Editors, Vineyard Gazette;
The front-page article in this week’s Gazette provides data to support what many Vineyard residents already suspected: the traffic is getting worse. The question is whether construction of more roundabouts would ease some of the congestion.
The data that I have seen suggests that roundabouts can potentially reduce delays, enhance safety and decrease emissions and fuel consumption. Controversy exists as to whether high traffic volume vitiates the benefits of roundabouts. It seems that further study is urgently needed to answer whether roundabouts are a potential solution to mitigate traffic congestion or just an exercise in circular reasoning.
Kevin R. Loughlin M.D.
Edgartown