout article I read in the paper last week. Went over there and looked at it. I've ridden on the roundabout that they have in Edmonton, Alberta and there's one in Alton, Illinois that I drive around once in a while. And I see the problem with what you got over there, it's too small. It's like a little miniature thing, like you ought to fold it up and take it over to the Planning Commission to see if you can get the plans improved. Or else you should take your kids over there in their tricycles and let them play on it.
It should be about four times that big around.
And there shouldn't be any obstruction in the middle of it so you can't see all vehicles that are in it. You don't need a flower pot in the middle of it so you can't see. And over there, there's some big houses over there and I'm sure there's -- will be off and on frequently some big moving trucks over there that need to get around this thing.
I mean, they work good if they're big enough, but this is way too small. But I suppose if you'd made it bigger, then you'd have lost the space for a house site. Anyhow, if you want to talk to me, give me a call back. Thank you. Bye.

25) Hi, __. This is ___. I'm a resident in the Southport area. And I'm finally getting around to responding about the roundabout at Southport. I am one of those that is not in favor of the roundabout. I think the radius is too small. The lane is too narrow. And I believe that that planter and the trees in the center make it difficult to see the intentions of the people that are coming through the intersection. It's poorly used. People don't understand it yet. And that's about the basics. But anyway, I'd love to see it gone. My number is ___ if you need to contact me. And my name is ___. Thank you. Bye.

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