Road diets and roundabouts are working well in Petaluma, according to the response to an online poll by the Argus-Courier June 26, 2008.
A combined 68.6 percent said the road diet on Petaluma Boulevard North is working very well or moderately well, while a collective 61.9 percent said the road diet on South McDowell Boulevard is working very well or moderately well.
Fifty-nine percent said they think roundabouts in intersections are a good alternative to stop signs or stoplights and 49.9 said they would like to see more road diets on other streets in town.
Here are some of the comments by those who responded to the survey:
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“Petaluma Boulevard North and South McDowell were a perfect fit for road diet. The city needs better PR and explaining the benefits. When I explain it to people, they are more open to the idea.”
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“Roundabouts save gas, as people do not have to come to a complete stop and traffic can continue to move. Other countries use them extensively.”
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“Petaluma Boulevard south-bound at East Washington backs up almost to Oak Street on a regular basis. How is that possibly a good thing? Large vehicles (fire trucks, garbage trucks, busses, etc.) have a difficult time going through roundabouts, if they even can at all. Large hay and milk trucks simply cannot fit and have to drive around Corona Road and Magnolia Avenue. You cannot safely convert a standard intersection to a roundabout. You need at least 50 percent more land to do it right. Please stop this stupidity!”
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“Be adaptable. This will help, it just takes time.”
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“These are major transportation roads, and they have just choked them to death. Along with that, the traffic engineer has screwed up the timing on the lights all over town. Petaluma has had traffic problems for years and this has just made it even worse. Get a clue.”
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“Let’s get more of this! These improvements really enhance the livability of our community! Thank you!”
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“Just make sure the buses can get through the roundabouts. We need more public transportation, not less.”
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“Traffic is worse. It takes twice as long to get anywhere and everyone is cutting down residential streets to avoid them. The roundabouts suck! People do not know how to use them, and now because of them, I will have to take a taxi to the fair grounds to get the bus. Nice planning, city of Petaluma.”
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“I hate those #%$^%& roundabouts! I’m amazed they don’t cause more accidents.”
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“Roundabouts keep the traffic moving.”
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“Is Pee Wee Herman designing these roads? They are ridiculous, hazardous and impractical. Forget new roundabouts and single lanes; repave the existing streets.”
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“The true success of road diets can’t be realized until they are completed. Short segments causing excessive and seemingly unnecessary man-euvering will foster bad public opinion and compromise the possibility for completion of the project and realization of a truly safe and smooth downtown. The project needs to be completed, and soon.”
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“Roundabouts are definitely slowing the flow ” whew!”
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“Streets are just not for cars. Bikers use them and pedestrians have to cross them.”
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“Pet. Blvd. N. seems to be working out better than expected.”
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“It would help if the city had more forward thinkers in the group instead of people who, if they were paying attention to traffic patterns, would adjust the signals to match traffic.”
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“Wasting gas sitting in a single lane is not logical.”

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“Instead of choking traffic, we need to get it to run smoothly.”
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“As our town grows in population and there are more people moving to Petaluma, it does not make sense why you are slowing traffic down. Let’s see, increase the population and jam up the roads. This is a stupid through and I would like to meet the clown that thought of the ‘Road Diet’ program. McDowell Blvd is a JOKE. People don’t know how to enter the round a bout. Round a bouts belong in ‘a neighborhood’ not on a major street that has heavy traffic. The Road Diet is STUPID. I hate them, get the point.”
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“Our City Council has their heads up their a–. Bring in Target and actually make some money for the city!”
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“They seemed to work just fine … for cars, that is. I was angry when I read that GG Transit hadn’t been consulted during the planning stages! That’s outrageous. First, we get the dumb transit mall with no parking for commuters, now another blow to public transit users. And at a time when we’re all concerned about gas prices and global warming.”

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“It is difficult to appreciate the full traffic impact that the road diets bring on due to the spike in gas prices over the same time period.”
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“Road diets should be used where warranted.”
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“Roundabouts are extremely effective.”

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“The road diet on Petaluma Blvd North has improved traffic flow, greatly improved safety for cyclists, created a safer and more pleasant pedestrian environment, and improved community character. Let’s extend it through downtown!”
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“Roundabouts are great!!”
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“As a bike commuter any strategy the City uses to slow down cars is a good one, in my opinion.”
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“I think these will cause more trouble than they are worth. What a waste of time and money. There has been an increase in large vehicle traffic in my neighborhood also.
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“Roundabouts and road diets save fuel by keeping traffic moving safely.”
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“LOVE roundabouts.”
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“Please do something about speeding on Baker St.!”
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“Roundaouts are great when they are constructed properly (NOT Magnoila) and when traffic is not too heavy.”
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“What’s taken us so long to get these in place?”
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“roundabouts save gas!”
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“As noted in the NY Times on Sunday,06-29-08: ‘Roundabouts, which favor slow coasting over starting and stopping and eliminate the need to idle at red signals when an intersection is empty, can cut fuel use 10 percent to 30 percent.”
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“I have driven Petaluma Blvd North a few times since the change and found it less confusing than South McDowell, which I drive several times a week. What the…? The road should be renamed ‘Sibyl Highway’ due to its multiple personalities that change every block. It’s two lanes. No, wait, it’s one lane with a middle turning lane. No, wait, it’s one lane with a left turn lane. No wait, it’s two lanes going south but only one lane going north. No, wait, there’s a round-about up ahead – beware. No wait, it’s three lanes – a right turn lane, a straight lane, and a left turn lane. No, wait, it’s two lanes again. Who planned this? The worst part is that it is inconsistent. I can’t keep up with the multiple changes in the road in every block.”
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“Reduces cars that ideal and harmful gas.”
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“I was surprised that the Petaluma Blvd north revisions have worked out so smoothly. All the roundabouts I’ve encountered are great, smart & very efficient, gas-wise!”
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“These are great. Saves time, gas. No Stop Signs! No Traffic Lights. Yay!”
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“This is a good idea for the environment and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.”
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“Traffic flows better with road diets and roundabouts!”

