Full Analysis
To Study or Not to Study—That is the Question
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction to the problem.
The Waitsfield Route 100 speed limit.
Previous studies on crosswalks
Pedestrian study in Quechee
Actions taken in Montpelier and Northfield
Validation of Select Board Presentation of Jan4
To study or not to study?
US Dept. of Transportation validation of RRFBs
Proposed study costs less than 4 RRFBs
Conclusions
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To Study or Not to Study—That is the Question
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction to the problem.
The Waitsfield Route 100 speed limit.
Previous studies on crosswalks
Pedestrian study in Quechee
Actions taken in Montpelier and Northfield
Validation of Select Board Presentation of Jan4
To study or not to study?
US Dept. of Transportation validation of RRFBs
Proposed study costs less than 4 RRFBs
Conclusions
[ Hypertext links to additional data are in purple. A single left click on any purple word or phrase will take you to linked information. Some of the links are to an internal location in this document. Click on the "return" arrow at top left to return to the first location. Some of the links are to an external document and will open in a new tab. Click on the old tab to redisplay this page, or close the new tab ]
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM:
The town of Waitsfield/Irasville views itself as a quaint, quintessential tourist attraction, with access to year-round outdoor activities. The nearby towns of Fayston and Warren contribute to the Mad River Valley atmosphere. The Valley is a wonderful place to live.
Part of the charm of Waitsfield is the lack of prominent signs; there are no billboards, no stoplights, no continuous flashing lights and no speed bumps. Traffic moves at 30-40 mph, rarely impeded by anything other than a left turn signal.
Unfortunately, Waitsfield is not the Waitsfield of the 1950s, and is now a bustling tourist town. Over time, Waitsfield has—passively—created a pedestrian-unfriendly environment:
Nowhere was this more evident than in the recent death of a pedestrian at the Route 100 crosswalk at Carrol Road. We lost a wife and a mother. She was a friend of many and a valuable member of the Valley community. The only outcome that could possibly make it worse would be if we, as a community, fail to learn and fail to take action on the easily correctible flaws in pedestrian safety that caused her death. This tragedy could almost certainly have been prevented—either by decreasing the speed limit or by proper crosswalk technology--or both.
The problem is two-fold:
The town of Waitsfield/Irasville views itself as a quaint, quintessential tourist attraction, with access to year-round outdoor activities. The nearby towns of Fayston and Warren contribute to the Mad River Valley atmosphere. The Valley is a wonderful place to live.
Part of the charm of Waitsfield is the lack of prominent signs; there are no billboards, no stoplights, no continuous flashing lights and no speed bumps. Traffic moves at 30-40 mph, rarely impeded by anything other than a left turn signal.
Unfortunately, Waitsfield is not the Waitsfield of the 1950s, and is now a bustling tourist town. Over time, Waitsfield has—passively—created a pedestrian-unfriendly environment:
Nowhere was this more evident than in the recent death of a pedestrian at the Route 100 crosswalk at Carrol Road. We lost a wife and a mother. She was a friend of many and a valuable member of the Valley community. The only outcome that could possibly make it worse would be if we, as a community, fail to learn and fail to take action on the easily correctible flaws in pedestrian safety that caused her death. This tragedy could almost certainly have been prevented—either by decreasing the speed limit or by proper crosswalk technology--or both.
The problem is two-fold:
- TRAFFIC SPEED --The speed limit of 30 mph (often ignored) is too fast for this community, especially with the poorly marked crosswalks
- CROSSWALKS --The crosswalks have little attention-getting ability (weak noticeability/weak conspicuity)
THE WAITSFIELD ROUTE 100 SPEED LIMIT
Speed kills. This observation does not need further study. The extensive publication of BC Tefft from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says it all in the following summary:
Speed kills. This observation does not need further study. The extensive publication of BC Tefft from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says it all in the following summary:
We do not need a study to show that by decreasing Waitsfield vehicle speed from 30 to 25 mph—only 5 mph--we can decrease the likelihood of severe injury or death by 50%. New York city decreased its speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph and observed a substantial decrease in accidents. For more details on trends in speed limits, including the “20 is plenty” movement please see the mrvtv.com/611630-2/presentation of the MRV Citizens to the Waitsfield Select Board of January 4, 2021.
For those who worry about the lost personal time for having to drive so slowly, this has been studied: Driving the 1.4 miles—at 25 mph rather than 30 mph-- from Route 100/Route 17 to the end of the parking lot of the Waitsfield Elem. School will require, at a constant speed, 34 more seconds. This is a small price to pay for the 50% decrease in probability of severe injury or death. See internet calculations below:
For those who worry about the lost personal time for having to drive so slowly, this has been studied: Driving the 1.4 miles—at 25 mph rather than 30 mph-- from Route 100/Route 17 to the end of the parking lot of the Waitsfield Elem. School will require, at a constant speed, 34 more seconds. This is a small price to pay for the 50% decrease in probability of severe injury or death. See internet calculations below:
Unfortunately, many Valley residents are not enthusiastic about decreasing the speed limit in Waitsfield, even though pedestrians would be much safer as a result. Further, the state of Vermont controls Route 100, creating a complex issue similar to that in California where the state can actually increase the speed limit after a state study. The faster the cars go, the faster the speed limit is the threat of these regulations (Rep Kari Dolan has introduced a bill in the VT House to address this issue).
