ROAD SAFETY AUDIT
Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5) Intersection
City of Northampton, MA
June 2011
Prepared For:
MassDOT
Prepared By:
Nitsch Engineering
186 Lincoln Street
Boston, MA 02111
Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Table of Contents
Background .................................................................................................................................1
Project Data .................................................................................................................................1
Project Location Description .....................................................................................................2
Audit Observations and Potential Safety Enhancements........................................................6
Summary of Road Safety Audit...............................................................................................11
List of Appendices
Appendix A: RSA Meeting Agenda
Appendix B: RSA Audit Team Contact List
Appendix C: Detailed Crash Data
Appendix D: Additional Information
Appendix E: Road Safety Audit References
List of Figures
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Locus Map.............................................................................................................................. 3
Aerial Map.............................................................................................................................. 5
List of Tables
Table 1.
Table 2.
Participating Audit Team Members ....................................................................................... 2
Potential Safety Enhancements Summary............................................................................ 12
Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Background
The intersection of Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5) in Northampton was among the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) Top 1,000 Crash Locations from 1997 –
1999. Shortly thereafter, the City of Northampton solicited planning assistance from the Pioneer Valley
Planning Commission which issued the Pleasant Street Safety Transportation Study in June 2005. The
study found that during the three-year period of 1999 to 2001, the intersection had a crash rate of 1.66
accidents per million entering vehicles (acc/mev) which was significantly higher than the statewide
average of 0.66 (acc/mev). The study concluded that the overall safety of the intersection would be
increased with the installation of a traffic signal control or a modern roundabout to provide greater traffic
control and operation within the intersection. MassDOT, which has jurisdiction over this section of Route
5, has begun the process of implementing improvements to this intersection. The Road Safety Audit
(RSA) is one of the first steps in this design process as well as a necessary step for the project to be
eligible to receive Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) federal funds for construction. At the
time of the Audit, the intersection was on the most recent (2006-2008) Top 5% High Crash Location list
in the Pioneer Valley region. The goal of this RSA is to identify potential safety issues that can be
addressed with short-term improvements prior to construction and long-term improvements that can be
incorporated into the design. All improvements should adhere to the Sustainable Northampton
Comprehensive Plan (2008) for intersection design.
The RSA is a collaborative process by state, municipal, law enforcement, public works, and design
consultants. The process involves conducting a meeting to discuss current crash data and safety issues at
the site, visiting the site to discuss possible solutions that would improve safety, and preparing a written
report that outlines the safety issues discussed along with the costs, timeline, and agency responsibility for
implementing improvements.
Project Data
The RSA occurred on June 21, 2011 in Northampton, MA. A group of 18 people discussed the existing
conditions of the intersection, including the intersection geometry, the traffic volumes present on the
roadway, and the crash statistics and diagram. The group included people from the Design Team,
MassDOT Boston and the District 2 office, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, staff from the
Northampton DPW, the City Council, and the Planning and Police departments. The group then traveled
to the site to observe operations and do an inventory of items that may affect safety. Table 1 shows the
audit team members. The RSA agenda can be found in Appendix A. Contact information for the team
members can be found in Appendix B.
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Table 1. Audit Team Members
Name
Agency/Affiliation
David Narkewicz
Laura Hanson
Ned Huntley
Wayne Feiden
Joseph W. Koncas
Robert J. Powers
Scott A. Savino
Dave Blei
John Hillman
Bao Lang
Daryl Amaral
Corey O’Connor
Nicole Rogers
Lisa Schletzbaum
Khyati Parmar
Stephen Farr
Fayssal Husseini
Corinne Tobias
Northampton City Council
Northampton DPW
Northampton DPW
Northampton Planning Department
Northampton Police Department
Northampton Police Department
Northampton Police Department
MassDOT – District 2
MassDOT – District 2
MassDOT – District 2
MassDOT – District 2
MassDOT – Boston
MassDOT – Boston
MassDOT – Boston
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Nitsch Engineering
Nitsch Engineering
Nitsch Engineering
Project Location and Description
The intersection of Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5) is shown in Figure 1. The intersection is
currently unsignalized.
