A divided Pacific Grove City Council votes in favor of proceeding with a roundabout at a problematic intersection.

Anyone who has encountered the five-way stop intersection of Sunset Drive, Congress Avenue and Cedar Street in Pacific Grove knows how baffling it can be figuring out who has the right of way. Those who use it frequently can attest to the near-miss accidents that occur often.

For the past couple of years, the city has been working on plans toward the possible construction of a roundabout at the problematic intersection, with the support of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County and Caltrans.

The money for the project so far is coming from Measure X funds, a voter-approved sales tax of three-eights of one percent, expected to raise $600 million over 30 years. TAMC allocated $5 million for the P.G. intersection project. Nearly $800,000 was spent on a consulting firm to do the initial designs.

On July 17, the Pacific Grove City Council was at an intersection of their own: councilmembers could move the project forward, or put a stop to it.

All nine residents who spoke that night asked the council to stop it, arguing it wasn't needed and a waste of taxpayer money. They worried that the roundabout—which images show would be more of a kidney-shaped island than a circle—would be less safe than the current intersection.

Despite the opposition, three councilmembers and Mayor Bill Peake voted to continue working toward a roundabout, making the vote 4-3.

"My view is number one, the roundabout presents the safest option, for everybody. That includes pedestrians, that includes motorists, that includes bicyclists," said Councilmember Chaps Poduri. "I will vote for the safest option, no matter what."

He also mentioned the environmental benefits, which include less emissions because cars aren't stopping and idling while waiting at the intersection.

In addition, Poduri believed the city would be able to take advantage of a more streamlined process through Caltrans—which is encouraging the construction of more roundabouts—to complete the project. He believed reworking the intersection without a roundabout would become a much lengthier, expensive endeavor. He also felt they would have a better chance of earning grants from other agencies interested in reducing emissions.

Mayor Pro Tempore Nick Smith said he agreed with Poduri, calling the roundabout proposal "compelling and a nice improvement" for the area. He also called the current five-way intersection dangerous.

"I drive that intersection everyday," he said. "There are a lot of near misses and things of that nature all the time. There's no way for pedestrians, especially kids to cross during school." He noted there is a crossing guard, but not after school when students are heading home from practice. 

Councilmembers Luke Coletti and Debby Beck agreed with residents and said they would not vote for the proposal.

Coletti said the statements made by consultants about the roundabout solution came "with absolutely zero data to support that contention. And I just can't move on a solution where you haven't provided the data that that's the solution to this imagined problem."

After arguing that people don't slow down in roundabouts and are more likely to continue through than stop for pedestrians—and two schools, P.G. High School and Forest Grove Elementary School, use the intersection—Coletti said, "I'm sorry but a four-way stop is more safe than a roundabout."

Councilmember Lori McDonnell was on the fence, wanting to see data on the safety of four-way intersections versus roundabouts. 

Part of the discussion included what do with Cedar Street, either block it off entirely or reroute it to Congress. The council was leaning toward rerouting it. A survey of residents in the neighborhood wanted the road to remain open because they worried that if it closed it would shift traffic onto other streets.