About a year ago we introduced a small eBook on this blog called “Hire the Right Consultant: 6 Tips for Public Agencies to Write a Killer RFP.” The eBook was our attempt to help agencies write proposals that are clear and will elicit the strongest responses from consultants.

I’ve long advocated for skinny local road standards and implementing “road diets” for existing streets. While often controversial, the idea of narrow streets just makes sense.  Streets largely determine the “feel” and livability of our neighborhoods. Narrow streets increase the sense of connection between those living in a community, decrease travel speeds, increase safety, decrease construction and long-term O&M costs, and dramatically reduce environmental impacts (for both stormwater and the “heat island” effect of asphalt). And to me, neighborhoods built around narrow street sections just feel right.

Yesterday I made my weekly commute through the Columbia River Gorge. The Gorge is beautiful and impressive. Beautiful for its great canyons, mighty river, expanse of forests, and waterfalls. Impressive because of the hydroelectric dams, wind generation, highway, river and rail transportation systems.

I've made this trip along the Washington/Oregon border so many times that the enormity of it often passes unnoticed. Perhaps most dramatic, the Bonneville Dam, sits in an amazing setting of cliffs, trees, and river pools. Built in 1929, this Dam provides 1,000 MW of renewable energy to the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The dam is also skirted by the impressive Historic Columbia River Highway and newer Interstate 84.

Roundabouts are an efficient and extremely cost effective transportation intersection improvement. 

Of course, they aren't a one-size-fits-all solution, but they do help solve challenging intersection and road design problems. They also move traffic extremely well.

That being said, it often takes time for the public to warm up to them. No doubt you've attended a public meeting and have heard from the naysayers. So, in an effort to help you sell the concept, we've put together the following infographic based on facts from the Washington State Department of Transportation and the US Department of Transportation.