Nitsch Engineering evaluated the last three years of available crash data (2008 – 2010) from the
Northampton Police Department to determine some of the existing safety concerns at the site. Of the 33
crashes at the intersection, 42% were angle type, 39% were rear-end type, 12% were caused by
sideswipes, and 6% were single-vehicle crashes. Crashes typically occurred during the peak hours, with
21% occurring between 6:00 and 10:00 AM and 58% occurring between 2:00 and 6:00 PM. The majority
of crashes (73%) occurred during daylight hours under dry conditions. In addition, crashes appeared to
spike slightly in the month of June, with 21% of all crashes occurring at that time. February had a slight
increase in crashes, with 15% occurring during that month. Appendix C includes the detailed crash data
at this location. The crash data was exclusively obtained from the Northampton Police Department
records and does not include operator reports from the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Figure 1 – Locus Map
Not To Scale
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Pleasant Street (Route 5) is an urban principal arterial under the jurisdiction of MassDOT that is oriented
in the north-south direction, parallel to Interstate 91. To the south of the intersection, Route 5 traverses
through a flood control dike. Located to the south of the dike, Route 5 intersects the Interstate 91
exit/entrance ramps. Traveling north on Pleasant Street will bring you into the center of Northampton and
to Route 9. Pleasant Street generally consists of one travel lane in each direction. Medians separate the
traffic in the vicinity of the intersection. The travel lanes to the north and south of the intersection are
separated by a double yellow centerline. Although there is no striping for multiple lanes, the roadway is
wide enough at the intersection that both approaches function as two travel lanes, with the through traffic
driving around the left-turning traffic. The speed limit on Pleasant Street is 35 miles per hour (mph) in
the vicinity of the intersection. Speed data obtained by Nitsch Engineering indicated that the 85th
percentile speed for vehicles traveling both northbound and southbound on Pleasant Street is 39 mph.
Pleasant Street, north of Conz Street, serves approximately 12,900 vehicles per day. Pleasant Street,
south of Conz Street, serves approximately 20,200 vehicles per day.
Conz Street is an urban minor arterial under the jurisdiction of the Town of Northampton that is oriented
in the northwest-southeast direction. Conz Street serves traffic traveling between Route 5 and the center
of Northampton. Conz Street generally consists of one travel lane in each direction. At the intersection,
the approach widens slightly, and functions as a two-lane approach, with left-turning vehicles separating
themselves from the right-turning vehicles. A small median separates opposing traffic at the intersection.
Double yellow centerlines separate opposing traffic along the rest of the street. The speed limit on Conz
Street is 25 mph in the vicinity of the intersection. Speed data for Conz Street indicates that the 85th
percentile speed for vehicles on Conz Street eastbound is 29 mph, and 34 mph for vehicles traveling
westbound. Conz Street serves approximately 8,900 vehicles per day.
A number of commercial site driveways are located east of the intersection. Two of these driveways are
located directly adjacent to one another and across from Pleasant Street, effectively creating 5 legs to the
intersection. Currently, both driveways accept two-way traffic. An aerial map of the intersection is
shown in Figure 2.
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Figure 2 – Aerial Map
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Audit Observations and Potential Safety
Enhancements
Based on the field observations and subsequent discussions held on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, the
following issues were highlighted that may affect the safety of the intersection:
1. Intersection Geometry
2. Intersection Operations
3. Additional Enhancements
The following sections describe the specific safety concerns and potential improvements that were
determined during the RSA. These improvements will be reviewed and evaluated as part of the
conceptual design process currently being undertaken.
Safety Issue #1 – Intersection Geometry
The intersection of Pleasant Street and Conz Street is a three-leg unsignalized intersection, with two site
drives operating as additional legs. The Pleasant Street northbound and southbound approaches each
consist of one travel lane in each direction for all movements. These approaches operate under free
control. Opposing traffic is separated by a narrow median.
