Traffic circle blogging

More progress on the permanent traffic circle at Glendale and Markham in my neighborhood. Concrete has set, and fill dirt has been placed, and, what appears to my untrained eye as the first temporary art installation magically appeared yesterday.

There's been a lot of discussion on the neighborhood listserv about what the final project should look like, who's actually got responsibility for making it happen, and what the restrictions are about how it can be planted. One resident landscape designer has put forward some great ideas, but lots of comments about what is allowed by the city and what isn't have muddied the waters. How tall can plants be? Are trees allowed? What about visibility?

Maybe it's just because it's summer, but it's been impossible to get any answers from anyone in a decision making position, or even to determine who, exactly, in the labyrinth of city bureaucracy, makes the call.

Regarding questions of visibility, here's a picture of one of the Trinity Park circles, clearly showing plantings rising up above the height of a typical sedan driver's view.




And as far as whether or not trees can be planted, here's a photo of another Trinity Park circle which should put that issue to rest.




Yet another reason to love Durham.