“
BTV
Crash-20”: Burlington's 20 Intersections in the Vermont High
Crash Location Report 2012-2016
Twenty
of Vermont's high crash intersections reside within Burlington—20
or 18% of the 111 tabulated high crash intersections statewide in the
Vermont Agency of Transportation (VAOT) 2012-2016 report containing
five years of data. They are the “BTV Crash-20” in Burlington
averaging at least one injury a year.
Burlington's
BTV Crash-20 averaged 1.5 injuries—and received an overall rating
taking into account injury severity and other factors. A roadway
fatality occurs in Burlington about every three years. Four of seven
recent Burlington fatalities were a pedestrian or bicyclist and all
but one occurred at a signalized intersection (no longer the standard
for safe intersections).
Not
only did Burlington hold six of the top 20 high crash slots (30%),
the BTV Crash-20 list did not include the Shelburne/St.
Paul/Locust/S. Willard intersection, locally known as the
“intersection of death” because it is scheduled to be a
roundabout in 2022 under a 100% federal highway funding program for
safety investments.
Based
on four of recent intersection fatalities a pedestrian (3) or
bicyclist (1), a pedestrian or bicyclist occurs about every five
years here. Nationwide the growth of pedestrian fatalities, over 45%
since 2010, led to the highest number of pedestrian deaths in 2018,
over 6,000, since 1990. Note that six of the last seven Burlington
fatalities were at signalized intersections—the two 2018 fatalities
were a pedestrian at an unmarked crossing at North Avenue/Poirier
Place and a car occupant at Shelburne Street/Home Avenue.
Roundabouts
according to an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2001 report
reduce serious and fatal injury crashes by about 90%. While the
“Burlington Transportation Plan” issued in 2011 states safety as
a “critical” element for transportation improvement there remains
not a single “safe” intersection, aka roundabout, on a busy
public street in the City or in the County. Note the $47 million
Champlain Parkway project will introduce six new obsolete and unsafe
traffic signal installations which promise a backward step in
Burlington safety by increasing injuries and crashes in Burlington's
South End. (It must be noted in view of the climate emergency a
roundabout instead of a signal reduces global warming emissions
22-29% amounting to from 3,000 to over 10,000 gallons of gasoline
reduction along with associated global warming emissions compared to
a signalized intersection—the higher the traffic volume the higher
the reduction in gasoline use and global warming emissions.)
All
but one of the BTV Crash-20 intersections are signalized—the one
sign controlled high crash intersection is North Street/North Union
with three-way stop sign control. The BTV Crash-20 are a quarter of
Burlington's total of about 75 signalized intersections.
Burlington's share of high crash locations has been going up over the
last three reports, from 14.5% in 2006-2010 to 18% of high crash
locations 2012-2016.
Burlington
also features the number one highest crash rate in Vermont, the
intersection of Main Street and South Winooski Avenue. Main/South
Winooski in the five year period experienced 11 injuries—over two a
year—98 crashes total with 90 crashes property damage only (no
injuries resulting).
Based
on frequency, just about every household has a member involved in a
roadway crash every decade in Burlington or elsewhere. With about
150 injuries a year in the City and 1,400 property damage only
crashes--about 16,000 crashes each decade mostly involving two
vehicles or the equivalent of 30,000 affected households in a City of
16,000 households. Those fortunate not to be affected by a highway
crash certainly observe a crash each decade or know those affected by
a roadway crash.
The
BTV Crash-20 costs can be calculated from value of types of crashes
provided in the State report—it comes to $2.5 million a year, $12.4
million for the five years of data tabulated. These costs go into
the costs of auto insurance policies for vehicle owners.
The
BTV Crash-20 represent about 10% of all injuries each year and a
similar proportion of property damage only crashes.
Burlington
High Crash Location Intersections Data 2012-2016
Base
Data from Current Vermont High Crash Report
Data
from“High Crash Location Report: Sections and Intersections
2012-2016”
Vermont
Agency of Transportation
Burlington High Crash
Intersections of All State % of Estimated 150 All Modes
Intersections % of State Burlington Injuries/year
2006-2010
18 of 124 14.5 --
2010-2014 19
of 132 14.4 22.5 (34 injuries)
2012-2016 20
of 111 18.0 19.6 (29 injuries)
--6,840
PDO 2013-2017. 1,368 per year Citywide. 696 PDO 2012-2016 at 20
high crash locations, each year 139—10% of all PDO citywide.