Conz Street Alignment:
The crash records indicate that 39% of all crashes are rear-end type. Nearly all of these crashes occurred
at the Conz Street approach to the intersection, indicating that there is some confusion with the control at
this approach. Rear-end crashes are often caused when a driver is attempting to yield, and fails to notice
that the vehicle directly in front of them is stopped.
Conz Street approaches Pleasant Street
at approximately a 45-degree angle
from the northwest. Conz Street ends
at Pleasant Street and operates under
STOP control. Conz Street contains
one lane in each direction. However,
the approach at the intersection is wide
enough that it functions as a two-lane
approach when left-turning vehicles are
present. The vast majority of the
vehicles are turning right onto Pleasant
Street. The 45-degree approach, along
with a large outside edge radius, may
encourage a high speed approach to the
The acute angle of the Conz Street approach encourages motorists
to treat this intersection as a YIELD condition instead of obeying the
posted STOP sign.
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
intersection which often results in vehicles treating the approach as a YIELD instead of a STOP control.
During the field observations, vehicles turning right onto Pleasant Street were observed to treat the
approach as if it were under YIELD control. During the site visit, the team noticed that the stop-line at
this approach is too far back for vehicles to adequately see oncoming vehicles from the Pleasant Street
southbound approach. The stop-line location combined with the bank building in the northwest quadrant
of the intersection makes it difficult for vehicles to see oncoming Pleasant Street southbound traffic.
Vehicles need to proceed past the stop-line and may stop unexpectedly thereby causing rear end
collisions.
Driveways:
The records show that 42% of all crashes were angle crashes, the vast majority of which occurred with
vehicles entering and exiting the driveways on the east side of the intersection.
Opposite Conz Street are two driveways located directly adjacent to one another. Both driveways serve
two-way traffic and are separated by a small landscaped island. This configuration is confusing to the user.
Vehicles can enter or exit each driveway from all approaches. In order for vehicles to exit the driveways
and travel southbound, they must first cross Pleasant Street northbound, which operates as two lanes. In
order to travel westbound onto Conz Street, vehicles exiting the site driveway must cross Pleasant Street
northbound and southbound, in addition to watching for vehicles turning left from Conz Street onto
Pleasant Street. This can be very difficult, since vehicles traveling on Pleasant Street operate under free
control, and are traveling at an average speed of 35 mph. The high volume of traffic, combined with the
speed of traffic, make these movements very difficult for the users.
Vehicles will often cross the
intersection half-way and wait in
front of the median to cross the
other half of the roadway, thus
getting in the way of other
vehicles attempting to turn.
Vehicles will sometimes exit the
two site driveways
simultaneously. This can cause
confusion since they may not be
looking for other vehicles coming
from the adjacent driveway.
Vehicle attempting to cross Pleasant Street from the Gas Station
Driveway waits in the median.
The car wash/gas station station
driveway has an abrupt elevation change that may contribute to some of the crashes at the driveways.
Vehicles traveling northbound on Pleasant Street entering the driveways on the right tend to slow down
more than a typical entrance in order to negotiate the steep ramp into the businesses. This may not be
anticipated by trailing drivers.
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
RSA team members also commented that vehicles entering the intersection wet from the car wash can
create wet surface conditions on the roadway. During the winter time, this can cause icy conditions. A
reconfiguration of the driveway entrance may address all of these issues.
Another contributing factor to crashes at the driveways may be the lack of existing pavement markings on
Pleasant Street northbound. Since Pleasant Street northbound is only striped for one lane, vehicles
turning right into the car wash/gas station driveway do not get into a right lane. When vehicles slow
down to make the turn, some vehicles following them attempt to pass them on the right, assuming they
are turning left onto Conz Street, and end up crashing into them as they turn right.
This intersection configuration is not a typical STOP controlled intersection. The confusing intersection
geometry can be challenging to locals who drive through the area on a regular basis; however, data
indicates that it may be particularly challenging for visitors. A significant percentage of crashes occurred
during the month of June, which is when many of the college graduations in the area take place and is
also the beginning of the summer tourist season. The police department stated that a very high percentage
of crashes (approximately 80%) city-wide occur with vehicles involving non-residents. Non-traditional
intersection configurations can cause additional confusion for these users.
