It’s all over but the shouting. The government wins. What once was “of the people, by the people and for the people” is now “of the government, by the government and for the government.” The roundabout on Highway 503 at Northeast Rock Creek Road will happen. The Washington State Department of Transportation has made it very clear that:
- Reducing a two-lane road of 10,500 daily vehicles doing 55 mph to a single lane doing 12 to 15 mph into a roundabout will not create monumental congestion.
- And that 65-foot-long trucks can easily make a 90-degree turn on the flat portion of a compact roundabout without impinging on other vehicles.
- And that the N.E. Rock Creek Road has the worst safety record in Clark County.
- And that public hearings beforehand are not necessary.
- And that the public will love the roundabout once they use it and adapt.
It’s hard to communicate with most of the WSDOT government employees who could care less about their constituents, reality and are appointed to their positions. Feedback is summarily dismissed. The Legislature exceptions are Reps. Ed Orcutt, Peter Abbarno and Sen. John Braun, who took time to investigate.
