Abby Nadeau
Community Editor

Several Forest Lake residents have expressed their concerns about public safety when it comes to the amount of roundabouts proposed along the West Broadway corridor.

Some citizens asked how a fire truck or emergency vehicle would fit through a roundabout while others asked how the vehicles plan to get through a roundabout in an emergency.

The Forest Lake Times had many of the same questions so we approached the Forest Lake Police Department and asked them to not only answer a few questions but take us through a roundabout with one of their trucks.

Fire Police Chief Gary Sigfrinius obliged and along with driver Joe Strunk, we headed out to Hudson, WI where two on and off roundabouts were placed off of Highway 35 and Hanley Rd.

Washington Countyís Project Manager for the West Broadway reconstruction project Mike Rogers directed us to this specific roundabout because it not only had two lanes, which is being proposed with the Forest Lake project, but it also has approximately the same traffic flow as Forest Lake.

As we exited the highway, onto the roundabout, the 33 and a half foot fire truck entered into the left lane and circled the roundabout going between 15 and 25 miles an hour easily.

We circled the roundabouts several times with cars and larger vehicles next to us and never entered the other lane or used the ìapronî surrounding the center median of the roundabout.

ìYou canít hardly go wrong if you pay attention,î Sigfrinius said.

As we circled around and finally exited the roundabout both Strunk and Sigfrinius talked about questions the fire department has gotten about the roundabouts.

Strunk explained that many residents worried about the larger vehicles fitting through the roundabouts.

ìOur biggest truck has a better turning radius than the smaller ones,î Strunk said. ìI really donít think there will be a problem.î

One of the more interesting questions the Forest Lake Times received revolved around the idea that the fire and rescue team uses a machine called an OPTICOM to turn red lights green, allowing traffic to move in their direction. The question asked what the department was going to do if there were no lights. ìHow would they direct traffic?î

Sigfrinius simply said with ìlights and sirens.î

ìWeíre very cautious about changing the lights,î Sigfrinius said. ìWeíre more concerned about someone coming through a red light that we just changed. People expect the lights to be green for a certain amount of time.î

He went on to say that with the roundabouts traffic is always going in their direction.

ìIf a semi can get through, we can get through,î Sigfrinius said. ìI think theyíve done their research on this one.î

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605