ROAD SAFETY AUDIT
Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street City of Worcester August 2015 Prepared For:
MassDOT
Prepared By: McMahon Associates, Inc. 300 Myles Standish Blvd. Suite 201 Taunton, MA 02780 Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Table of Contents
Background ................................................................................................................................. 1 Project Data ................................................................................................................................. 1 Project Location and Description .............................................................................................. 3 Road Safety Audit Observations and Potential Improvements.............................................. 5 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 11 List of Appendices
Appendix A.
Appendix B.
Appendix C.
RSA Meeting Agenda
RSA Audit Team Contact List
Detailed Crash Data
List of Figures
Figure 1: Location Map ............................................................................................................................. 4 List of Tables
Table 1. Table 2. Table 3. Participating Audit Team Members ....................................................................................... 1 Estimated Time Frame and Costs Breakdown ..................................................................... 11 Potential Safety Enhancement Summary ............................................................................. 12 Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Background
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) defines a Road Safety Audit (RSA) as the formal safety
examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent, multidisciplinary team. The
purpose of an RSA is to identify potential safety issues and possible opportunities for safety improvements
considering all roadway users. This RSA evaluates the following intersections on Harding Street in
Worcester, MA, as shown in Figure 1.

Harding Street at Harrison Street

Harding Street at Winter Street
A safety audit was scheduled for these intersections as part of the required MassDOT design process for
this location, as part of a corridor-wide redesign of Harding Street. The intersections of Harding Street at
Harrison Street and Winter Street were identified as Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) highcrash intersections from 2010-2012.
A key objective of the RSA is to identify both short-term and long-term safety improvements that can be
made at the subject intersections.
Project Data
A Road Safety Audit was completed for the intersections of Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter
Street in the City of Worcester on July 20, 2015. The agenda for the RSA meeting held at Union Station is
provided in Appendix A of this report. As shown below in Table 1, the audit team consisted of a
multidisciplinary team with representatives from state, regional and local agencies providing expertise in
the engineering, planning, and maintenance fields. Contact information for the RSA attendees is provided
in Appendix B of this report.
Table 1. Participating Audit Team Members
Audit Team Member
Agency/Affiliation
Dan Daniska
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission
Promise Otaluka
Federal Highway Administration
Syed Akhtar
MassDOT Traffic Operations
Lola Campbell
MassDOT District 3 Traffic
John Mastera
MassDOT Highway Safety Unit
David Moyer
McMahon Associates
Phil Viveiros
McMahon Associates
Brian Brosnan
VHB Inc.
Gerald Powers
Walk Bike Worcester
Ali Khorasani
Worcester DPW&P
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Within the email invitation sent on July 16, 2015 to each participant in the RSA, background material was
provided. This information included collision diagrams and crash data summaries. During the RSA
meeting, these materials were reviewed as a group before the team discussed potential safety issues and
solutions for the intersection.
Project Location and Description
Study Area Roadways
As shown in in Figure 1, Harding Street is a one-way roadway south of Winter Street and a two-way
roadway north of Winter Street. The roadway runs in a north-south direction from Union Station down to
the intersection of Kelley Square. Harding Street does not have speed limit signage. A RSA participant
from the City of Worcester noted that the prima facie speed limit in Worcester is 30 miles per hour on
streets without speed limit signage. Harding Street is classified as an urban minor arterial under the City of
Worcester jurisdiction. Within the vicinity of the Harrison Street intersection, Harding Street is
approximately 55 feet wide with parking on both sides and no lane markings. North of Winter Street,
Harding Street is approximately 40 feet wide with parking on both sides and one lane in each direction. To
the south of Winter Street, Harding Street is also approximately 40 feet wide with parking on both sides
and two lanes in the southbound direction. There is an existing bituminous concrete sidewalk on both sides
of Harding Street in various levels of deterioration within the study area. There are bike lanes north of
Winter Street but no bike facilities south of Winter Street.
Harrison Street is a two-way road classified as a local road under City of Worcester jurisdiction that runs
generally in an east-west direction in the study area and crosses the bridge over I-290. Harrison Street has
a single travel lane in each direction with a varying width. There is no parking on Harrison Street east of
Harding Street. Parking is allowed on the south side of Harrison Street, west of Harding Street. There are
sidewalks on both sides of the roadway and no shoulders.
Winter Street is a two-way road classified as a local road under City of Worcester jurisdiction that generally
runs in an east-west direction connecting Green Street to Grafton Street. Winter Street is approximately 32
feet wide at its intersection with Harding Street. To the east of Harding Street, Winter Street has parking
on the north side of the roadway, and to the west of Harding Street, Winter Street has parking on the south
side of the roadway. There is a sidewalk running along both sides of the roadway. A bicycle warning sign
with a “Share the Road” plaque is positioned on Winter Street to the east of the intersection.
