ST. GEORGE — Traffic was slowed in the Bloomington roundabout Sunday afternoon as firefighters cleaned up a fuel spill.
The St. George Fire Department responded to a call shortly after 4 p.m. saying cars were slipping in the roundabout off Interstate 15 Exit 4 due to a vehicle fuel leak. Utah Department of Transportation also responded to the scene, as well as St. George Police officers who helped direct traffic while firefighters put kitty litter on the road to absorb the fluid.
The vehicle from which the fuel apparently spilled was gone by the time responders arrived.
This isn’t the first time the fire department has responded to such a spill in the Bloomington roundabout, St. George Fire Battalion Chief Robert Hooper said.
“This has happened several times before,” Hooper said. “Kind of what we’ve seen in the past is the diesels will fuel up at the truck stop, go through the roundabout to get back on the freeway. They left their cap off, and it just kind of spreads it all the way throughout.”
There were no road closures or accidents due to the spill.
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This roundabout is a disaster to try to get through as is without some knucklehead leaving his diesel fuel cap off…pay attention
That was the worst place in the world for a roundabout intersection: right by a truck stop. The semis clog up the intersection all the time and kind of defeat the purpose of trying to speed up traffic flow. Combine that with rush hour and hardly any cars can enter the roundabout because of the constant flow of traffic off the freeway and the frequent semis clogging things up.
based on your years of roundabout design?
Since a recent study found a majority of truck drivers don’t understand how to drive a modern roundabout, it stands to reason most drivers don’t understand how a truck is supposed to drive a modern roundabout.
Modern roundabouts are designed for trucks, large vehicles, and trailer towing vehicles by including the center flat area around the circle. It’s not a sidewalk, it’s called a truck apron, and it’s for trucks to begin a sharp right or end a left or U-turn on. But they should obey the warning speed and know their vehicle.
Roundabout Trucks Videos:
STAA, Porterville, CA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zPsUisOz_c&t=6s
FHWA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nVzsC2fOQw
Washington County, WI: http://tinyurl.com/trucksRABwi
U-turn: http://tinyurl.com/rabtruckuturn
Windsor-Essex Parkway, Canada: http://tinyurl.com/windsoressexRAB
WSDOT simulation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI0L2AolOCQ
ODOT tests: Deschutes County Fairgrounds https://tinyurl.com/y7yfpw5q
Portland Meadows Parking lot https://tinyurl.com/ycxpqf3u
Opelika, AL: http://opelika-al.gov/CivicMedia?VID=3#player
People using the road make mistakes (like running stop signs and red lights), always have and always will. Crashes will always be with us, but they need not result in fatalities or serious injury.
Modern roundabouts are the safest form of intersection in the world – the intersection type with the lowest risk of fatal or serious injury crashes – (much more so than comparable signals). Modern roundabouts require a change in speed and alter the geometry of one of the most dangerous parts of the system – intersections. The reduction in speed and sideswipe geometry mean that, when a crash does happen at a modern roundabout, you usually need a tow truck, not an ambulance. Visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for modern roundabout FAQs and safety facts. Roundabouts are one of nine proven road safety features (FHWA).
The life saved may be your own.
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/roundabouts/
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/innovative/roundabouts/