Five Myths About Catonsville Traffic Circle DeBunked

When an recently ran about the busier traffic intersections in Catonsville, the public was quick to draw attention to the traffic circle at Edmonson Avenue and Old Frederick Road.

And while some claimed it was put in without the state’s consent, others expressed worry over its safety.   

However, during a recent interview, Baltimore County traffic engineering program manager Keith Link, who worked on the traffic circle from its design to its construction, took on those questions and refuted many of those claims.

Myth No. 1: The traffic circle was put in without the state’s consent.

Link: “There was no state consent required…The state is not involved unless it’s a state road we’re impacting, but these are both county streets.”

Myth No. 2: There are plans to take out the traffic circle and replace it with a light.

Link: Prior to the instillation of the traffic circle in 2009, there was a traffic signal at that spot. However it was aging; instead of rebuilding the traffic signal, and after a public hearing on the matter, a traffic circle was planned for to save on costs.  “There was not enough traffic in the area for a signal…A roundabout was a better fit…plans to replace the traffic circle are completely false," he said.

Myth No. 3: The intersection does not meet state standards for traffic circles.

Link: “State standards require you to design for the geometrics of the intersection. We needed to make it large enough for a tractor trailer to get through, so that if the driver got lost, [he/she] could take a left turn without damaging the circle…Another need was for an ambulance to be able to drive 360 degrees around the circle without hitting the truck apron," he said. In addition, the County Engineers Association of Maryland awarded the intersection its 2010 County Project of the Year.

Myth No. 4: Cars are often seen driving around the circle at mock speeds.

Link: “We did a radar study after the circle was installed and found that the average speed for vehicles travelling around the circle was 17 mph…It’s physically impossible to go 50 mph through the circle.”

Myth No. 5: In the month after the circle was installed, there were more than 46 reported motor vehicle accidents at the intersection.

Link: The has county looked into accident data, and has found that the accident rate has remained the same at roughly two accidents per year. Since the circle was put in, between August 2009 through December 2010, there have been three accidents at the site; two single vehicles and one side swipe accident. Prior to the circle’s instillation, from 2002-2009, there were three head-on collisions and five right-angle accidents.