A controversial roundabout planned for the intersection of Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard and Vineyard Drive/Fortune Drive is going ahead despite the objections of a number of area residents who are concerned about the impact it will have on traffic and the safety of kids walking to and from nearby Convent Glen Catholic School.

About 200 people packed the largest meeting room at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Centre on Monday to listen to a presentation by senior OC Transpo officials and planning staff and get the opportunity to ask questions afterwards.

The first thing the crowd was told was that the roundabout had not only been approved, but had already entered the design phase with construction scheduled to begin this summer. That news was met with a combination of surprise and anger from many in attendance who thought the roundabout was little more than a proposal.

By way of explanation the crowd was told that the roundabout was needed to allow northbound buses to turn around after they drop off riders at the Jeanne d’Arc Blvd. LRT station. The timeline of the project coincides with the completion of the LRT east end extension in the summer of 2025. The rounabout has to be operational whenever the LRT station becomes operational.

Construction of the roundabout is expected to take a year with a three-month break during the winter.

After the presentation, members of the audience started peppering staff with potential alternate solutions such as a turnaround closer to the bridge, further away at Cairine Wilson Secondary School, or at Jeanne d’Arc and Vorlage, taking it away from the school.

One woman asked that the various options that were under consideration be listed on the project website along with the criteria that was used and how it was scored. Staff made a commitment to post the information requested, but they stopped short of saying the current location would be reconsidered.

As for the safety concerns, staff explained that roundabouts are safer than signaled crossings because drivers are forced to slow down when using them, especially in the case of single lane roundabouts like the one planned for Convent Glen.

It would also be safer for children walk-ing to school because they would only have to cross one lane at a time with an island in between with the help of a crossing guard which would remain in place both during construction and afterwards.

Cheryl Turpin has been the crossing guard at the intersection for a number of years and although she supports the roundabout based on the number of dangerous drivers she sees every day at the intersection, she is worried about the level of safety during the construction phase. To help mitigate the potential danger she implored the city to hire an additional crossing guard which the OC Transpo planners agreed to look into.

They also made a committment to hold a site meeting with community representatives, parents and school officials before the construction begins to address any potential safety concerns.

At the meeting on Monday night, the audience was told that an average of 20 buses an hour would use the round about during the peak periods. That’s six to eight buses more than currently pass through the intersection during those hours.

The difference is that the intersection currently has two lanes in each direction. The roundabout will employ one lane in each direction. That discrepancy was not addressed during the presentation. Neither was the potential for a traffic jam if an accident were to occur the middle of the roundabout.