Quote:
Originally Posted by ForAteOh
Adding lanes on Mill would detract from the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere of the street - one of the only such places in the Phx area. If traffic backs up there, people will avoid using it as a thru-route (they proabably already do, since there is no access to 202). It won't be a major bottleneck to regional traffic.
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Thank you, ForAteOh. One thing they taught us in econ class is that if you build additional road capacity, more people will use the new road capacity until it too is congested. As it is, Mill Ave. tends to back up, which causes people to take other routes (Priest, Ash, or Rural). Given its short length and lack of freeway access, it's a non-issue. Sure, downtown Tempe is going to increase exponentially in density and traffic, but many of those drivers will not use Mill as a primary route around the city. Plus, planners are optimistic that Tempe's new residents will rely on alternate means of transportation (rail, bus, bike, feet) leading to a relatively minor impact on traffic.
I agree with the statements above that there may not be enough right-of-way for a roundabout. In addition, I think that a circle isn't the best gateway to a city. Granted, I've never seen the famous traffic circles that were given as examples, but I think some sort of bridge would create a better visual signal that drivers are now entering downtown Tempe.