Study Area Intersections
The intersection of Harding Street and Harrison Street is a four-legged intersection with stop control on all
three approaches (Harding Street is one-way southbound). The southbound approach consists of a 55-foot
wide cross section without any lane designations, and is wider than the southbound receiving lane by
approximately 10-15 feet. Stop signs are placed on each side of the roadway at the intersection. The
eastbound and westbound approaches consist of one multi-use lane with stop signs placed at the
intersection. On the southwest quadrant of the intersection, there is a curb cut providing parking access to
192 Harding Street. There are no visible stop lines at any of the approaches to the intersection. There are
no pedestrian crosswalks; however, curb ramps are present at the southeast and southwest corners of the
intersection.
The intersection of Harding Street and Winter Street is a four-legged intersection with stop control on both
Winter Street approaches. Harding Street operates freely and the southbound approach consists of one
multi-use lane; south of Winter Street, the one-way section of Harding Street does not have lane
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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designations. The eastbound and westbound approaches consist of one multi-use lane each, with stop signs
placed at the intersection. Stop lines are placed adjacent to the stop signs on Winter Street. There are
crosswalks and curb ramps at each corner of the intersection.
Crash Data
Crash data was received for the five years between 2010 and 2014 from the Worcester Police Department
and MassDOT. Based on this data, there were a total of 14 crashes reported at the intersection of Harding
Street and Harrison Street. Of the crashes that occurred, eight (57%) were angled collisions, including six
crashes involving vehicles traveling south on Harding Street and colliding with vehicles traveling west on
Harrison Street. Additionally, there were two rear-end collisions, and four single vehicle crashes. Three
of the single vehicle crashes involved a parked car. Of the 14 reported crashes, five resulted in personal
injury; no fatalities were reported at the intersection. The driver age was 21-29 years old in 33% of the
crashes and 50% of the crashes occurred on a Friday. Also, 57% of the crashes occurred under dark or dusk
lighting conditions. Three of the collisions were hit and runs.
There were a total of 28 crashes reported at the intersection of Harding Street and Winter Street. Of the
crashes that occurred, 24 (86%) were angled collisions, including 19 crashes involving vehicles traveling
south on Harding Street and colliding with vehicles traveling west on Winter Street. Additionally, there
were two rear-end collisions, one sideswipe, and one single vehicle crash. Of the 28 reported crashes, nine
resulted in personal injury; no fatalities were reported at the intersection. The driver age was 21-29 years
old in 34% of the crashes. Also, 50% of the crashes occurred under dark or dusk lighting conditions. Two
of the collisions were hit and runs; in addition, two additional hit and run crashes occurred during the study
period, but were not charted due to a lack of sufficient information.
Detailed crash diagrams are provided in Appendix C.
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Road Safety Audit Observations and Potential
Improvements
During the RSA meeting, a brief introduction of the RSA process and a summary of the study area and
crash information were presented to the audit participants. Following this brief presentation, the members
of the audit team were asked to discuss the existing issues that may affect safety at the two intersections
along Harding Street. A site visit to both intersections was then conducted, followed by a discussion of
potential enhancements and countermeasures addressing the issues discussed earlier. During the
discussion of potential countermeasures, it was noted that potential design improvements to the Harding
Street corridor include a conversion of Harding Street to two-way traffic through the current project area,
which was reflected in a number of the potential enhancements discussed during the RSA meeting.
Provided below is a list of the safety concerns that were identified during the RSA along with potential
enhancements that address these concerns.
Harding Street at Harrison Street
Safety Issue #1: Traffic Control
Observations:
Traffic is controlled at the intersection by
existing stop signs on each approach leg.
During the RSA meeting, participants
mentioned that the stop signs in the
southbound direction on either side of
Harding Street were difficult to see. It was
noted that a portable stop sign was placed
within the middle of the roadway to
emphasize the need to stop, but this was later
removed for safety reasons.
Some
participants noted that the difficulty in seeing
the signs could be due to the wide roadway
width or vehicles in adjacent lanes blocking
the line of sight. There are few other
regulatory signs in the vicinity of the
intersection.
Intersection does not have visible stop bars and lane
markings.
During the site visit, pavement markings were barely visible at the intersection. There were no defined
stop bars at any of the approaches and there were not any lanes defined on the Harding Street approach.
