TOWN OF APPLE VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
MAY 27, 2025
PUBLIC COMMENTS
To the council:
As a long-time promoter of roundabouts, I am very pleased to see the recommendation of the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Yucca Loma Road and Rincon Road. I have long thought that intersection would be an ideal location for our first roundabout.
You may hear some criticism of this plan from people who have not experienced how roundabouts work. Critics may say that people in Apple Valley do not know how to use roundabouts and therefore we shouldn't build one.
While there will no doubt be a learning curve and drivers will need to adjust, I know that the drivers of Apple Valley are certainly capable of learning how to use a roundabout. Perhaps a sign before the roundabout, something like "don't stop in the roundabout" will help with the adjustment.
The study shows that the level of service at the intersection will improve from an F to an A. I would think that event alone will ultimately prove to be a cause of the future success of the plan.
My father lives in Carmel, Indiana, and I lived there for years. The City of Carmel removed a large number of traƯic lights and put in roundabouts. The City of Sedona, in Arizona, has done the same. I have experienced the diƯerence between traƯic signals and roundabouts. All of the roundabout intersections in both cities are far more functional and also more aesthetic than the traditional traƯic signals were.
I encourage you to support the roundabout at Yucca Loma and Rincon Roads. I know it will be a success, and once drivers get accustomed to the way a roundabout works, there will be a clamor for more of them. The intersection of Kiowa and Sitting Bull comes to mind.
Thank you for your attention.
Mark Shoup
Apple Valley