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Belleville drivers

It never ceases to amaze me how few people know how to drive through the intersection of Illinois Street (Illinois Route 159) and Main Street in Belleville. Once people see that fountain in the middle of the intersection, they have no idea what to do.

Some people just ram their way through the intersection. Other people, once they're within the intersection, feel compelled to yield to the car wanting to enter the intersection. Once in a great while, you have someone who tries to treat the intersection as a roundabout. The combination of all of the above factors creates lots of confusion at that intersection, in which people have to drive around the fountain to get where they're going.

To me, it would make sense to treat the intersection as a roundabout. That would mean people entering the intersection would yield to people already in the intersection. To see how people should handle a roundabout, visit this site put together by the city of Santa Monica, Calif.

I really would like to see the Illinois Department of Transportation and the city of Belleville put yield signs at the intersection so people get the hint that people already in the intersection have the right of way. It would take away a lot of confusion at that intersection.

Roger 0 comments 4:32 AM