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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 Accident Study DraftCity of Oshkosh – Transportation Department 1 City of Oshkosh - Transportation Department 926 Dempsey Trail, Oshkosh, WI 54902 (920) 232-5342 (920) 232-5343 fax MEMORANDUM TO: TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS FROM: JIM COLLINS, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION DATE: April 9, 2024 RE: 2023 CRASH STUDY This memorandum provides a summary and review of the 2023 preliminary crash data. Data was collected using the University of Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory’s WisTransPortal database and using East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s GIS mapping Crash Trends Table 1 lists the total number of reportable crashes in the City of Oshkosh from 2005 to 20231 excluding deer. The number of crashes in 2023 returned to more of a historic normal. COVID19 lead to lower crash numbers than 2020 and 2021 as less people were traveling. Table 1: Total Number of Crashes Year Intersection Non- Intersection Total 2005 788 437 1,225 2006 669 367 1,036 2008 857 498 1,355 2007 718 461 1,179 2009 697 463 1,160 2010 839 497 1,336 1 This year’s crash report once again is based on data from the WisTransPortal crash database. Due to differences in methodology for crash reporting, there may be some discrepancies between this year’s report and those of previous years. The data excludes deer crashes. 2 There are some slight differences in these numbers and those on the maps due to the timing of the reports and the methodology used. 2023 Accident Study / March 2024 City of Oshkosh – Transportation Department 2 2011 823 490 1,313 2012 936 433 1,369 2013 870 504 1,374 2014 750 449 1,199 2015 694 480 1,174 2016 807 536 1,343 2017 769 576 1,345 2018 638 580 1,218 2019 673 586 1,259 2020 575 434 1.009 2021 592 559 1,151 2022 596 758 1,354 2023 673 786 1,459 There was 1 fatality in 2023. This was a motorcyclist traveling too fast for road conditions. The number of injuries and possible injuries in crashes is still comparably low vs. the pre-roundabout era. The decreased injury rate is an expected outcome of roundabout usage as right angle impacts are greatly reduced. Roundabouts were introduced in the city in 2012. Improved vehicle safety features can also contribute to a reduced injury rate as well as city initiatives such as road diets. Table 2: Number of Injuries and Fatalities in Vehicle Crashes Year Injuries Fatalities 2005 630 0 2006 579 2 2007 642 3 2008 588 1 2009 490 1 2010 609 1 2011 518 1 2012 549 1 2013 398 1 2014 332 3 2015 350 2 2016 412 1 2017 419 2 2018 350 2 2019 354 3 2020 313 2 2023 Accident Study / March 2024 City of Oshkosh – Transportation Department 3 2021 346 1 2022 328 5 2023 350 1 Table 3: Number of Reportable Crashes with Bike or Pedestrian involved Year No. Involving Bicycles No. Involving Pedestrians 2005 33 14 2006 25 17 2007 27 18 2008 24 14 2009 15 12 2010 26 22 2011 24 25 2012 39 21 2013 22 18 2014 23 19 2015 25 8 2016 25 25 2017 16 19 2018 23 12 2019 16 23 2020 11 16 2021 15 7 2022 14 14 2023 16 21 The number of crashes involving bikes and pedestrians increased slightly. The city has invested heavily in pedestrian crossing infrastructure in the last few years. Rectangular Rapidly Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) with overhead LED pedestrian crossing signs (along with speed boards in some cases) have been installed at many intersections. RRFBs were recently installed on Witzel Avenue west of Hwy. 41 and on Jossyln Street near Lourdes Academy. Roundabouts were constructed on 9th and Washburn and 9th and Koeller Street. The city has been using the updated “continental” crosswalk painting style for mid-block crossings and higher volume crossings like the one on Congress Avenue at Arboretum Drive and Summit Avenue. This is the crosswalk that has the thick, bold horizontal lines making it more visible. The city, in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh installed a “HAWK” signal in 2013. Additionally, when Main Street was reconstructed, it was made more pedestrian friendly with wider sidewalks and pedestrian crossing bump outs. The city also installed pedestrian held flags at the 9th and Witzel Avenue roundabouts. 2023 Accident Study / March 2024 City of Oshkosh – Transportation Department 4 The city, in conjunction with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, held pedestrian safety days a few times to educate the public about the laws related to pedestrian safety. Oshkosh Police Department also added a motorcycle unit that spends time educating and enforcing motorists on pedestrian laws. These preventative measures utilize some of the latest technology and methods available to improve pedestrian safety. Safety improvements on Jackson Street for pedestrians and bicyclists were made in 2021 including additional continental crosswalks and RRFBs. A road diet was implemented on South Main Street last year to improve accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclist, calm traffic and reduce conflicts. High Crash Locations In order to improve traffic safety, it is helpful to identify locations where the rate and/or frequency of crashes is higher than might be expected. A higher-than-average crash rate indicates a location for which