Southbound vehicles were observed approaching the intersection staggered at different locations, at times
effectively approaching into three lanes of traffic. Vehicles did not have a defined stopping location and
often stopped prior to, at, or after the stop sign. Vehicles traveling westbound on Harrison Street may
have difficulty seeing a vehicle approaching on the northerly side of Harding Street if it is blocked by
another vehicle due to the fact that Harding Street is a wide multi-lane roadway. This was observed to
sometimes cause confusion with drivers as they cautiously proceeded through the intersection, and may
be a contributing factor to the angle collisions occurring at this location.
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Enhancements:
 Add advance “Stop Ahead” signs to warn drivers of upcoming stop sign
 Add “All-Way” plaques to supplement stop signs
 Reapply pavement markings such as stop lines, lane lines, shoulders, crosswalks, and
parking to help enforce lane usage
 Paint “Stop” legend in addition to the stop bar on Harrison Street to emphasis the stop
control
 Add “Do Not Enter” sign for the north leg of the intersection  Enforce Stop sign running
Safety Issue #2: Roadway Geometry
Observations:
During the RSA, it was discussed that there are
several geometric issues at the intersection of
Harding Street and Harrison Street. The first is
the wide cross section of the southbound
approach. At approximately 55 feet wide, the
roadway lends itself to high speeds, which may
be a contributing factor to rear-end crashes at
this intersection as there are no upstream stop
conditions on Harding Street within the study
area. The wide roadway also allows room for
vehicles to weave and jockey for space. The
audit team noted that the next intersection in the
southbound direction is Kelley Square, a highly
Wide cross section on the northern leg of Harding
Street – Car in no parking zone blocking sight distance
trafficked intersection. Participants discussed
on the right
that queues can form on Harding Street
downstream of the intersection and vehicles
approaching Kelley Square may be competing for space to prepare themselves for the queue.
The audit team was also concerned about the misalignment between the southwest and northwest quadrants
of the intersection. The curb to curb width on the southern leg of the intersection is narrower that the
northern leg. Vehicles sometimes have to swerve to avoid the southwest corner of the intersection which
contains one apex curb ramp. There is also a curb cut at the southwest corner of the intersection for a
restaurant. There is the potential for conflicts with vehicles pulling in and out of the restaurant in such close
proximity to the intersection.
Enhancements:
 Evaluate narrowing the curb to curb width of the roadway to reduce speeds and to limit
aggressive driving and competition for space
 Evaluate lining up the curbline on the west side of Harding Street across the intersection to
prevent the need for vehicles to swerve
 Provide two-way travel on Harding Street creating a four-way stop condition
 Evaluate circulation patterns of local traffic to see if two-way travel on Harrison Street is
needed
 Consider adding bumpouts to corners of intersection to narrow the roadway, slow down
traffic, and provide traffic calming
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Safety Issue #3: Traffic Operations
Observations:
The audit team brought up a number of observations relating to traffic operations at this intersection. The
issue was brought up that Harding Street southbound does not have to stop upstream of Harrison Street. A
driver may not anticipate a stop sign after having traveled through multiple intersections with the right of
way where the cross street had to stop. This may be a contributing factor to the rear-end crashes that occur
at this location.
The RSA team also discussed the high
frequency of crashes at night by younger
drivers. One light pole is present at the
southwest corner of the intersection, with
some audit participants wondering if
adequate lighting along Harding Street has
been provided. The audit team also noted
that there are several bars and restaurants in
the vicinity, which may be contributing to
crashes among this population and during
these hours.
The incidence of vehicles weaving
aggressively within the roadway was
Looking southbound on Harding Street – Curb seen
discussed as a possible reason for the
jutting out into roadway
sideswipe crashes. As discussed previously,
a lack of lane definition along Harding Street may tempt people to get around slower vehicles, or speed
ahead to get in the queue downstream more quickly.
Enhancements:
 Redesign lanes to be narrower to discourage speeds and weaving
 Increase police enforcement in the area to reduce negligent or impaired drivers
 Reevaluate lighting conditions to see if it is a factor in nighttime crashes
 Work with local establishments and business associations to increase driver awareness and
promote education related to impaired driving
 Install street name signs at the intersection
 Evaluate the retroreflectivity of the of the existing Stop signs at the intersection
Safety Issue #4: Sight Distance
Observations:
The audit team noted several sight distance issues at the intersection. One issue brought up is the brick
building on the northeast corner of the intersection. Vehicles traveling southbound on Harding Street have
difficulty seeing a vehicle stopped at the stop sign westbound on Harrison Street, and vice versa, as the
building at the northeast corner impairs sight distance. Vehicles were observed nudging their way into the
intersection in order to see. Another sight distance issue discussed was the fact that there are multiple lanes
on Harrison Street. If there is a large vehicle or truck traveling southbound, a driver on Harrison Street
would not be able to see if there was another vehicle behind it. Due to the large roadway width, audit
participants believed this occurred frequently; similar behavior was also observed during the field visit.
