More rotaries – that’s one step that transportation officials in Boston and elsewhere are looking at to reduce serious or fatal accidents.
I’m an avid runner, which means that I spend a lot of time being a pedestrian. That has me thinking a lot about pedestrian safety – its hard not to when you almost get run over at a blind corner or the middle of a cross walk. Data shows that traffic deaths are on the rise – up 7.7% in 2015 to the highest number since 2008.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to pull up short at an intersection as a car brushes by me, the driver oblivious to pedestrians and focused only on on-coming automobile traffic. I’ve watched as cars accelerate toward me, standing in the middle of an intersection, as the driver looks left and right for cars, but not at the human standing directly in front of him.
My experience is that Belmont, as a community, is better and more walkable than most. Sidewalks are a common feature in town. And, while there are some busy arteries and roads, most of the town is spared from busy automobile traffic. That said: there are some dangerous spots. The corner by my house, where Cross Street meets Alexander is a common site of accidents – some of them serious – as well as close calls with pedestrians. There’s, of course, the railroad overpass in Belmont Center. Cars, bikes and pedestrians jockey on Trapelo Road, even after its makeover and the addition of a (very skimpy) paint-only bike lane. So, good as we are, there is still much work to be done.
Which is why it is interesting to see what is afoot over in Boston, where Mayor Marty Walsh is pursuing a project called Vision Zero– an effort to “focus the city’s resources on proven strategies to eliminate fatal and serious traffic crashes in the city by 2030.” That effort is similar (identical?) to an effort in New York City by Mayor Bill DeBlasio to eliminate fatal and serious traffic accidents there, as well.
The dangers of being a pedestrian in Boston are well known. Accidents involving cars and the growing number of cyclists are common and the death of endocrine surgeon Anita Kurmann on her bike at the corner of Massachusetts Ave and Beacon Street a year ago galvanized those who saw room for improvement in a city that has, for generations, put the priorities of motorists first. The Vision Zero model borrows from a road safety plan by the same name enacted in Sweden that became law in 1997. It seems to be working: Boston is one of the safest cities for pedestrians, statistically speaking, but you’re about three times more likely to be killed on the roads in Boston — walking, cycling or traveling in a car — than in Stockholm, where the government has invested heavily in systems to reduce the likelihood of serious accidents.
There are a bunch of different local groups that are pushing for changes Livable Streets is one, Walk Boston is another. And, as this article over at PRI points out, the changes needed are often small and easily achieved.
For example, in the wake of the accident involving Anita Kurmann and complaints about other, serious accidents at the same intersection, the City placed flexible posts in the ground to mark off the bike lane. Other changes that cycling and pedestrian advocates say could help are changes to signals that give pedestrians a chance to get out in the intersection before any vehicles are allowed to move (turn, etc.) Boston is working to lower the speed limit in Boston from 30 to 25 mph – that’s borrowing from cities in Europe that have done the same in an effort to reduce the number and severity of accidents.
Another design feature coming back into vogue: rotaries (aka “traffic circles” or “roundabouts”). While rotaries might initially cause an increase in low speed collisions versus a traditional four way intersection, with a traffic light. However, those accidents are less serious and diminish over time, as drivers become accustomed to negotiating the rotary.
Speed bumps and raised cross walks, like those installed by Winn Brook School, are another strategy to force automobiles to drive more slowly.
Belmont already has a large (and growing) population of cyclists and walkers and a healthy conversation about the need to support other modes of transportation besides cars. There’s certainly work to be done to figure out where Belmont’s problem spots are and develop plans to address them. Hopefully, some of the ideas that Boston is piloting might also be applied here!