--per
decade approximately Citywide: 13,700 PDO crashes, 1,500 injury
crashes; about 15,000 crashes overall Citywide per decade—equivalent
to about one crash per decade per household in Burlington. About one
third of all annual injuries or 50 injuries are a bicyclist or
pedestrian, about equally divided.
2012-2016
High Crash Location Report
--“The
average economic costs in 2014 as used in the report are: Fatality
(Death) $1,500,000; Injury (Disabling Injury) $ 88,500; No Injury
Observed $ 11,300 [property damage only, PDO]. P 6 [Note the U.S.
Department of Transportation uses a value of life method, right now a
life is valued in excess of $10 million.]
--20
BTV Intersections: 1 fatality, 147 injuries [1.47 injuries per
intersection per year], 29.4 injuries/ 20 intersections per
year--equals 19.6 of all roadway injuries recorded yearly (~150 based
on recent survey)
--All
are signalized except North Street/North Union
--111
Intersections reached threshold for high crash status, then are
ranked
--the
20 BTV intersections are 18.0% of the 111 high crash intersections
tabulated; 21.8% of the highest 87 crash ranked intersections
--696
property damage only (PDO), 139 PDO crashes per year, 7.0 PDO crashes
per intersection per year
--cost
of all crashes (five years): Fatality $1,500,000
Injuries
$3,000,010
PPO
$7,864,800
Total:
5 years: $12,364,810
Cost/year: $2,472,962
https://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/highway/documents/highway/Formal%202012-2016%20High%20Crash%20Location%20Report.pdf
2010-2014
High Crash Location Report
--19
of 132 intersections tabulated or 14.4%
--169
injuries 33.8 injuries per year, 1.8 injuries per intersection per
year
2012-2016
High Crash Location Report
Tabulated
Burlington Intersections—19 signalized, 1 3-way stop control
#1
S. Winooski/Main (Alternate US 7) 0.990 5 years/98 crashes/11
injuries/90 PDO
#5
Colchester/Barrett 0.990 5 years/34 crashes/7 injuries/1fatality/26
PDO
#11
South Prospect/Main (US 2) 0.220 5 years/72 crashes/9 injuries/65
PDO
#14
South Willard-US 7/Main 2.110 5 years/65 crashes/9 injuries/58
PDO
#15
Colchester/East Ave 0.430 5 years/44 crashes/9 injuries/35 PDO
#20
North Union/South Union/Pearl 0.000 5 years/19 crashes/5
injuries/15 PDO
#23
North/North Champlain 0.220 5 years/43 crashes/12 injuries/17 PDO
#24
Main/St. Paul 0.250 5 years/39 crashes/7 injuries/32 PDO
#25
Pearl/South Prospect/Colchester 0.930 5 years/40 crashes/12
injuries/34 PDO
#31
Battery/Main 0.220 5 years/45 crashes/8 injuries/38 PDO
#32
VT 127 Beltline 1.340 5 years/5 crashes/6 injuries (Location
?)/2 PDO
#38
North Winooski (Alternative US 7)/Pearl 1.310 5 years/61
crashes/13 injuries/51 PDO
#40
Park/North 0.280 5 years/19 crashes/4 injuries/16 PDO
#46
North Winooski (Alternate 7)/North 1.620 5 years/19 crashes/3
injuries/16 PDO
#47
US 7 North Willard/Pearl 2.420 5 years/57 crashes/13 injuries/47
PDO
#52
Main/South Union 0.520 5 years/37 crashes/9 injuries/30 PDO
#64
US 7 North Willard/Riverside Alternative 7 3.050 5 years/27
crashes/5 injuries/23 PDO
#76
Swift/Shelburne Rd. (S. Burlington/Burlington) 1.720 5 years/60
crashes/1 injuries/59 PDO
#87
North Union/North 0.300 5 years/15 crashes/0 injuries/15 PDO
(3-way stop)
#110
North Avenue/North 0.180 5 years/20 crashes/4 injuries/17 PDO
Tony
Redington
Safe
Streets Burlington
TonyRVT99@gmail.com
November
13, 2019