some countermeasures might be implemented that could result in an overall safety benefit. A higher-than-average crash frequency can provide a clearer picture of potential causes of safety challenges at a location. The combination of these measures can help to target safety improvements to locations where the biggest potential benefit might be achieved. This year I once again worked with the East Central Wisconsin Plan Commission and their GIS coordinator and we were able to map the top 10 crash locations using the data from the Wisconsin TOPS Lab 2023. This is the source we have used for about the last 14 years to pull crash data. The attached map shows the top 10 crash locations from 2023. The locations are mapped within 100’ of an intersection. This map is based on data in the WisTransPortal which gets its’ data from law enforcement agencies. The accuracy of this data is based on the accuracy of the crash reports which are constantly improving. The goal each year is to analyze a couple high crash intersections to see if there are safety measures that can be added to mitigate the crash frequency and/or rates in these areas. For example, we have implemented road diets and restricted left turns during afternoon peak hours to help reduce crash frequency at some intersections. Analysis of 2023 High Crash Locations The roundabouts including those at the I-41 interchanges have the highest crash frequency however; that is not unexpected as they carry the highest volume of traffic. The roundabouts at the I-41 interchanges are under WisDOT jurisdiction. The roundabouts that are not part of the I-41 interchanges are under city jurisdiction however; they are still relatively new and additional safety measures at these locations are difficult without costly physical reconstructions which are unlikely at this time. As mentioned previously, we have installed RRFBs at a couple of roundabouts to help with pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The city is also actively pursuing grants for the planning and construction of a Pedestrian bridge over the Highway which would divert bikes and pedestrians from the roundabouts. There were a couple of other areas in the top 10 for 2023 crash frequency. Jackson Street and New York Ave. There were about 10 crashes at this intersection in 2023. This was a high crash intersection in previous years but for different reasons. Historically, the majority of crashes were due to offset left turning vehicles not being able to see vehicles in the curb lane. Initially we prohibited left turns 2023 Accident Study / March 2024 City of Oshkosh – Transportation Department 5 during peak hours which reduced these crashes. In 2021, we did a road diet on Jackson Street which eliminated the offset turn issues by reducing the number of lanes from 4 to 3 with one through lane in each direction. This further alleviated the offset left turn issues. However; a new trend has emerged. The majority of crashes at this intersection are now rear-end crashes. After reading crash reports, it appears that distracted driving was the root cause of most of the rear end crashes at this intersection. The good news is that rear-end crashes are generally less severe than angled crashes and the total number of crashes at this intersection decreased from 2022. This intersection has been fully actuated with cameras for vehicle detection since late 2021. The benefit of this is that Jackson Street stays green unless there are cars detected on New York Avenue. There has been a lot of construction activity near this intersection recently with the construction of the Vel Phillips Middle School, as well as utility projects over the last couple of years. These may have been a contributing factor as well over the last two years. Algoma Boulevard and Murdock Avenue There were about 12 crashes in proximity to this intersection. This is a lot higher than the historical average. Most of these crashes (8) were vehicles southbound on Algoma Blvd. attempting to turn left onto Murdock Avenue and failing to yield on green or yellow lights. It should be noted that there is a left turn arrow. We are checking to see if any tweaks can be made that might improve this situation. Effectiveness of Recent Traffic Safety Measures The recommendations of the Jackson Street safety study were approved and implemented during the summer 2021. This resulted in speed boards, additional crosswalks, RRFBs and a road diet. These changes have calmed traffic however; a new trend has emerged with rear-end crashes as demonstrated by the intersection of Jackson and New York described above. Jackson Street is a major arterial with a high traffic volume so some level of crashes is not unexpected. There has been an increase in crashes on the Jackson Street corridor since the road diet. I have attached some information on this corridor. It appears the majority of the crashes were near the New York and Irving Avenue intersection as discussed above. As 2022 was the first full year with the new reconfiguration, this corridor will have to be monitored for the next couple of years to get a better picture of how successful the road diet has been. I do know anecdotally that vehicle speeds and complaints from the neighbors on Jackson Street have decreased and non-motorist incidents have gone down. Many of the desired outcomes are being achieved.