Unfortunately, many Valley residents are not enthusiastic about decreasing the speed limit in Waitsfield, even though pedestrians would be much safer as a result. Further, the state of Vermont controls Route 100, creating a complex issue similar to that in California where the state can actually increase the speed limit after a state study. The faster the cars go, the faster the speed limit is the threat of these regulations (Rep Kari Dolan has introduced a bill in the VT House to address this issue).
PREVIOUS VTRANS STUDY AND LOCAL CROSSWALK INSTALLATIONS
If fast vehicles and poorly marked crosswalks are, together, the contributory factors that make Waitsfield a pedestrian unfriendly environment, and if we are not able to change the speed limit, then the logical next step is to improve the visibility/conspicuity of the 4 (soon to be 6) crosswalks.
The options for improving crosswalk safety have been extensively studied. If Waitsfield wants a 24/7, 12mo/year “fix,” then pedestrian-operated 30-second warning lights are clearly the best option. These come in 2 varieties, but the commonly used device in VT is the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB). The RRFB has been studied by VTrans, for example in the small town of Quechee Vermont (<700 inhabitants), where US 4 passes through the town (bolding is added for emphasis)
If fast vehicles and poorly marked crosswalks are, together, the contributory factors that make Waitsfield a pedestrian unfriendly environment, and if we are not able to change the speed limit, then the logical next step is to improve the visibility/conspicuity of the 4 (soon to be 6) crosswalks.
The options for improving crosswalk safety have been extensively studied. If Waitsfield wants a 24/7, 12mo/year “fix,” then pedestrian-operated 30-second warning lights are clearly the best option. These come in 2 varieties, but the commonly used device in VT is the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB). The RRFB has been studied by VTrans, for example in the small town of Quechee Vermont (<700 inhabitants), where US 4 passes through the town (bolding is added for emphasis)
1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 2014-13 - - - - - - 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Evaluation of BlinkerSign® Crosswalk Lighting System, Final Report December, 2014 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Wendy Ellis Jason P. Tremblay, M.S., P.E. 2014-13 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Vermont Agency of Transportation Materials and Research Section 1 National Life Drive National Life Building Montpelier, VT 05633-5001 11. Contract or Grant No. 2005-R-03 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Federal Highway Administration Division Office Federal Building Montpelier, VT 05602 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract Concerning pedestrian safety, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is constantly searching for ways to improve areas where large volumes of people and heavy vehicular traffic may come in direct conflict with one another. In an effort to address this matter, VTrans installed BlinkerSigns® , produced by Tapco, in November 2008 to enhance the visual delineation limits of a preexisting crosswalk adjacent to the Quechee Gorge Visitor Center in Hartford, Vermont. The signs incorporate Day-Viz™ LEDs and 3M™ VIP Diamond Grade™ sheeting giving drivers notice much further in advance than conventional signs. After analyzing the results from the speed studies, the BlinkerSigns® have proven more effective, and therefore safer, than having no system in place. Four years following installation of the BlinkerSigns® , yielding compliance has increased by 8% on average, and a 20% increase was found in the number of vehicles slowing down as they approach within 300 feet of the crosswalk. From these findings, it has been determined that the BlinkerSigns® have provided long-term benefits. The product should be considered at future crosswalks and emergency crossings on Vermont Agency of Transportation projects where increased visability is warranted. Other recommended applications are crossings that are not well lit, locations of high pedestrian crossings and at critical crossings in urban areas where significant automotive and pedestrian traffic conflicts occur. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk Beacon No Restrictions. 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. Pages 22. P
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In addition to Quechee, RRFBs have been actively deployed in Montpelier and Northfield as shown above. Northfield has 3 RRFBs. Interestingly, it is not clear that the City Council of Montpelier required any kind of study before placing the RRFBs:
The pedestrian activates the lights with a push button. The typical programmed flashing time is 30 seconds. Most of the time the lights are silent. For those persons who are against adding additional signs in the Waitsfield, these signs will simply replace the existing signs—no new sign placements are required.
Validation of Select Board Presentation of Jan4
One might ask how valid the data are from this document, largely taken from the slide presentation to the Waitsfield Select Board on January 4, 2021. The entire slide deck was sent to Laura Sandt, PhD at UNC: [email protected].
One might ask how valid the data are from this document, largely taken from the slide presentation to the Waitsfield Select Board on January 4, 2021. The entire slide deck was sent to Laura Sandt, PhD at UNC: [email protected].