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“Where are the bike lanes??? Why take out traffic lanes for parking??? Biking on Petaluma Bld. is SCARY especially for kids. Please make more bike lanes and less car lanes.”
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“I’d like to know who the construction companies are that are putting in all of these roundabouts. They are such a BAD idea, that there has got to be some nepotism going on in our City Hall.”
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“This is the best step Petaluma has taken in years to calm traffic and make our streets more walkable and livable.”
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“Keep on truckin’! no need to stop @ a roundabout! Save gas, save time!”
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“I travel on South McDowell every day and wonder about several things I’ve noticed about this great improvement. The dedicated left turn lanes in the middle are only useful to people turning into their own driveways. The right turn lane at Casa Grande has a very short red zone and most of the turn lane is legal parking. The long stretch at the south end that was always no parking is still no parking. Why not just make that the bike lane, and leave two lanes for driving? It sucks to live at the corner of Baywood and S. McDowell because getting in and out of your driveway must be near impossible now, and dangerous. And the topper… having to wait three light cycles to get close enough to the tiny left turn lane at Caufield to make my left turn. That should be much longer considering the massive backup of cars that collects at the intersection. I can understand the need to ‘share the road’ with bikes but cars need speedy routes to get across town. They could have easily made bike lanes on Daniel, Crinella, and or St. Francis which are all wide enough to serve bikes and cars and are more scenic, too.
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“The roundabout on Magnolia is ridiculous. It is dangerous when you approach it from Elm Dr. You can’t see the cars coming until you are practically in the roundabout. I hate it!!!!!”
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“Road diet- cute. Stupid, but cute. N. Petaluma Blvd. has now become the road to avoid. If that was the intention, it worked. Roundabout on Ely works great- one on South McDowell was not engineered correctly and needs to be amended. And get rid of the pork chops- they don’t work.”
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“Good money wasted on idiotic ideas.”
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“This is the most ridiculous thing ever; well no, the cobblestones were the most ridiculous thing. I used to be able to drive up Pet Blvd and turn left onto E Washington without a hitch. Now I sit in stopped traffic for 10 minutes every night. What was the point of this?”
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“The whole idea behind ‘road diets’ is apparently to slow down traffic or discourage people from using certain streets. If so, the idea seems to be working, making it harder to get around town and forcing traffic onto other streets that previously had more moderate usage. I’m sure the folks that live on the new ‘detours’ around the South McDowell area are thrilled at the additional traffic on their streets. Shouldn’t the job of the ‘experts’ be to make traffic movement more efficient instead of impeding it? I know the bicycle/environmentalist crowd loves to discourage people from driving their cars but some of us can’t ride bikes and public transit around here is a joke.”
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“We all need incentives to get out of our cars and on to bikes or our feet!”
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“I think these roundabouts are unsafe. Now, Golden Gate Transit must discontinue the bus route on the east side due to these unsafe obstacles. How does a high speed ambulance or fire truck navigate through the roundabouts? Sure more people…lets create more congestion! Come on Petaluma…wake up!”
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“Please make the roads safe for CYCLISTS.”
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“less cars = less pollution.”
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“Our traffic engineer is a complete moron. This isn’t Europe. We have enough traffic congestion without them creating more on our two main routes through town. Then they screw up the timing on the traffic lights to even more foul things up. I am totally disgusted with this towns inability to reason.”
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“Pamela- Get over it. Its not our future.”
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“Most rounds are well placed, but the Baywood round is out of place, too small, bad idea, bad planning!”
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“The Roundabout on So McDowell is too big for the location. The center circle needs to be smaller!”
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“Roundabouts need to be designed to accommodate large busses.”
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“The city receives money for the Bay Area Air Quality District to fund the round-abouts. Some people may not like them but, at the end of the day they reduce emissions and lower our carbon foot print. We need more innovative projects like this as our city grows.”
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“Slow down, relax, enjoy. Ride a bike or walk when you can.”
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“These are major transportation roads, and they have just choked them to death. Along with that the traffic engineer has screwed up the timing on the lights all over town. Petaluma has had traffic problems for years and this has just made it even worse. Get a clue.”
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“Just make sure the buses can get through the roundabouts. We need more public transportation, not less.”
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“Traffic is worse. It takes twice as long to get anywhere and everyone is cutting down residential streets to avoid them. The round abouts suck! People do not know how to use them and now because of them I will have to take a taxi to the fair grounds to get the bus. Nice planning, city of Petaluma Planning Commission.”
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“Be adaptable. This will help, it just takes time.”
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“Petaluma Boulevard southbound at East Washington backs up almost to Oak Street on a regular basis. How is that possibly a good thing? Large vehicles (fire trucks, garbage trucks, busses, etc.) have a difficult time going through roundabouts, if they even can at all. Large hay and milk trucks simply cannot fit and have to drive around Corona Road and Magnolia Avenue. You cannot safely convert a standard intersection to a roundabout. You need at least 50% more land to do it right. Please stop this stupidity!”
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“Roundabouts are extremely effective.”
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“Who is planning this city?”