Enhancements:
1.
Provide a designated Pleasant Street northbound left-turning lane, clearly separating the through
and right-turning traffic from the left-turn movements.
2.
Re-align the Conz Street approach to improve the STOP control for vehicles turning onto
Pleasant Street southbound.
3.
Provide striping at the site driveways clearly delineating opposing traffic movements.
4.
Combine the gas station and car wash driveways into a single approach. This would require
MassDOT, the City of Northampton, and the property owners developing an agreement to allow
this work to proceed.
5.
Adjust driveway aprons and sidewalk elevations on the east side of Pleasant Street.
Safety Issue #2 – Intersection Operations
Minimal Intersection Control:
The Pleasant Street northbound and southbound approaches operate as free movements. Conz Street and
the site driveways operate under STOP control. As a part of the preliminary findings, Nitsch Engineering
completed a signal warrant analysis for the intersection, evaluating whether the traffic volumes at this
location were high enough to warrant a traffic signal. The analysis shows that there are significant levels
of traffic and that multiple signal warrant conditions were met. The warrant analysis can be found in
Appendix D.
The unsignalized operations make it very difficult for vehicles to cross Pleasant Street. Vehicles are
traveling at an average speed of 35 mph at this location in high volumes. In addition, the roadway is wide
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
enough to accommodate two lanes of traffic in each direction, and occasionally functions under those
conditions. This makes it very difficult for side street volumes to enter the intersection safely.
Minimal intersection control may be a contributing factor to the high volume of angle crashes that occur
when vehicles are turning.
Enhancements:
1.
Reconstruct the intersection to provide more operational control for all movements at the
intersection. This may be achieved through a traffic signal or a roundabout. Any form of
intersection redesign should include control of the car wash/gas station driveway as a single
westbound approach.
Safety Issue #3 – Additional Enhancements
The following issues were not determined to impact the crash level at the intersection; however, they
represent additional enhancements to the area that should provide a higher level of safety and comfort at
the intersection for all users.
Signage
During the site observations, the team
observed that some of the signage at
the intersection may be confusing to
the user. In particular, the directional
signing for vehicles traveling
northbound on Pleasant Street is
located only at the intersection. This
can cause some motorists to be
indecisive and unsure of what
direction they should take. This sign
should be supplemented with an
additional directional sign well in
advance of the intersection to give
motorists advance warning of a
The existing directional sign message is lengthy and may not be quickly
change in direction. This directional understood by motorists. It should also be relocated off the median.
sign also has multiple lines of text
and may be difficult for drivers to process while traveling at the posted speed.
The street name sign for Conz Street is small and can be difficult to see, thus contributing to driver
confusion. Last minute decision making can cause vehicles to make more unanticipated turns.
The Pleasant Street southbound approach has no advance warning signage for the intersection. The only
warning sign on the southbound approach is a crosswalk warning sign (W11A-2). This sign is incorrectly
located and should be positioned at the crosswalk location immediately south of the intersection. A Side
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Road Warning Sign (W2-3) should be installed at the location of the existing crosswalk sign to warn
motorists of the Conz Street approach which is hidden from view due to the existing commercial
development that restricts sight lines.
An RSA team member suggested that the Conz Street approach may be improved via the installation of
additional signing (double STOP signs, STOP AHEAD warning signs, etc.) as recommended in FHWA
publication Low-Cost Safety Enhancements for Stop-Controlled and Signalized Intersections, May 2009.
Pedestrian Accommodations:
The intersection has very limited
accommodations for pedestrians.
The only sidewalk within the
project limits begins on the east side
of Pleasant Street in front of the gas
station and continues north. The
only crosswalk in the vicinity of the
intersection is located
approximately 100 feet south of
Conz Street. Pedestrians attempting
to cross the street at this location
must contend with high volumes of The faded crosswalk connecting the bowling alley to an office building south
of the intersection is the only crosswalk within the project limits.
traffic, many of them turning
vehicles that may be harder to identify as conflicts. Very few pedestrians are present at this location as
the area does not contain many destinations for pedestrians. Regardless of pedestrian volume, crosswalks
are an important feature at any intersection and should be installed across all approaches at this location.
