A temporary roundabout that will soon be installed at the intersection of S. Bethel Road and Vineyard Drive in Templeton has stirred mixed emotions for residents in the area.
"So twice a day for about 40 minutes, the students' parents are coming through this intersection to drop their kids off at the Vineyard Elementary School," said David Leader with the Templeton Area Advisory Group. "And so there's a stacking problem, and it backs up both directions on Vineyard. It creates a delay getting to the intersection."
He says the roundabout plans are a part of the Vineyard Corridor Project.
The temporary roundabout will gauge community feelings for the installation of a permanent one, which will create changes for people living on the corners of the intersection.
"They're going to have to confiscate some of the land right here through eminent domain, because the area right now is not large enough for the permanent roundabout," Leader said. "It's too small."
Some residents, like Murray Powell, think the inconvenience isn't worth the effort that would go into the project.
"Summertime, that's not a problem," said Powell. "Weekends, it's not a problem."
Overall, the community seems to be split on which would be the safer option.
"If there's a roundabout, there's no stopping," said Leader. "So the cars have begun zipping around, and somehow you've got to cross and there's no stop sign, so to me that's going to increase the danger."
Another resident, Kel Mitchel, thinks that the roundabout might be safer.
"A few months ago, a neighbor had their fence run into by a car that flew through the stop sign," he recalls. "Not that a roundabout stops everything, but if there's a lot more warning and there's a lot more places that cars can slow down, and have it be a more functional intersection as opposed to this kind of abrupt halt to a stop."
The temporary roundabout is funded by the SLO Council of Governments. If the permanent one is approved, it is expected to cost over $3 million.
Community members who want their opinions heard on the roundabout can attend the Templeton Area Advisory Group meetings. The next one is being held on July 17th.
Construction for the temporary roundabout will start in 6 to 12 months.
