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In Five Points—what goes around comes around.
Five Points as a traffic circle in 1948. Bonus for trivia buffs: The church was actually destroyed by fire in September 1962, leaving only a damaged Education Building. A vote to rebuild by the Deacons—as well as the congregation at a service held at the Rialto (formerly Colony Theater) resurrected the sanctuary.
Looks like some things really do come full circle. In our summer issue, upon reporting the City of Raleigh’s plans to possibly reconfigure the ever-perilous—and difficult to maneuver—Five Points intersection to a roundabout, we learned that intersection began as a temporary traffic circle in 1948, before becoming “permanent” in 1953.
In this historic photo of where Glenwood Avenue, Glenn Avenue, West Whitaker Mill Avenue and Fairview Road meet, you’ll no doubt recognize the familiar architectural beacon that has long championed the intersection, Hayes Barton Baptist Church.
The OG traffic circle was constructed in a mere three hours (!) out of sandbags and plywood to quell “frequent traffic tangles at the intersection,” according to archives. The more permanent circle constructed of cinder blocks with earthen infill was implemented a few weeks to follow, in place until 1954, when the electronically controlled traffic signals were added to the intersection.
Now, perhaps bringing the intersection full circle, the City of Raleigh is reviewing plans to reinstate a roundabout. City Council has held two previous meetings (October 2022 and May 2023), with a third scheduled for early 2024 after further city engagement with NCDOT, per a City of Raleigh spokesperson on the project. As of now, none of the proposed circle configurations lead in terms of which the city will push forward with.
Regardless of the configuration, some long-standing businesses welcome the roundabout’s return. “I have a big picture of the old traffic circle hanging near the bar,” says Bloomsbury Bistro chef/owner Stephen Koster. “The idea to ‘reinstall’ a roundabout is great, and I am a proponent—always have been. It helps control the flow and will slow drivers down, which is what the area needs. People resist change, but change is the only constant in life and this makes perfect sense for the intersection.” Or, in this case, a potentially welcome “change” that brings it all back around again.
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People using the road make mistakes (like speeding, running stop signs and red lights, turning left in front of oncoming traffic), 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 to about 20 mph and sideswipe geometry mean that, when a crash does happen at a modern roundabout, you might need a tow truck, but rarely an ambulance. Visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or FHWA for modern roundabout FAQs and safety facts.
The FHWA has been saying for over 20 years that signal intersections have TEN TIMES the fatality risk of modern roundabouts.