According to Newsobserver.com, there have been 84 accidents at the Hillsborough Street traffic circle.

The roundabout, or traffic circle, as it is sometimes called, is a traffic calming device installed to slow traffic without stopping it, thus accidents are usually at low speeds.

The recently installed, twin-ring traffic circle at Hillsborough and Pullen Rd., intended to enhance the flow of traffic from Hillsborough Street to Cameron Village or downtown Raleigh, has produced 84 accidents at a cost of about $206,000 with minor injuries to 8-9 motorists and an inexplicable surprise to analysts.

Raleigh Transportation Operations Manager Mike Kennoners said, “I would chalk this up to the complexity of safely.” Furthere, there is a distinct increase in accidents when school is in session, and it appears changes are already being considered.

Cameras have been installed about the roundabout to give officials a view of the drivers’ movements and the traffic flow.

But wait! There is a solution. As a Wolfline Operator bus driver, and someone who sits a bit higher than most drivers in the circle, I’ve noticed one major difference among the Hillsborough Street roundabout and those in Europe and Washington, D.C., which I’ve had to navigate at a much higher speed. They are not landscaped; they are just cold concrete, as I recall.

But as Eric Lamb, transportation manager, says, roundabouts are cheaper to maintain, safer than traditional intersections and “…more aesthetically pleasing.”

Therein lies the solution that I and several motorists have observed, and it is alluded to in the News & Observer story by Bruce Siceloff. One driver makes the comment, “I didn’t see the guy at all.” Another: “It may look pretty…”

The approach of cars from east Raleigh going west on Hillsborough St. are not readily seen by drivers going toward downtown because of the landscaping of the shrubbery in the middle of the circle.

Eliminating the shrubbery might just solve the problem. Hey! It’s worth a try.