Mississauga unveils its first downtown traffic roundabout, which the Toronto Sun finds weirdly exciting
Mississauga unveils its first downtown traffic roundabout, which the Toronto Sun finds weirdly exciting
Traffic lights are old news. Roundabouts are the new cool kids on the block (literally), and cities all over North America are turning to the barely controlled (yet much safer) traffic circles as an alternative to the traditional red, yellow and green command systems. Mississauga just opened one in its downtown core yesterday, and the Toronto Sun’s Mike Strobel was apparently really, really excited to be there. We’re also a fan of the European intersection, but things get weird—creepy, even—when Strobel writes, “Roundabouts are also sexier. They’re voluptuous.” Read the entire story [Toronto Sun] »
They are circular, not square. Their shape is organic, they often have vegetation in the middle, or public art. They promote smooth, slow traffic flow, and their effect on driving behaviour is acutely obvious. Of course this is sexy. It’s called biomimicry, it mimics nature more than square shapes and we are hardwired to like this as a species and respond positively. Congratulations to the Sun for supporting them and having a bit of fun. That they were invented in 1956 and you haven’t cottoned-on until now and you think describing the enthusiasm as creepy might say more about you than he………..