Chatham Chatlist Highlights

Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:55:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: Trace and Patricia Swayze
Subject: Round about

The round about like the one at the Pittsboro courthouse is a problem because no one uses their turn signals. I am from East Texas and we had the same problems until it was mandatory to use turn signals, which only makes good sense, to allow the other drivers to know where you are turning and when they can enter the circle. We use our turn signals when ever we approach and turn out of the circle giving someone else the opportunity to pull into the circle knowing in advance which direction we are turning. Try it and see if that helps solve the circle crisis.

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Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:16:56 -0400
From: Steven  Rogat
Subject: Traffic Circle

What would solve everything at the traffic circle is a series of speed bumps – one at each entrance. Small investment, end of story. I blame the elders anyway – the ones that walk slowly, and tempt drivers to speed up and try to hit them. : ) Maybe a new bumper sticker would be good – “Warning. I speed up at traffic circles to hit little kids and old people.” Besides, it’s those darn people coming in from Ashboro that speed through town.

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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 23:39:32 -0400
From: Sherri
Subject: Do you know for a fact the culprits are from Siler City?

Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 19:08:11 -0400
From: ruby
Subject: “drivers from Siler City”

To those of you who “generalized” and made it to sound like that everyone who is “slingshotting” at the traffic circle” is from Siler City – do you know for a fact the culprits are from Siler City?  Or, did  you mean to say “traffic traveling 64 East”.  I am glad to know that no one in Pittsboro has ever made such a move.  Being from Siler City, I just found it somewhat offensive.  It may not be what you meant, but that is how it appeared.

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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 17:05:16 -0400
From: Al Wyllie
Subject: Pittsboro Police

With much of the traffic on US 64 now bypassing Pittsboro, surely we could do with half of the police protection there without anyone really noticing.

Maybe Pittsboro could save some money on the police force and put up better signs, particularly at the traffic circle, so we’d have less work for the police in writing accident reports there, too.  Pittsboro might even be able to save enough money to provide a parking lot downtown and get rid of the angular parking, which might cut down the police work in writing accident reports associated with backing out into traffic, too.

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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:38:25 -0400
From: Al Wyllie
Subject: Yielding at the Traffic Circle in Pittsboro

All motorists should know the right of ways with traffic circles, but unfortunately, many of them experience them very little, and do not know they are supposed to yield to vehicles in the circle.  I have noticed that other communities that use traffic circles tend to use very large signs to direct motorists to yield to cars in the traffic circle.  Perhaps overhead signs would work better there.  But, if you want Pittsboro to improve their signage, I can tell you from experience that it takes a lot of preserverence to get it done.

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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:24:54 -0400
From: Judy S. Harrelson
Subject: Signaling in traffic circle

I agree on the concerns for safety at the Pittsboro Traffic Circle.   Having grown up in England with roundabouts there basically are 2 rules.  1. Yield to whoever is on the circle – traffic coming from your left and 2. Signal when you are exiting the circle.  Then people know which direction you are going.

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Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:42:23 -0400
From: Sally Bond
Subject: pedestrian right of way at traffic circle?

Am I correct in believing that pedestrians have the right of way at the crosswalks around the traffic circle?  Just returned from a walk to the Thrift Shop and back to the Blair Office Building (across from the General Store) and was taken aback by the number of drivers who ignored me at the walkways and just kept driving through.

Who has the right of way at the walkways?  Sal

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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 15:17:56 -0400
From: Sarah Walters
Subject: Traffic Circle Danger

I would like defend us Siler City residents in that everyone who travels west on 64 into the traffic circle is not from Siler City.  Being a native of Pittsboro I am more than aware of how the circle works.

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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 15:09:10 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
From: Jenn
Subject: traffic circle and law enforcement

I have two things to say.

1- Please stop saying that it is the people from Siler City that are causing problems on the cirlce. I know how to drive in a circle. We have them all over up north and I have driven them all my life. it is insulting to say that. Thank you to all of the people who have said that yield does not mean stop because when people think that it actually causes more problems with traffic.

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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 14:06:00 -0400
From: Lesley Landis
Subject: Circle city traffic in the circle

As an advocate of a pedestrian-friendly Pittsboro, speeding traffic poses a serious and potentially life-threatening problem downtown.

Some say they’ve seen an improvement in safe driving since the new florescent cross walk signs were installed recently. I’m not convinced and this on-going discussion seems to prove that out … besides so many signs, and such bright ones are ugly and detract from the aesthetic appeal of our downtown.

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