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Alexandra Mena
Professor Emily Cooley
Writing 101
29 November 2017
Are Roundabouts the Answer?
Miami-Dade County is one of the worst counties to drive in. There is so much traffic,
way too many car accidents and the electrical costs are very high for the residents. There is very
bad traffic in residential neighborhoods because of traffic lights. As soon as some light changes
to green only a few cars are able to pass because the light changes to red way too fast. Traffic
lights also cost a lot of money. Each year the amount of money needed to maintain traffic lights
costs “anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000” (“Roundabout Benefits”). People in Miami-Dade
County usually do not pay attention when they drive and they are always in a rush causing many
accidents. There are two schools very close to the intersection of 168 Street and 82 Avenue. This
causes heavy traffic in the mornings. There are two schools very near each other in Dade-County
and most people drive by 168 street and 82 Avenue. If more roundabouts were added in
residential neighborhoods in Dade County, specifically at the intersection of SW 168 Street and
82 Avenue, electrical costs would be lowered, there would be fewer accidents and less traffic
jams.
Traffic lights are something that can be very costly because of maintenance. South
Florida is one of the places that gets hit by hurricanes the most. When hurricanes hit Miami-
Dade County, lights always go out and can be out for weeks. It costs a great deal of money to try
and fix them “It costs the taxpayer $250,000 to $500,000 to purchase and install a traffic signal”
(Traffic Signals). If a roundabout was added to the intersection of 168 Street and 82 Avenue
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instead of a traffic light, there would be no need to pay for the lights to get fixed. When there are
hurricanes and traffic lights stop working, the intersections become four way stops and usually
police need to direct traffic which slows everything down. Hurricane season is usually from
“June 1 until November 30” (Ghose). School usually beings Mid-August for children in Dade-
County which means that a hurricane could strike while students are in school. The four-way
stop would make traffic so much worse for students trying to get to school in the morning. Even
if there was a hurricane, a roundabout would continue to run normally allowing the regular flow
of cars.
“The statistics show that Miami-Dade County is one of the most dangerous areas in
Florida for drivers” (Miami Car Accident Statistics). “The Miami area sees over 50,000