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Another topic brought up at the RSA was the parking regulations near the intersection. There are “No
Parking” signs on Harding Street in the vicinity of Harrison Street; however, vehicles were observed parked
in violation of those regulations, limiting the sight distance for approaching vehicles on Harrison Street.
Enhancements:
 Reevaluate parking restrictions at corners to determine if improvement of sight distance is
possible
 Enforce parking restrictions that are in place to remove vehicles that are blocking sight
lines
Safety Issue #5: Pedestrian Accommodation
Observations:
Audit participants observed a lack of
crosswalks and the poor condition of
the curb ramps and sidewalks.
Pedestrians must cross a long distance
to get across Harding Street without
any crosswalk. The southwest corner
of the intersection has an apex ramp
with a tactile pad, but it is not lined up
with the sidewalk along Harding
Street, which creates an issue for
visually impaired pedestrians who
may potentially walk into the travel
lanes on Harding Street.
The
southeast corner of the intersection
has a ramp in poor condition with a
catch basin right in the middle of the
ramp.
Curb ramp on southeast quadrant of intersection
A participant at the RSA also mentioned that wheeled dumpsters are frequently being left within the
sidewalk (rather than curbside on Harding Street), which has forced people to go into the street to get around
them.
Enhancements:
 Enforce placement of objects within the sidewalk (dumpsters etc.)
 Install crosswalks and ADA-compliant curb ramps at all four legs of intersection
 Line up the curbline on the west side of Harding Street across the intersection to provide
better pedestrian access
 Evaluate installing bulb outs and new curb ramps to give pedestrians more prominence and
safety within the intersection
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Harding Street at Winter Street
Safety Issue #1: Traffic Operations
Observations:
The RSA team observed a number of issues
regarding traffic operations. It should be
noted that the intersection was modified
sometime in late 2012 or 2013. Previously,
Harding Street to the north used to be oneway southbound but the modifications
converted this section of Harding Street to
carry one lane in each direction. This is
something to put into consideration when
analyzing the crash data from the preconstruction timeframe.
The crosswalk and solid white pavement markings may
give unfamiliar drivers the idea there is a stop sign here
One topic that the audit team brought up was the fact that some drivers traveling southbound on Harding
Street mistakenly think that they have to stop at Winter Street. This perception may have to do with the fact
that all crosswalks are brightly colored with a brick imprint pattern and a 12 inch solid white line on each
side. It was also observed that the double yellow center line on the northern leg was faded near the
intersection. As one driver slows down thinking they have to stop, the driver behind them may veer around,
setting themselves up to get into the left lane south of Winter Street. This weaving and jockeying for space
causes a safety issue within the intersection. In addition, drivers on Winter Street may also think that
Harding Street vehicles are required to stop. There is not any signage to alert the drivers on Winter Street
that vehicles on Harding Street do not stop.
Similar to the intersection of Harding Street at Harrison Street, a large portion of the crashes at this
intersection involved young drivers during nighttime hours. The audit team noted that improved street
lighting was present for all legs of the intersection, except the southern (one-way southbound) leg of the
intersection. Further, the presence of several restaurants and bars in the vicinity of the intersection were
noted by the audit team.
The audit team also brought up a proposal to allow westbound thru traffic at the intersection of Winter
Street and Water Street, located east of Harding Street. This proposed circulation change will increase the
amount of vehicles traveling through the intersection of Harding Street at Winter Street and likely increase
the likelihood of angle crashes, which is the dominant crash pattern at this intersection.
Enhancements:
 Evaluate implementing all-way stop condition for the existing configuration and in
conjunction with future improvements along Harding Street
 Evaluate need for a signalized intersection under current and future conditions
 Evaluate traffic circulation changes in regards to the proposal to allow westbound thru
traffic at the intersection of Winter Street and Water Street
 Reapply double yellow center lines at the intersection to increase visibility
 Add “Two-Way” supplemental plaque to stop signs on Winter Street for the existing
configuration
 Reevaluate lighting conditions (particularly south of the intersection along Harding
Street) to see if it is a factor in nighttime crashes
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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


Work with local establishments and business associations to increase driver awareness
and promote education related to impaired driving
Increase police enforcement in the area to reduce negligent or impaired drivers
Evaluate the retroreflectivity of the of the existing Stop signs at the intersection
Safety Issue #2: Sight Distance
Observations:
The RSA team brought up a number of issues
regarding sight distance at the intersection of
Harding Street and Winter Street. The brick
building on the northeast corner of the
intersection limits sight distance at the Winter
Street westbound approach; the street trees and
any parked cars close to the intersection also
contribute to impaired sight distance. Vehicles
have to poke out of Winter Street westbound
beyond the stop line to see and be seen by
vehicles traveling southbound on Harding
Street. Trees and cars parked on the westerly Limited sight distance looking northbound from Winter
Street
side of Harding Street also create a sight
distance issue for vehicles traveling on Winter Street eastbound. Impaired sight distance at the intersection
was believed to be a primary contributing factor to angle crashes at the intersection by the audit team.