Bicycle Accommodations:
The intersection lacks adequate bicycle
accommodations as required by MassDOT
standards. During the site visit, the audit
team observed approximately 10 bicycles
traveling southbound through the
intersection. Bicyclists do not have a
delineated shoulder to travel within and are
required to “share the road” with motor
vehicles. While sharing the road is
adequate in many locations, Pleasant Street
is wide enough to accommodate one vehicle
lane and a significant shoulder area for
bicycles (4-foot minimum).
The intersection lacks edge striping that would clearly delineate
a “shoulder” area for cyclists.
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Enhancements:
1.
Provide an additional directional sign for the Pleasant Street northbound approach in advance of
the intersection to supplement the existing sign.
2.
Investigate replacing the existing directional sign with a more concise message.
3.
Provide a larger street name sign for Conz Street.
4.
Remove the existing crosswalk warning sign north of the intersection and install a Side Road
Warning Sign to alert motorists traveling southbound on Pleasant Street of the approaching
intersection.
5.
Provide clearly marked crosswalks across all intersection approaches along with the appropriate
pedestrian warning signs.
6.
Re-stripe travel lanes along Pleasant Street to provide a 4-foot minimum shoulder for bicycle
accommodations.
7.
Evaluate and update all pavement markings and signage in accordance with the current version of
the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Summary of Road Safety Audit
MassDOT has retained Nitsch Engineering to provide transportation and engineering services for the
preparation of design plans for the reconstruction of the intersection of Conz Street and Pleasant Street.
As the design process progresses, Nitsch Engineering will evaluate and incorporate the feasible safety
enhancements described above into the proposed intersection design. However, the roadway owner may
choose to implement many of the suggested “Low Cost”, “Short-term” enhancements prior to the
completion of the design process if resources are available.
The safety issues, potential improvements, estimated safety payoff, time frame, and cost are summarized
in Table 2 below. The safety payoff estimates are categorized based on their estimated crash reduction:
low, medium, and high. Short-term improvements are typically categorized as taking less than one year,
mid-term improvements are categorized as one to three years, and long-term improvements are
categorized as taking more than three years. The costs are categorized as low (<$10,000), medium
($10,001 to $50,000), or high (>$50,001).
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Table 2. Potential Safety Enhancement Summary
Safety Issue
Intersection Geometry
Intersection Operations
Additional Enhancements
Safety Enhancement
Provide a designated Pleasant Street northbound leftturning lane, clearly separating the through and rightturning traffic from the left-turn movements.
Re-align the Conz Street approach to improve the STOP
control for vehicles turning onto Pleasant Street
southbound.
Provide striping at the site driveways clearly delineating
opposing traffic movements.
Combine the gas station/car wash driveways into a single
intersection approach. This would require MassDOT, the
City of Northampton, and the Driveway owners developing
an agreement to allow this work to proceed.
Adjust driveway aprons and sidewalk elevations on the east
side of Pleasant Street
Reconstruct the intersection to include a traffic signal or a
roundabout.
Provide an additional directional sign for the Pleasant Street
northbound approach in advance of the intersection to
supplement the existing sign.
Investigate replacing the existing directional sign with a
more concise message.
Safety Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible Agency
Medium
Mid-term
Low
MassDOT
High
Long-term
High
MassDOT
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
High
Mid-term
Medium MassDOT
Low
Short-term
Medium MassDOT
High
Long-term
High
MassDOT
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
Provide a larger street name sign for Conz Street.
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
Install additional STOP and STOP AHEAD signs at the
Conz Street approach.
Low
Short-term
Low
Northampton
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Safety Issue
Safety Enhancement
Remove the existing crosswalk warning sign north of the
intersection and install a Side Road Warning Sign to alert
motorists traveling southbound on Pleasant Street of the
approaching intersection.
Provide clearly marked crosswalks and pedestrian crossing
signing at all intersection approaches.
