(Columbus-July 23, 2009) A press conference to discuss roundabout safety and introduce a new educational video for motorists will be held Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at the Hilliard roundabout located west of the Britton Parkway / Riggins Road roundabout on Britton Parkway. The press conference is organized by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and the cities of Hilliard, Dublin and Gahanna, and Franklin and Delaware counties.

With so many roundabouts being constructed in central Ohio, MORPC and its local government members joined together to create a regional outreach program to help motorists better understand how to drive a roundabout and the benefits of having a roundabout in their community. The new video explains how motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians travel through a roundabout.

"Our member jurisdictions approached us at the end of last year about the need to increase education about roundabouts. We found this to be a great opportunity to combine resources and collaborate on reaching out to our residents, providing them with more information about why roundabouts make sense at certain intersections and how to navigate through them", said Kerstin Carr, Senior Planner at MORPC.

"Gahanna is committed to the implementation of roundabouts in the region. We believe they effectively and efficiently reduce congestion and increase safety on our roadways," said Karl Wetherholt, Gahanna City Engineer. The safety roundabout video can be viewed starting Wednesday on MORPC's transportation website at www.morpc.org under Rules of the Road.

MORPC is a voluntary association of 47 local governments in central Ohio serving the region through planning, direct service, public policy information and innovative programming and intergovernmental coordinating services in the areas of transportation, land use, energy conservation, the environment and housing. MORPC is currently celebrating its 40th Anniversary and its efforts to build a better central Ohio region.