Stanley Bridge roundabout front and centre in MLA's parody song
The controversial Stanley Bridge roundabout is the subject of a parody song penned by PC MLA Brad Trivers.
The song Take Me 'Round the Roundabout Again is set to the tune of the Stan Rogers song Mary Ellen Carter.
The song, Trivers said, chronicles the feelings of some people in his district about the Stanley Bridge roundabout, which uses bright yellow paint to guide traffic through the intersection instead of a more traditional median. Some have raised concerns about drivers going straight through the roundabout instead of following the paint markings, especially when the paint is obscured following a heavy snowfall.
"But soon the snow was falling, as winter came our way, and you couldn't see the lines, on snowy days," Trivers sings in the parody.
Trivers calls himself an amateur musician who loves folk songs that document events.
But soon the snow was falling, as winter came our way, and you couldn't see the lines, on snowy days.— Brad Trivers parody song
"I had been thinking a lot about the roundabout and the whole process and lack thereof in its implementation, and I thought, you know, what better way to record what happened than in a song," said Trivers.
"And I was listening to Stan Rogers' Mary Ellen Carter, which is a song I love. And I thought that might just be the perfect tune to use. So I just rewrote some lyrics and changed it to Take Me Round the Roundabout Again."
Trivers finished writing the lyrics on Saturday morning, and decided to perform the parody for the first time at the annual PC variety concert Saturday night.
Trivers admits it was a friendly crowd but said the response was very positive.
"Obviously it struck a chord with people."
The video was recorded by Darren Creamer, who posted it to his own Facebook page. It has so far been viewed more than 6,000 times.