Additional Enhancements
(continued)
Re-stripe travel lanes along Pleasant Street to provide a 4foot minimum shoulder for bicycle accommodations.
Evaluate and update all pavement markings and signage in
accordance with the current version of the Manual on
Uniform Traffic Control.
Safety Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible Agency
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
Low
Short-term
Low
MassDOT
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Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Appendix A: RSA Meeting Agenda
Road Safety Audit
Pleasant Street (Route 5) / Conz Street
Meeting Location: CITY HALL, 2nd Floor Hearing Room
210 MAIN STREET, NORTHAMPTON, MA
TUESDAY, 06/21/2011
1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Type of meeting:
High Crash Location – Road Safety Audit
Attendees:
Invited Participants to Comprise a Multidisciplinary Team
Please bring:
Thoughts and Enthusiasm!!
1:30 PM
Welcome and Introductions
1:45 PM
Review of Site Specific Material
 Crash, Speed & Volume Summaries– provided in advance
 Existing Geometries and Conditions
2:30 PM
Visit the Site
 Drive to Pleasant Street (Route 5) / Conz Street intersection
 As a group, identify areas for improvement
3:15 PM
Post Visit Discussion / Completion of RSA
 Discuss observations and finalize findings
 Discuss potential improvements and finalize recommendations
4:00 PM
Adjourn for the Day – but the RSA has not ended
Instructions for Participants:
 Before attending the RSA on June 21, 2011, participants are encouraged to drive
through the intersection and complete/consider elements on the RSA Prompt List
with a focus on safety.
 All participants will be actively involved in the process throughout. Participants
are encouraged to come with thoughts and ideas, but are reminded that the
synergy that develops and respect for others’ opinions are key elements to the
success of the overall RSA process.
 After the RSA meeting, participants will be asked to comment and respond to the
document materials to assure it is reflective of the RSA completed by the
multidisciplinary team.
Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Appendix B: RSA Audit Team
Contact List
Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Date:
June 21, 2011
Audit Team
Members
David Narkewicz
Location: City Hall, Council Chambers
Agency/Affiliation
Email Address
Northampton City Council
dnarkewicz@comcast.net
Ned Huntley
Northampton DPW
nhuntley@nohodpw.org
Laura Hanson
Northampton DPW
lhanson@hampdpw.org
Wayne Feiden
Northampton Planning
wfeiden@northamptonma.gov
Joseph Koncas
Northampton Police Dept.
jkoncas@northamptonma.gov
Robert Powers
Northampton Police Dept.
rpowers@northamptonma.gov
Scott Savino
Northampton Police Dept.
ssavino@northamptonma.gov
Dave Blei
MassDOT – District 2
david.blei@state.ma.us
Bao Lang
MassDOT – District 2
bao.lang@state.ma.us
John Hillman
MassDOT – District 2
john.hillman@state.ma.us
Daryl Amaral
MassDOT – District 2
daryl.amaral@state.ma.us
Lisa Schletzbaum
MassDOT – Boston
lisa.schletzbaum@state.ma.us
Corey O’Connor
MassDOT – Boston
corey.oconnor@state.ma.us
Nicole Rogers
MassDOT – Boston
nicole.rogers@state.ma.us
Khyati Parmar
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
kparmar@pvpc.org
Stephen Farr
Nitsch Engineering
sfarr@nitscheng.com
Fayssal Husseini
Nitsch Engineering
fhusseini@nitscheng.com
Corinne Tobias
Nitsch Engineering
ctobias@nitscheng.com
Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Appendix C: Detailed Crash Data
CRASH RATE WORKSHEET
CITY/TOWN :
Northampton
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
2
DISTRICT :
COUNT DATE :
05/18/11
MHD USE ONLY
Pleasant Street (Route 5) & Conz Street
X
UNSIGNALIZED :
SIGNALIZED :
Source #
8126.2
JOB NO.
