By Linda Taaffe

Los Altos

The Los Altos City Council last week gave the green light for a traffic-calming plan near Loyola School that includes the city’s first roundabout, despite strong neighborhood opposition.

A city survey revealed that half of those questioned opposed the roundabout.

About 100 neighbors signed a petition earlier this week urging the council to put the traffic plan on hold until experts conduct more studies.

The 80-foot traffic circle slated for the Springer-Berry intersection is part of a list of street improvements intended to calm traffic in the Loyola School neighborhood under a half-million-dollar federal “Safe Routes to School” grant.

“Because of the (grant) deadline, the city hasn’t had the proper time to study this. I think it’s inappropriate to proceed with a project where it might not work,” said Berry Avenue resident Steve Aced. There is no evidence that roundabouts work, he added.

A transportation planner and the city traffic engineer studied the Loyola area last year before the city proceeded with conceptual plans.

City staff brought the plan back to the council last week to reduce the street width of the initial plan by four feet after a survey revealed that neighbors were generally opposed to features of the project that widened the existing pavement, even if it was for bike lanes.

The city is scheduled to begin street improvements by next spring.