Burlington High Crash Intersecitons "BTV Crash-20"

“BTV Crash-20”: Burlington's 20 Intersections in the Vermont High Crash Location Report 2012-2016 Note: This paper is a substantial expansion of a paper developed earlier. 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. These 20 intersections on average generated $3.2 million cost per year in injury and property damage as well as assumed police, emergency and other related costs. The cost of a roundabout—the one proven safety countermeasure type intersection—to prevent or cure a high majority of serious and fatal injuries as well as overall crash reductions—can be as little as a few as $20-$50,000 in the case of mini-roundabouts. Roundabouts can be design and built in the case of mini roundabouts in a matter of weeks. Burlington's BTV Crash-20 averaged 1.5 injuries each per year—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 (never the standard for safe intersection traffic management). Not only did Burlington hold six of the top 20 high crash slots (30%) on the statewide list, 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. In addition there are likely several more high crash intersections but only intersections on the State’s “federal aid system” are tabulated in the state report. Note the average cost per crash per year provided in the State report ranged in 2014 dollars from a low of $11,300 to a high of $110,720. The bulk of the 20 cost per crash were in the range of $20,000 to $30,000, a total of 12 of the 20. So, for example, where an inexpensive mini roundabout the payback in reduced crash costs would be about two years. The AARP Vermont Pine Street Corridor report (2014) recommended minis along Pine Street where ages old development precludes larger roundabouts, quite similar to the North Street corridor containing four high crash intersections. 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, site of a pedestrian fatal in 1998. 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, built 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.) Federal Highway Administration safety website for “Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ This one page summary in turn refers to “Proven Safety Countermeasures”: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/ The four paragraph “Proven Safety Countermeasures” lists 20 treatments in graphic form and states in part: “This list of Proven Safety Countermeasures has now reached a total of 20 treatments and strategies that practitioners can implement to successfully address roadway departure, intersection, and pedestrian and bicycle crashes. Among the 20 Proven Safety Countermeasures are several crosscutting strategies that address multiple safety focus areas.” 20 measures Only intersection “traffic management system” “proven safety countermeasure”: Roundabouts. Another proven safety countermeasure are “Medians and Pedestrian Crossing Islands” are an integral part of any roundabout design. Burlington High Crash Intersections—Mostly Signalized 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 about 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 (PDO) (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. Finally, note the Vermont report uses a fairly conservative estimate for the economic cost of a fatality and injury. The $1.5 million for a fatality 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 --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 Burlington High Crash intersections (2014 dollars) Fatality $1,500,000 (1) Injuries 3,000,010 (147) Property Damage Only (PDO) $7,864,800 (696) Total: 5 Years: $12,364,810 Cost per Year: $2,472,962 Source: “Vermont High Crash Location Report: Sections and Intersections 2012-2016.” 2017 VTrans https://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/highway/documents/highway/Formal %202012-2016%20High%20Crash%20Location%20Report.pdf Since the 20 Burlington high crash intersections are about 10% of all crashes and injuries recorded a rough approximation of the cost per year of highway crashes and injuries is ten times the cost per year figure of the high crash intersection, $2,472,692 or $24,700,000 annually in 2014 dollars, $31,616,000 in 2021 dollars. The costs developed for individual crashes by type include public costs for emergency, medical, police, etc., costs but not intangibles like pain and suffering, effects on neighborhood quality of life, etc. 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 (dollars per crash) #1 S. Winooski/Main (Alternate US 7) 0.990 5 years/98 crashes/11 injuries/90 PDO ($20,311/crash) Total Crashes (per year): 98 (19.6) #5 Colchester/Barrett 0.990 5 years/34 crashes/7 injuries/1fatality/26 PDO ($71,312/crash) Total Crashes (per year): 34 (6.8) #11 South Prospect/Main (US 2) 0.220 5 years/72 crashes/9 injuries/65PDO ($21,264) Total Crashes (per year): 72 (14.4) #14 South Willard-US 7/Main 2.110 5 years/65 crashes/9 injuries/58 PDO ($22,337/crash) Total Crashes (per year): 65 (5.4) #15 Colchester/East Ave 0.430 5 years/44 crashes/9 injuries/35 PDO ($27,091) Total Crashes (per year): 44 (8.8) #20 North Union/South Union/Pearl 0.000 5 years/19 crashes/5 injuries/15 PDO ($32,211) Total Crashes (per year): 19 (3.8) #23 North/North Champlain 0.220 5 years/43 crashes/12 injuries/17 PDO ($30,219) Total Crashes (per year): 45 (8.6) #24 Main/St. Paul 0.250 5 years/39 crashes/7 injuries/32 PDO ($25,156) Total Crashes (per year): 39 (7.8) #25 Pearl/South Prospect/Colchester 0.930 5 years/40 crashes/12 injuries/34 PDO ($33,633) Total Crashes (per year): 40 (8.0) #31 Battery/Main 0.220 5 years/45 crashes/8 injuries/38 PDO ($25,276) Total Crashes (per year): 45 (9.0) #32 VT 127 Beltline 1.340 5 years/5 crashes/6 injuries (Location ?)/2 PDO (110,720) Total Crashes (per year): 5 (1.0) #38 North Winooski (Alternative US 7)/Pearl 1.310 5 years/61 crashes/13 injuries/51 PDO 
($23,489) Total Crashes (per year): 61 (12.2) #40 Park/North 0.280 5 years/19 crashes/4 injuries/16 PDO ($28,147) Total Crashes (per year): 19 (3.8) #46 North Winooski (Alternate 7)/North 1.620 5 years/19 crashes/3 injuries/16 PDO ($23,489) Total Crashes (per year): 19 (3.8) #47 US 7 North Willard/Pearl 2.420 5 years/57 crashes/13 injuries/47 PDO ($29,502) Total Crashes (per year): 57 (11.4) #52 Main/South Union 0.520 5 years/37 crashes/9 injuries/30 PDO ($30,689) Total Crashes (per year): 37 (7.4) #64 US 7 North Willard/Riverside Alternative 7 3.050 5 years/27 crashes/5 injuries/23 PDO ($22,337) Total Crashes (per year): 27 (5.4) #76 Swift/Shelburne Rd. (S. Burlington/Burlington) 1.720 5 years/60 crashes/1 injuries/59 PDO ($12,587) Total Crashes (per year): 60 (12.0) #87 North Union/North 0.300 5 years/15 crashes/0 injuries/15 PDO (3-way stop) ($11,300) Total Crashes (per year): 15 (3.0) #110 North Avenue/North 0.180 5 years/20 crashes/4 injuries/17 PDO ($27,305) Total Crashes (per year): 20 (4.0) Tony Redington Safe Streets Burlington ( SafeStreetsBurlington.com ) TonyRVT99@gmai.com @TonyRVT60 TonyRVT.blogspot.com June 10, 2021