Enhancements:
 Reevaluate parking restrictions at corners to determine if improvement of sight distance is
possible
 Enforce parking restrictions that are in place to remove vehicles that are blocking sight
lines
 Consider tree trimming program to keep branches from blocking the line of sight
Safety Issue #3: Pedestrian and Bicycle
Amenities
Observations:
A number of bicycle and pedestrian
accommodations exist at the intersection of
Harding Street and Winter Street. There are
bicycle lanes on the northern leg of Harding
Street. East of Harding Street, Winter Street
has a bicycle and “Share the Road” sign facing
the eastbound direction; there is no other bike
signage. There are no shared lane markings
(“sharrows”) on Winter Street and there are no
bike lanes on Harding Street south of Winter
Street.
Crosswalks at the intersection of Harding Street and
Winter Street
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Enhancements:
 Add “sharrows” on Winter Street to increase driver awareness of bicycles in the roadway
 Consider adding bike lanes on Harding Street south of Winter Street
 Consider addition of street trees along the Harding Street corridor and analyze their benefit
to pedestrians and traffic calming Recommendations
After discussing the various safety deficiencies within the study area, participants discussed potential
solutions. The audit participants were encouraged to consider both short and long-term improvements for
each of the existing safety issues. Each improvement considered has been categorized as short-term, midterm, or long-term based on the definitions shown in Table 2. Additionally, a cost category has been
assigned to each improvement based on the parameters set forth in Table 2.
Table 2. Estimated Time Frame and Costs Breakdown
Time Frame
Short-Term
<1 Year
Mid-Term
1-3 Years
Long-Term
>3 Years
Costs
Low
Medium
High
<$10,000
$10,001-$50,000
>$50,000
Summary of Road Safety Audit
A summary of the potential recommendations discussed by the RSA audit team are summarized in Table
3. The recommendations are summarized based on the potential safety payoff, time frame, approximate
cost and responsible agency. The safety payoff is a subjective judgment of the potential effectiveness of
the safety recommendations listed below.
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Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
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Table 3. Potential Safety Enhancement Summary
Safety Issue
Traffic Control
Traffic Control
Traffic Control
Traffic Control
Traffic Control
Traffic Control
Roadway Geometry
Roadway Geometry
Roadway Geometry
Roadway Geometry
Roadway Geometry
Traffic Operations
Potential Safety Enhancement
Safety
Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible
Agency
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
High
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
High
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
High
Long-Term
High
City of Worcester
High
Long-Term
High
City of Worcester
High
Long-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
Medium
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
Medium
Long-Term
High
City of Worcester
High
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Harding Street at Harrison Street
Add advance “Stop Ahead” signs to warn
Medium
drivers of upcoming stop sign
Add “All-Way” plaques to supplement stop signs
Reapply pavement markings such as stop lines,
lane lines, shoulders, crosswalks, and parking
to help enforce lane usage
Paint “Stop” legend in addition to the stop bar
on Harrison Street to emphasis the stop control
Add “Do Not Enter” sign for the north leg of the
intersection
Enforce Stop sign running
Evaluate narrowing the curb to curb width of the
roadway to reduce speeds and to limit
aggressive driving and competition for space
Evaluate lining up the curbline on the west side
of Harding Street across the intersection to
prevent the need for vehicles to swerve
Provide two-way travel on Harding Street
creating a four-way stop condition
Evaluate circulation patterns of local traffic to
see if two-way travel on Harrison Street is
needed
Consider adding bumpouts to corners of
intersection to narrow the roadway, slow down
traffic, and provide traffic calming
Redesign lanes to be narrower to discourage
speeds and weaving
Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Safety Issue
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Sight Distance
Sight Distance
Pedestrian
Accommodation
Pedestrian
Accommodation
Pedestrian
Accommodation
Pedestrian
Accommodation
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Potential Safety Enhancement
Increase police enforcement in the area to
reduce negligent or impaired drivers
Reevaluate lighting conditions to see if it is a
factor in nighttime crashes
Work with local establishments and business
associations to increase driver awareness and
promote education related to impaired driving
Install street name signs at the intersection
Evaluate the retroreflectivity of the of the
existing Stop signs at the intersection
Reevaluate parking restrictions at corners to
determine if improvement of sight distance is
possible
Enforce parking restrictions that are in place to
remove vehicles that are blocking sight lines
Enforce placement of objects within the
sidewalk (dumpsters etc.)
