EASTHAMPTON — After two car accidents at the intersection of South and Main streets sent people to the hospital with minor injuries within two weeks of each other, city officials and the state Department of Transportation are studying whether a traffic signal should be installed.
Easthampton police crash reports reviewed by the Gazette, from Jan. 1, 2015 to Sept. 23, 2019, show there have been 24 collisions at the intersection, six of them this year. Of the total number of crashes, reports on at least 15 indicated that one of the vehicles was stopped at a South Street stop sign before crashing, while three made no mention of stopping.
“It’s a public safety issue,” Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said. “It’s traumatic to that neighborhood, which over the years has seen a lot of accidents.”
Of the 24 motor vehicle crashes, none occured between midnight and 6 a.m., five occurred between 6 a.m. and noon, and 17 happened between noon and 6 p.m. Only two occurred between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m. There were five crashes that resulted in “possible” injuries, four crashes that resulted in “non-incapacitating” injuries and one crash that resulted in both “incapacitating” and “non-incapacitating” injuries, according to the reports. People were transported to local hospitals in five crashes.
This is not the first time the crossing of South and Main streets, also known as Route 10, has been studied. In May 2017, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission prepared a report for the city regarding the safety of the intersection.
In the study, the PVPC found Main Street’s “peak commuter hours” as between 7 and 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. According to the crash documents since 2015, two car accidents have happened during the morning commute, while 12 occurred during the evening commute.
In its own analysis of crash data from 2010 through 2014, the PVPC calculated the average crash rate at the intersection to be 1.05 per million entering vehicles, which is higher than the state DOT’s previous average of .70 for the region. The PVPC also found “a cluster of angle collisions at the South Street northbound approach” due to low visibility. In a statement, Patrick Marvin, a DOT spokesman, said islands were constructed on the southeast corner to prevent parking that disrupts the view.
Through guidelines set by the Federal Highway Administration, the PVPC found that the intersection and its crash data did not, at the time, meet any of the requirements to justify or require a traffic signal.
With upcoming construction on the new White Brook Middle School opening up greater potential for changes in traffic patterns, LaChapelle said she was looking to “expedite” a solution with the state.
Marvin confirmed that “crews will be reviewing this location and working with the City of Easthampton to determine potential improvements.”
Marvin noted that the city has jurisdiction over South Street and the northern part of Main Street, while the state owns the southern “leg” of the intersection on Route 10. Any potential improvement to the intersection would be “based on factors such as federal guidelines, traffic volumes, and roadway history,” Marvin said.
LaChapelle said she has yet to meet with officials at the DOT, though it should happen “soon.” In the meantime, she said the city has been looking into implementing flashing stop signs and flashing pedestrian signs as an inexpensive short-term remedy, noting the intersection can be particularly treacherous to cross on foot.
“Does it address the issue head-on? No,” LaChapelle said. “But it certainly raises awareness.”
The city would have to pay for both the blinking stop signs and a traffic signal out of the city budget, LaChapelle said. As of now, LaChapelle said she was unsure about how much any of these would cost, saying she needed to see more specific quotes on equipment.
“This is real exploratory,” LaChapelle said about the city’s most recent response to the intersection. “We’re pulling the data together.”
Bex Zumbruski has a house on Carol Avenue, a street near the intersection, where she has lived for the past 10 years. She said she no longer uses the intersection to get downtown.
“I won’t take a left at that intersection,” Zumbruski said. “There’s one street over from us, we take that and we go through the neighborhood.”
She said it’s hard to navigate the intersection. A car coming from South Street, needs to look out for right-of-way traffic on Main Street as well as those stopped on the other side of the street.
In regard to potential fixes, Zumbruski said she thought placing a speed radar sign on either side of South Street, right before either stop sign, might partly mitigate the issue.
“A stoplight can do more than a stop sign,” Zumbruski said.
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.