~ INTERSECTION DATA ~
MAJOR STREET :
Pleasant Street (Route 5)
RIN #
MINOR STREET(S) :
Conz Street
RIN #
RIN #
RIN #
RIN #
1
INTERSECTION
2
1 ~ Conz Street
2,3 ~ Harold Street
North
INTERSECTION
4 ~ Gas Station/Car Wash Driveway
DIAGRAM
(Label Approaches)
4
3
Peak Hour Volumes
APPROACH :
1
2
3
4
DIRECTION :
EB
WB
NB
SB
VOLUMES (AM / PM):
490
87
909
396
"K" FACTOR :
0.09
TOTAL # OF
ACCIDENTS :
33
CRASH RATE CALCULATION :
Comments :
APPROACH ADT :
# OF
YEARS :
1.44
3
RATE =
5
20911
6
ADT = TOTAL VOL/"K" FACT.
AVERAGE # OF
ACCIDENTS ( A ) :
11.00
( A * 1,000,000 )
(ADT*365)
Lesser of AM/PM volumes were used to have higher crash rate.
2008 STATEWIDE AVERAGE:
0.62 FOR UNSIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS
0.82 FOR SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS
2008 DISTRICT 2 AVERAGE
0.67 FOR UNSIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS
0.83 FOR SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS
REF #
Road Safety Audit—Conz Street and Pleasant Street (Route 5), Northampton
Nitsch Engineering 8126.02
Appendix D: Additional Information
Traffic Control Signal Warrant Analyses
Intersection:
Population <10,000?
Speed:
Is Major?
Print Date:
Print Time:
(Based on MUTCD-2003 Edition)
Pleasant Street (Route 5) and Conz Street
No
Count Date:
5/18/2011
39 mph
Analysis Year:
2021
Adjustment Factor:
1
06/28/11
5:52 PM
Analysis Date: 06/11/11
Analyst:
SM
#Lanes (1w)
Major Lanes:
Minor Lanes:
1
1
EB
WB
NB
SB
N
1
Y
Y
1
1
Time
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
EB LT
6
11
EB TH
11
10
EB RT
430
469
WB LT
36
44
WB TH
12
7
WB RT
21
36
NB LT
289
322
NB TH
386
537
NB RT
55
50
SB LT
17
37
SB TH
307
350
SB RT
6
9
7
4
7
17
489
497
27
26
12
13
37
33
341
439
575
569
33
28
33
15
603
603
14
15
Time
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
S EB
447
490
290
243
241
264
300
351
368
503
518
0
0
S WB
69
87
76
72
0
0
S NB
730
909
628
540
547
602
592
662
764
949
1036
0
0
S SB
330
396
297
281
344
328
374
464
498
650
633
0
0
S Major
1060
1305
925
821
891
930
966
1126
1262
1599
1669
0
0
S Minor
516
577
290
243
241
264
300
351
368
579
590
0
0
S Max Minor
447
490
290
243
241
264
300
351
368
503
518
0
0
W1 A
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
11 of 8
W1 B
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
11 of 8
W1combo
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
11 of 8
W2
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
11 of 4
W3
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
9 of 1
Warrant Analyses
Warrant 1: Condition A Minimum Vehicular Volume Warrant is Met
Warrant 1: Condition B Interruption of Continuous Traffic Warrant is Met
Warrant 1: Combination of Warrants 1A and 1B is Met
Warrant 2: Four-Hour Warrant is Met
Warrant 3: One-Hour Warrant is Met
Appendix E: Road Safety Audit
References
Road Safety Audit References
Massachusetts Traffic Safety Toolbox, Massachusetts Highway Department,
www.mhd.state.ma.us/safetytoolbox.
Road Safety Audits, A Synthesis of Highway Practice. NCHRP Synthesis 336. Transportation Research
Board, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, 2004.
Road Safety Audits. Institute of Transportation Engineers and U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal
Highway Administration, www.roadwaysafetyaudits.org.
FHWA Road Safety Audit Guidelines. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
Administration, 2006.
Road Safety Audit, 2nd edition. Austroads, 2000.
Road Safety Audits. ITE Technical Council Committee 4S-7. Institute of Transportation Engineers,
February 1995.