Install crosswalks and ADA-compliant curb
ramps at all four legs of intersection
Line up the curbline on the west side of Harding
Street across the intersection to provide better
pedestrian access
Evaluate installing bulb outs and new curb
ramps to give pedestrians more prominence
and safety within the intersection
Safety
Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible
Agency
Medium
Short-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
Medium
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
Medium
Mid-Term
Low
City of
Worcester/
Property Owners
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
High
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
High
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
High
Long-Term
High
City of Worcester
Medium
Long-Term
High
City of Worcester
Long-Term
High
City of Worcester
Long-Term
High
City of Worcester
Harding Street at Winter Street
Evaluate implementing all-way stop condition for
the existing configuration and in conjunction
High
with future improvements along Harding Street
Evaluate need for a signalized intersection
High
under current and future conditions
Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Safety Issue
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Traffic Operations
Sight Distance
Sight Distance
Sight Distance
Pedestrian and Bicycle
Amenities
Pedestrian and Bicycle
Amenities
Pedestrian and Bicycle
Amenities
Potential Safety Enhancement
Evaluate traffic circulation changes in regards to
the proposal to allow westbound thru traffic at
the Winter Street/Water Street intersection
Reapply double yellow center lines at the
intersection to increase visibility
Add “Two-Way” supplemental plaque to stop
signs on Winter Street for the existing
configuration
Reevaluate lighting conditions (particularly
south of the intersection along Harding Street)
to see if it is a factor in nighttime crashes
Work with local establishments and business
associations to increase driver awareness and
promote education related to impaired driving
Increase police enforcement in the area to
reduce negligent or impaired drivers
Evaluate the retroreflectivity of the of the
existing Stop signs at the intersection
Reevaluate parking restrictions at corners to
determine if improvement of sight distance is
possible
Enforce parking restrictions that are in place to
remove vehicles that are blocking sight lines
Consider tree trimming program to keep
branches from blocking the line of sight
Add “sharrows” on Winter Street to increase
driver awareness of bicycles in the roadway
Consider adding bike lanes on Harding Street
south of Winter Street
Consider addition of street trees along the
Harding Street corridor and analyze their benefit
to pedestrians and traffic calming
Safety
Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible
Agency
Medium
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
High
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
Medium
Mid-Term
Low
City of
Worcester/
Property Owners
Medium
Short-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
High
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City of Worcester
Medium
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
Medium
Long-Term
Medium
City of Worcester
Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Appendix A. RSA Meeting Agenda Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Appendix B. RSA Audit Team Contact List Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Participating Audit Team Members
Audit Team
Members
Dan Daniska
Promise Otaluka
Date: July 20, 2015
Agency/
Affiliation
Central
Massachusetts
Regional Planning
Commission
Federal Highway
Administration
Location: Union Station, Worcester, MA
Email Address
Phone Number
ddaniska@cmrpc.org
508-459-3331
promise.otaluka@dot.gov
617-494-2528
Syed Akhtar
MassDOT
syed.akhtar@state.ma.us
Lola Campbell
MassDOT District 3
alolade.campbell@state.ma.us
John Mastera
MassDOT Highway
Safety Unit
john.mastera@state.ma.us
David Moyer
McMahon Associates
dmoyer@mcmahonassociates.com
Phil Viveiros
McMahon Associates
pviveiros@mcmahonassociates.com
Brian Brosnan
VHB Inc.
