Fall River intersection again named SouthCoast's most dangerous

The intersection of Plymouth Avenue and Rodman Street in Fall River still ranks as the area’s most dangerous intersection, with an accident occurring about every nine days, according to the region’s transportation agency.

Of the 100 most dangerous intersections in the area of southeastern Massachusetts studied, 20 were in Fall River. The city also had two of the three most dangerous pedestrian crossings. New Bedford, by comparison, had 13 of the most dangerous intersections.

The new report, by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District is meant to both warn the public about the most dangerous intersections and get “those people who have influence in getting these locations looked at and corrected,” said SRPEDD Transportation Planning Manager Jim Hadfield.

The agency also compiled data on the severity of crashes, giving more points on a scale to crashes that caused major injuries of fatalities, to be able to differentiate intersections with more fender-benders. Plymouth Avenue and Rodman Street also topped that list.

Some of the worst intersections in and around Fall River have recently been changed or are scheduled for improvements.

Westport’s most dangerous intersection, ranked 58th overall, where Route 6 meets Sanford Road, was given new left-turn lanes and a new signal since the roadway was studied for the report.

“It’s been a tremendous drop in crashes at that intersection,” said Detective Jeff Majewski, the town’s public safety officer. Most accidents had been from left turns. But with the improvements, “that doesn’t happen anymore,” Majewski said.

The Plymouth Avenue and Rodman Street intersection in Fall River is in a design phase for improvements aimed for a similar effect.

The area’s 25th most dangerous intersection, where President Avenue meets Davol Street northbound, is expected to be made safer when the new Veterans Memorial Bridge replaces the Brightman Street Bridge, according to SRPEDD.

The intersection of Brayton and Eastern avenues was once the second worst in the region, but because of safety improvements did not even make the top 100 on the latest report.

Freetown’s most dangerous intersection — where Chase, County and Mason roads meet off Route 140’s Exit 8 — is expected to be redesigned with a roundabout to slow down traffic, Hadfield said.

Other intersections have ongoing safety issues.

The area’s second-worst intersection, where Route 6 and Route 136 meet in Swansea in an area bounded by gas stations and restaurants, averaged an accident almost every 10 days. Turning lanes and so many in-and-out driveways with businesses are the main causes, SRPEDD says.

Swansea has another Route 6 intersection high on the list. At eighth is the intersection of Route 6 and Route 118, where cars pass through going to and from the Swansea Mall and Interstate 195.

RUNNING RED LIGHTS

The rate of drivers running red lights was “the most startling revelation” in the report, SRPEDD said. Since the previous report three years ago, the number of crashes in the area attributed to drivers running red lights doubled, from 618 to 1,287.

In some intersections, those instances make up a majority of all recorded accidents.

In Fall River, the intersection of Third Street and Sullivan Street — just outside Government Center — 83 percent of the accidents were due to drivers running red lights. Only a few blocks north, at the intersection of Bedford, High and Troy streets, those instances made up 76 percent of all crashes.

The intersection of Route 6 and Lees River Avenue in Somerset had a lower rate — one-third — but running red lights was called the main reason why that intersection was rated the 12th worst in the area.

NOTORIOUSLY DANGEROUS

The intersection of Plymouth Avenue and Rodman Street was ranked the worst for the second consecutive time, and Hadfield said it also ranks among the three or four worst in the state.

The number of accidents — 125 over the three years studied in the report — is due to poor road markings and signs to direct motorists on where to go, and long red lights that cause drivers to risk running the light to get through. “If it takes a few cycles to get through, people start to get impatient,” Hadfield said. Meanwhile, he added, drivers about to get a green light are anxious to hit the gas and get moving.

A plan to redesign the intersection is still in preliminary stages. A public hearing will be held when the design phase is one-fourth completed. The improvements, expected to cost around $6 million and include a broader segment of Plymouth Avenue, should begin in fiscal 2012, according to SRPEDD.

The intersection is notoriously dangerous but it did better than the previous SRPEDD report. The number of accidents from the previous time period fell by nearly 20 percent.

The Plymouth Avenue intersection with Globe Street also made the top 100. A few other stretches of road had multiple listings for worst intersections.

President Avenue in Fall River had four, for its intersections with Davol Street, Elsbree Street, North Main Street, and Highland Avenue. Intersections along Route 6 in Somerset, Swansea and Westport accounted for seven other spots on the list.

BICYCLE SAFETY

The report includes for the first time ratings on intersections that are most dangerous for bicyclists, too. For the three-year period monitored by SRPEDD for the report, Pleasant Street in Fall River and a stretch of Wilbur Avenue in Swansea were among 14 spots where multiple bicycle crashes took place.

By law, bicyclists are allowed the same road access as motorists, something that too many motorists aren’t aware of, said Shane Jordan, the director of education and outreach for the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. “There’s definitely not enough education for everyone.”

The coalition has a “same road, same rules” campaign to explain bike laws and debunk some myths, such as that cars have the right-of-way over a bicyclist. In fact, the group says, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities, meaning they must be given as much space on the road but must also stop at red lights and signal before turning.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Half of the 14 most dangerous stretches of road for pedestrians are in Fall River, the report found, recording spaces between intersections. In most cases, the most dangerous areas are wide streets where crossing the road takes longer and where parked cars block visibility of pedestrians, Hadfield said.

When ranked by most crashes per mile, a quarter-mile stretch of Milliken Boulevard from Pocasset Street to Columbia Street was the most dangerous. Over the three years measured, pedestrians were hit four times.

South Main Street in Fall River, a 2.5-mile stretch, recorded 27 incidents of pedestrians being hit by cars. Among the other most dangerous stretches were Plymouth Avenue from Pleasant Street to Rodman Street, and Brightman Street from Davol Street to North Main Street.

E-mail Grant Welker at gwelker@heraldnews.com.