Letter: Don’t ‘fix’ the Sea Pines Circle

Now let me get this straight. To improve the traffic at Sea Pines Circle, the Hilton Head Island Town Council thinks it’s better to turn back the clock 15 years to the prior configuration that admittedly “caused more headaches than relief,” and “caused years of complaints and collisions.”

They somehow believe — and seem to be betting on — the fact that drivers on the south end are that much more roundabout-savvy these days than in 2001. Is the council willing to wager safety against convenience and economy?

The newspaper article said that the town’s “maximum allowed” travel time through the circle was 2.5 minutes. Why not up the “acceptable” wait time by 30 to 60 seconds and not try to fix what’s not broken? Waiting an additional few seconds to enter a safer roundabout seems more logical than rolling the dice, having a collision, exchanging insurance information, or worse, waiting for an ambulance.

The article states that revisiting the 2001 roundabout configuration would essentially buy the town a few more years, perhaps until 2030. Then what? Roll back time yet another 15 years and close the Cross Island Parkway?

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 9:05 PM with the headline "Letter: Don’t ‘fix’ the Sea Pines Circle."