"I don't beleave I will ever get accustomed to the round about. My husband is a carpenter and I have to say that the engineering and designers detail was poorly constructed. No great detail or beautification was put into this project. What about landscaping ??? Instead we have had graffite on the horrible looking sound wall they built off of The Old Road. They could have put a design on the actual concrete to beautify it.As for the sound wall, all of the noise from the big rigs and freeway sound bounces off and straight into our home. It's ashame the way we spent 41M." *
"I drive the roundabout everyday to work. It would help to post the signs of where each lane can go as shown in the instructional video. Thank you!" *
"I'm getting used to the round about and it all might just work out! Although I think it could desperately use some landscaping. I think the main round could use a large heritage oak or large pine or cedar that could be used as our christmas tree." *
~ To our knowledge, the final landscaping of the project is scheduled to occur in March or so. We believe the driving force behind the landscaping is Newhall Land. ~
"A beautiful fountain would be nice focal point in the center of the round-a-bout. Are there any plans? It's so blah at the moment." *
"The narrow mindedness is not that of the neighbors, it's that of the people making the "Narrow-Minded" comments! If you live in the neighborhood, you see that the people who do not know how to drive in the round-about are those who are not local to the neighborhood. W get big rigs, confused out-of-towners and had NO Signs posted with specific instructions for lane usage. The persons living here area know how to use it." *
"I've seen, heard of, and almost been involved in accidents that would be easily avoided if the right lane coming from the overpass was required to turn right on The Old Road. When a car in the right lane goes straight while a car in the left lane turns right, it's a recipe for disaster. A simple "right lane must turn right" sign or a dedicated lane with a concrete divider would make the turnaround much safer. There is a dedicated lane for southbound Old Road to westbound Hasley Canyon that would work great in this situation. Hopefully there is a plan to eliminate this problem in the future. For now, I just tell my family not to go straight from the right lane or right from the left lane coming off the freeway." *
"Anyone know if any of that 41 million will be used for any landscaping? It seems a shame that they spent all that money without any regard to that. I hope I'm wrong but in a few months it will look just as ugly as all the on and off ramps here in Castaic, what a shame." *
"I'm used to roundabouts (Europe)and they really help the flow of traffic if you 1) monitor the traffic when driving up to the roundabout so you can yield properly. If you go right (1/4 circle) stay in the right lane, if you go more than 1/4 circle approach on the left lane towards the roundabout. I think everyone agrees, DO NOT STOP if you don't have to (biggest frustration is people driving up to the circle, stop and than start looking), look ahead on approach and zip in. And yes, 41 million is quite a sum." *
"I cannot believe all the negative comments from these narrow-minded neighbors who have yet to give the roundabout a fair shake. With skittish drivers like this, it's probably better if they do take a alternate route because they are the ones that cause accidents." *
"I'm surprised to see all the negative comments about the roundabout. I've been through it a dozen times, and it seems to work flawlessly. Yes, you have to slow down a little, but that seems better than stopping completely, as you would have to with a light! I've seen 20 cars backed up, but that is better than the 30-40 cars I used to see backed up when there were lights and stop signs. And Boston drivers may be rude, but British drivers, where they've had roundabouts for decades (centuries), are extremely polite! The anti-roundabout sentiment seems generated by people who simply don't like change. The signage could be better, but overall, it seems to work." *
"I will not use the roundabout. I will go out of my way to avoid it. When my husband drives, he uses it for the thrill of it. Every time I've been with him there have either been cars coming at us the wrong direction, someone not yielding, someone not even slowing down, the list goes on. Our family calls it the Circle of Death, how long before it will actually be just that! More signs are needed and arrows on the pavement. We have many people that do not live here that get off the freeway here to go to the prison or the shopping center. What a disaster! Horrible way to spend our money. I'd like the person who designed it have to use it daily to see what it's like." *
"I read all the negative comments about the roundabout and was somewhat surprised. I used to wait for 4-5 signals to make it through the intersection and now I don't have to wait. I like it. It will get better when it's ALL open. The comments that bugged me the most was Yield does not mean Stop. If there's a car coming that will hit you if you pull out, then yeah, you have to stop until you can safely Yield. Yield means the other cars have the right of way and you can't just pull on out in front of them, which I see so many people do and I have to slam on my breaks so I don't hit them. If you can safely make it into the circle then no you don't have to stop." *
"Well, I think it is fair to say that some of us have adapted to the roundabout better than others. Some of us are not being as careful as we should be and need to exercise better judgment while traveling around the circle." *
"Never received the instruction manual for the Roundabout!" *
"Not too happy with round about. When exiting I5 southbound to shop a newer Ralphs always feel uneasy with traffic pattern. I can see problems with I5 northbound traffic maneuvering roundabout to travel to residence after a tiresome day at work. Yielding DOES NOT mean stop. Improvements need to be made." *
"It is a matter of time for the accidents to start happening as a result of the round-about...no one is familiar on how to use it!!!! Who made the decision of a round-about? Sarah Palin? Realistic engineering skills needed please!!!!!!" *
"You are supposed to drive on the inside of the circle so that people coming off the highway don't have to stop, just yield onto the outside and work your way in until you exit! Thats how they work in Europe and other places. When driven correctly the circle really does keep traffic moving." *
"The first 18 months we lived in Castaic Hasley Canyon turnoff was closed due to an upgrade of the exit. Upgrade??? I think not. It is a nightmare. We live off the Lake Hughes exit. We usually took Old Road to get to some stores down Old Road, now I tell my husband take the Freeway it is faster and less deadly than that redidculously stupid round-about. I see traffic lined up 20+ deep to exit from the 5 North. What exactly did you fix? Did you have money laying around and decided to make Castaic appear as updated as Boston? This is why people in Boston are so rude, their city is fraught with round-abouts. So glad I do not live near Hasley Canyon. We have come close to being hit 3 times by people who are so confused by your lousy signage and their unfamiliarity with the rules of such a useless design, and I use design in it's loosest term. Did you actually have an architect? Does he/she hate Castaic? Or, was it mere hubris that made someone come up with this insane piece of concrete? Obviously you have my nay vote. I would gladly give up another 2 years if you would out it back to a cogent turn-off." *
"Who's bright idea was it to have the vehicles exiting the freeway yield to anyone going through the circle? Now we're backed up and blocking the right lane of the 5 north waiting for a clearing before going through the round-about. Nice work! I take The Old Road home now because I don't have to wait at all!!!" *
"I would have preferred the money go towards building a high school in Castaic!" *
"I think it will be great once people get used to yielding and not stopping." *
"What a waste of 41 million" *
"Love the roundabout, can't wait for the rest to open up. I know it will take time to get used to for some, and some need to realize the difference between stopping and yielding!" *
"A giant waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere. I now avoid that intersection like the plague - the sign says YIELD not STOP." *
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ Please just be aware of new traffic patterns and PLEASE DRIVE SLOW AND SAFE!!! ~
More info at: www.hasleyi5.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*these opinions were submitted to us and do not necessarily represent the views of MyCastaic.com