Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Burlington Scores 18% of Highest Crash VT Intersections--the "BTV Crash-20


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

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