bbrosnan@vhb.com
Gerald Powers
Walk Bike Worcester
gerald.powers@charter.net
Ali Khorasani
Worcester DPW&P
khorasania@worcesterma.gov
857-368-9624
508-929-3887
857-368-9648
617-556-0020
617-556-0020
508-752-1001
508-791-3139
508-929-1300
Road Safety Audit—Harding Street at Harrison Street and Winter Street- Worcester, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Appendix C. Detailed Crash Data Crash Data Summary Table
�
Crash Date Crash Day
m/d/y
#
1
2
6/8/2010 Tuesday
10/29/2010 Friday
Time of Day
Manner of Collision
Type
Harding Street & Harrison Street; Worcester MA
�
Jan 2010 - Dec 2014
�
Weather
Light Condition Condition Road Surface
Type
Type
Type
D1
Driver Age
D2
D3
Driver Contributing Code
Type
19:15:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
21
59
No improper driving
10:58:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
55
88
Failed to yield right of way
19:41:00 Single Vehicle Crash
Dusk
Rain
Wet
27
12:19:00 Angled
Daylight
Unk
Unk
38
22
Failed to yield right of way
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
23
35
Disregarded traffic sign
Dusk
Clear
Dry
26
57
Failed to yield right of way
3
6/12/2012 Tuesday
4
10/23/2012 Tuesday
5
10/26/2012 Friday
0:24:00 Angled
6
7/19/2013 Friday
17:45:00 Angled
Distracted
Dark - lighted
roadway
Dark - lighted
roadway
Rain
Wet
64
35
Clear
Dry
66
17
Daylight
Snow
Snow
47
32
16:00:00 Angled
Daylight
Rain
Wet
66
39
Daylight
Dark - lighted
roadway
Cloudy
Dry
57
26
Clear
Dry
26 Unk
1:45:00 Single Vehicle Crash
7
8/2/2013 Friday
8
12/13/2013 Friday
21:00:00 Rear-end
9
2/14/2014 Friday
7:45:00 Rear-end
10
5/9/2014 Friday
11
6/12/2014 Thursday
13:53:00 Angled
12
6/1/2014 Sunday
1:35:00 Angled
13
7/9/2014 Wednesday
15:40:00 Single Vehicle Crash
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
14
9/10/2014 Wednesday
22:16:00 Single Vehicle Crash
Dark - lighted
roadway
Cloudy
Dry
24
Veh #2 had sun in eyes
and did not see Veh #1
Veh#1 sideswiped a
parked vehicle
Veh#2 did not see Veh#1
due to illegally parked
delivery truck
Veh#1 ran stop sign on
Harding St and struck
Veh#2
Veh#1 opened door
while parked into path
of Veh#2
Operating vehicle in erratic,
reckless, careless, negligent Veh#2 struck parked
or aggressive manner
Veh#1
Veh#1 struck Veh#2
from behind
Disregarded traffic sign
Veh#1 struck Veh#2
from behind
Followed too closely
Veh#2 struck Veh#1
after failing to come to
complete stop on
Harrison
Disregarded traffic sign
Veh#1 traveled thru stop
sign on Harding and
struck Veh#2
Disregarded traffic sign
Failure to keep in proper
Veh#2 sideswiped Veh#1
lane
Failure to keep in proper
lane
Unk
Comments
Driving too fast for
condition
Veh#1 was sideswiped
while parked
Veh#1 (motorcycle) lost
control when turning
onto Harding
Three of 14 Hit and Run
Five out of 14 collisions resulted in personal injury
Summary based on Crash Reports provided by the Worcestery Police Department and MassDOT
Page 1 of 8
Crash Data Summary Table
�
Crash Date Crash Day
m/d/y
#
Time of Day
Manner of Collision
Type
Harding Street & Winter Street; Worcester MA
�
Jan 2010 - Dec 2014
�
Weather
Light Condition Condition
Road Surface
Type
Type
Type
D1
Driver Age
D2
1
1/15/2010 Friday
22:35:00 Angled
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
30
21
2
6/22/2010 Tuesday
21:10:00 Angled
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
30
18
3
12/20/2010 Monday
Angled
Dark - lighted
roadway
Cloudy
Wet
26
24
4
12/22/2010 Wednesday
9:15:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
69
34
Driver Contributing Code Comments
Type
Veh #2 did not see Veh
#1 after stopping at
Failed to yield right of way stop sign
Veh #2 did not see Veh
#1 after stopping at
Failed to yield right of way stop sign
Veh#1 struck Veh#2
after Veh#2 had
proceeded across
Inattention
Harding
Veh#1 struck Veh#2
then continued into
Failed to yield right of way guard rail
D3
5
4/16/2011 Monday
12:15:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
18
24
Veh#2 struck Veh#1
Failed to yield right of way after running stop sign
6
5/23/2011 Monday
17:00:00 Angled
Daylight
Rain
Wet
39
35
Veh#2 struck Veh#1
Failed to yield right of way after running stop sign
7
6/6/2011 Monday
17:00:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
26
21
8
7/5/2011 Tuesday
Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
33
18
7/24/2011 Sunday
1:29:00 Angled
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
21
27
10
8/27/2011 Saturday
1:00:00 Angled
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
30
22
11
10/11/2011 Tuesday
12:55:00 Angled
Clear
Dry
19
40
12
12/22/2011 Thursday
17:45:00 Angled
Clear
Dry
50
54
9
13
3/16/2012 Friday
17:33:00 Angled
Daylight
Dark - lighted
roadway
Daylight
Clear
Dry
32
61
Veh#2 struck by Veh#1
within intersection then
both struck Veh#3
44 Unknown
Veh#1 did not see stop
sign and was struck by
Failed to yield right of way Veh#2
Veh #2 did not see Veh
#1 after stopping at
Failed to yield right of way stop sign
Veh#2 struck Veh#1
Failed to yield right of way after running stop sign
Veh#1 struck Veh#2
(trailer truck) after
Failed to yield right of way departing Winter St
Veh#1 pulled in front of
Unknown
Veh#2
Other improper action
Veh#1 made left turn
from right side of road
and was struck from
behind by Veh#2
Page 4 of 8
Crash Data Summary Table
�
#
14
Crash Date Crash Day
m/d/y
4/21/2012 Saturday
Time of Day
Manner of Collision
Type
2:13:00 Single Vehicle Crash
Harding Street & Winter Street; Worcester MA
�
Jan 2010 - Dec 2014
�
Weather
Light Condition Condition
Road Surface
Type
Type
Type
D1
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
Driver Age
D2
D3
Driver Contributing Code Comments
Type
Other improper action
26
Veh#1 drifted into
parked Veh#2
20
1/7/2013 Monday
16:30:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
22
29
Veh#1 struck by Veh#2
while crossing Harding/
Stop Sign facing wrong
No improper driving
direction
Veh#1 on Harding St
struck by Veh#2 on
Winter St
Unknown
Veh#1 struck from
behind on Harding by
Veh#2 while making left
turn
Unknown
Veh#1 turned onto
Winter St and struck
Veh#2 which was
No improper driving
backing up
Veh#2 struck Veh#1
attempting to pass
while Veh#2 was
Wrong side or Wrong Way making a left turn
Veh#1 drove thru stop
sign and was struck by
Failed to yield right of way Veh#2
21
5/1/2013 Wednesday
12:37:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
50
62
Veh #1 struck Veh #2
Failed to yield right of way after exiting Winter St
22
7/10/2013 Wednesday
16:45:00 Angled
Clear
Dry
37
17
23
8/13/2013 Tuesday
Daylight
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
38
24
15:10:00 Angled
Daylight
Clear
Dry
70
40
16:40:00 Angled
Dusk
Clear
Wet
26
34
14:15:00 Angled
Daylight
Snow
Snow
81
22
15
6/30/2012 Saturday
13:22:00 Angled
16
7/8/2012 Sunday
17
8/1/2012 Wednesday
18
19
24
25
26
12/1/2012 Saturday
12/21/2012 Friday
8/7/2013 Wednesday
12/19/2013 Thursday
2/19/2014 Wednesday
Daylight
Clear
Dry
20
39
0:43:00 Angled
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
60
43
23:21:00 Rear-end
Dark - lighted
roadway
Clear
Dry
18 Unk
2:10:00 Rear-end
Dark - lighted
roadway
Cloudy
Dry
26
22
18:57:00 Angled
Dark - lighted
roadway
Cloudy
Wet
30
52
1:00:00 Angled
Veh#2 did not see stop
sign and struck Veh#2
Veh#2 ran stop sign and
Disregarded traffic sign
struck Veh#1
Veh#2 ran stop sign and
Disregarded traffic sign
struck Veh#1
Veh#1 struck Veh#2
while making a left turn
Failed to yield right of way from Winter St
Veh#2 struck Veh#1
after entering the
intersection. Did not see
Failed to yield right of way Veh#1
Disregarded traffic sign
Page 5 of 8
Crash Data Summary Table
�
#
27
28
Crash Date Crash Day
m/d/y
4/30/2014 Wednesday
11/17/2012 Saturday
Time of Day
Manner of Collision
Type
22:00:00 Angled
Sideswipe, same
0:27:00 direction
Harding Street & Winter Street; Worcester MA
�
Jan 2010 - Dec 2014
�
Weather
Light Condition Condition
Road Surface
Type
Type
Type
D1
Dark - lighted
roadway
Dark - lighted
roadway
Snow
Clear
Wet
Dry
28
21
Driver Age
D2
45
D3
Driver Contributing Code Comments
Type
Inattention
Operating vehicle in an
eratic, reckless careless,
negligent or aggressive
manner
Veh #1 did not see Veh
#2 and struck Veh#2
after exiting Winter St
Veh #2 struck drivers
side of Veh#1 with both
traveling south
Two of 28 Hit and Run
Two additional hit & run crashes occurred in the vicinity of 61 Winter Street, but did not have adequate information to chart.
Nine out of 28 collisions resulted in personal injury
Summary based on Crash Reports provided by the Worcestery Police Department and MassDOT
Page 6 of 8