This letter is in response to the “rip off roundabout” commentary (April 22). To help justify a traffic light instead of a roundabout, the writer oversimplified traffic light intersections, then proceeded to dig deep into the thesaurus to use 289 words (I counted) to make the case that a roundabout is more complex than a traffic circle.

He then also made the case that people who think differently after reviewing facts and data be financially liable for believing something would improve the traffic flow.

I consider myself an extremely lucky person. I was fortunate enough to get a good-paying job in my small hometown. I’m also equally fortunate that I have family and friends who do not live in Warren County. They chose more metro areas so they could pursue the life and career they were passionate about.

Great for them. I’m lucky that they have done this because I get to see life outside Warren County when I visit them. I see how successful other businesses are, the ideas they have brought to fruition, and how they perceive things.

It is because I’ve had numerous experiences in cities bigger and smaller than Warren, that I can say a roundabout is the embodiment of forward progress, efficiency, and simplicity. You approach it, if there is no car to your left and no person walking in front of you, push on the gas pedal. Then drive where you need to go and exit the circle.

I explained it in 35 words. No stopping, no waiting for invisible pedestrians that pushed the crosswalk buttons minutes ago and proceeded to cross anyway, no waiting for the intersection to clear after someone runs a red light because their time is more important than yours.

My wish for this community, if it means anything at all, is that the same amount of passion, focus, and research to find reasons not to do something differently, could go into how we can have a different approach to improving our economy.

For example, the writer of the “Rip Off Roundabout” article could have taken a drive to Waterford to experience firsthand how simple these things are. Better yet, the roundabout in Southfield, Mich., where businesses surround two-lane roundabouts every mile in both directions.

All this time focused on unsuccessfully fighting the roundabout has given us a few things. One, resentment towards one another. Two, a City Council mostly focused on one singular issue.

We don’t know how they plan to improve the city’s economy, but we do know that they would not approve another roundabout within city limits. Three, who knows when PennDOT will ever dare to propose another project anywhere near the city of Warren, causing our state tax dollars to be spent in other communities and procrastination in fixing any of our state-maintained infrastructure. Four, a distraction from bigger issues like school consolidation.

While there are many people doing amazing things in Warren County right now, it still feels like the overwhelming majority cannot accept the fact that to change the downward trend of population since the glory days of the 1960s and 1970s, there are tough choices that need to be made.

We can either decrease expenditures or increase revenue. In order to do either, new ideas need to be listened to. So much time and research is spent trying to figure out how to get our high school graduates to return to Warren County after postsecondary education … how about something as simple as listening to some of their ideas?

We need to adapt, improvise, and overcome challenges instead of fighting new ideas for years.

Rocco DelPrince is a Warren resident.