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Laura serves as director for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, a federal clearinghouse of pedestrian- and bicycle-related training materials and resources
Most recently, Dr. Sandt has served as Principal Investigator on National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) projects 17-73 (Report 893), which developed guidance for performing systemic pedestrian safety analysis |
Dr. Sandt wrote back (15Jan21) after reviewing the slide deck:
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"First, I would like to share my condolences for the tragic loss of life you’ve experienced in your community, and the pain you all are experiencing in reconciling with this loss. And next, thank you for the service to your community you are providing in bringing together the medical community to discuss future preventative measures and share evidence-based approaches. Your powerpoint and background research was wonderful and entirely consistent with the body of literature we often share amongst transportation professionals."
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She also said:
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“You are correct in that there is a large body of existing research developed to demonstrate the safety effectiveness of various treatments that are now considered very well established in the US. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration has an entire program (STEP) designed to showcase the effectiveness of various pedestrian safety treatments and encourage their adoption."
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To Study or Not to Study—That is the Question
Pedestrian safety can be studied through grants and matching funds. One recent proposal is to spend $30,000 to review a number of activities and “involve professionals who are qualified in the area of pedestrian safety.”
MRV Citizens Concerned About Waitsfield Pedestrian Safety have the highest regard for the various organizations involved in pedestrian safety in the Valley and at the state level. Their devotion to their task is remarkable and is focused on the many challenging aspects of transportation in our area.
However, we respectfully disagree that $30,000 is needed for a study to evaluate how to address pedestrian safety in Waitsfield. This precious money needs to be spent on action, not studies. This ground has been plowed many times over.
Pedestrian safety can be studied through grants and matching funds. One recent proposal is to spend $30,000 to review a number of activities and “involve professionals who are qualified in the area of pedestrian safety.”
MRV Citizens Concerned About Waitsfield Pedestrian Safety have the highest regard for the various organizations involved in pedestrian safety in the Valley and at the state level. Their devotion to their task is remarkable and is focused on the many challenging aspects of transportation in our area.
However, we respectfully disagree that $30,000 is needed for a study to evaluate how to address pedestrian safety in Waitsfield. This precious money needs to be spent on action, not studies. This ground has been plowed many times over.
Let’s look at some recent (2018) additional data, from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
To emphasize a few points in this one US DOT page.
1) RRFBs are especially effective at speed limits less than 40 mph
2) Enhanced warning improves motorist yielding
3) Can reduce pedestrian crashes by 47%
Do we really need to spend money on a study to tell us if this is what we need?
Now let’s consider the money:
What will RRFBs cost for all our 6 crosswalks (2 are pending).
RJP, from the Concerned Citizens Group, communicated with Tapco, a Wisconsin company that installed RRFB signs in Quechee, and Northfield, VT. Tapco says that they have installed 285 such signs throughout VT. A quote from them, dated January 26, 2021, for 4 complete crosswalks (see attachment below) is about $25,000. One can reasonably expect that we could get 6 complete crosswalks for $36,000. --And this is not the cheapest version--it has double lights (ie, lights on both sides of each sign). This includes the poles but not the installation. Other companies may be even more competitive.
What will RRFBs cost for all our 6 crosswalks (2 are pending).
RJP, from the Concerned Citizens Group, communicated with Tapco, a Wisconsin company that installed RRFB signs in Quechee, and Northfield, VT. Tapco says that they have installed 285 such signs throughout VT. A quote from them, dated January 26, 2021, for 4 complete crosswalks (see attachment below) is about $25,000. One can reasonably expect that we could get 6 complete crosswalks for $36,000. --And this is not the cheapest version--it has double lights (ie, lights on both sides of each sign). This includes the poles but not the installation. Other companies may be even more competitive.
CONCLUSIONS:
The need for additional studies seems quite doubtful. The goal in Waitsfield is the same as in Montpelier and Northfield—to prevent pedestrian injury and death. Do we need a study to convince our neighbors that we need pedestrian safety? Do we need a study to convince VTrans to let us replace our old signs with new ones? Will we learn something important that was not covered in the 2014 study of Waitsfield?
The proposed $30,000 cost of a study would be more than the cost of installing 4 RRFB systems in Waitsfield. This system has been studied over and over, including a rather definitive VTrans study in Quechee, which was very laudatory. For about $36,000, plus installation, we could provide RRFB safety at our current 4 crosswalks and 2 proposed crosswalks.
A majority of the editors of this document favor starting with 2 RRFB systems, one at the Bridge Street crosswalk and one at the Carroll Road crosswalk. A minority of the editors remain concerned, with the current 30 mph speed limit, that the other crosswalks will continue to be very dangerous.
For anyone who has read this document, we are grateful. We also hope for everyone’s support as we pursue the same goal--the urgent need for pedestrian safety in Waitsfield.
MRV Citizens Concerned About Waitsfield Pedestrian Safety
WAITSFIELD
Manny Apigian
Tom Emory
Carol Hosford
Joseph Klimek
WARREN
William Barnes, PhD
Edward McDonough, PhD
Douglas Stoehr
John Wilson, MD
FAYSTON
Larry Consenstein, MD
Jane Hobart
Celeste Madden, MD
Catherine Naden, MD
Candice Ortiz, MD
Roger J. Porter, MD
Holliday Kane Rayfield, MD
Rick Rayfield, PhD