Choices made now for this state project will affect our city beyond the next decade. MnDOT has noted the need for safety improvements for the two-mile stretch of this highway, from Gillett Drive to Bemidji Avenue, citing nearly 50 crashes per year, and the estimate that the current 10,000 to 16,000 daily vehicles on this stretch of road will increase to 20,500 by 2030.
In August 2019, our previous Bemidji City Council rejected MnDOT’s planning recommendation to add roundabouts along the first portion of this road by a 4-3 vote, based on lack of support by the local businesses.
As an area resident, I’ve experienced the challenge of safely crossing this highway as a pedestrian, as well as the need to turn my car right to enter the highway because it has seemed unsafe to turn left.
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MnDOT officials have cited the demonstrated safety improvements associated with roundabouts, which, as clearly demonstrated at the Bemidji High School, can also improve traffic flow. When I worked five years in Europe, although roundabouts took a short time to get used to, their convenience, efficiency and safety was evident and impressive.
Roundabouts would certainly never stop me from going to a business destination. The roundabout decision affects residents of the entire Bemidji shopping area, not just the nearby businesses.
I hope the residents will become involved in supporting the new city council to accept the expertise of MnDOT recommendations and make this busy, key traffic area safer for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians into the future.
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February 10, 2021 at 07:00PM
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Please accept MnDOT's Hwy 197 safety recommendations - Bemidji Pioneer
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