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Transportation: Worst corridors to bike, walk
From the Columbus Dispatch...
by Jennifer Smith Richards
MORPC compiles list from 5 years of data on auto crashes with cyclists, pedestrians
Bikers and walkers were in accidents with vehicles 150 times on a 3-mile segment of High Street in a five-year period, making the busy strip the city's most crash-prone corridor for those who don't get around by auto.
The bit of High Street that runs from Clintonville to the Short North can be a bear, a study from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission says. The agency looked at police reports from 2003 to 2007 to find the area's trouble spots.
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Transportation: Worst corridors to bike, walk
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deraj1013
Merion Village
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Posted 2 years ago # -
Core_Models
Columbus
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Bikers and walkers were in accidents with vehicles 150 times on a 3-mile segment of High Street in a five-year period, making the busy strip the city's most crash-prone corridor for those who don't get around by auto.
In all fairness to drivers, this also seems to be the drunken jaywalking capital of the world.
Posted 2 years ago # -
cc
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It would be interesting to get a bit more info. Who was at fault in the accidents, average traffic in area (vehicles, pedestrians and bikes broken down) etc.
The fact that High Street has the most accidents comes as no surprise.
Before they put up the sign warning about it I used to see bicyclists fall hard almost daily at the diagonal train tracks (it eats bicycles) by the Goodwill Job center in 5xNW.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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"Worst Corridors" is extremely misleading. Nice work, Dispatch.
We'd need to see some sort of assessment based on volume of pedestrian/bike traffic in those corridors compared to the total number of crashes. Obviously, you're going to have more crashes where there are more bikes/pedestrians, but that doesn't say a single thing about corridor safety.
An example (with pretend numbers):
1000 bikes per day on High Street + 10 crashes per day = 1% crash ratio
10 bikes per day on Bethel Road + 2 crashes per day = 20% crash ratio
0 bikes per day on I-270 + 0 crashes per day = 0% crash ratioAccording to the Dispatch's interpretation of MORPC's data, these types of figures would mean that High Street is five times more dangerous compared to riding on Bethel Road, and that 270 is the absolute safest place to ride a bike, since all they're looking at is total number of crashes.
Yeesh.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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The MORPC press release:
MORPC RELEASES REGIONAL PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE HIGH-CRASH LOCATION LIST
(Columbus-January 14, 2010) Using data from police crash reports, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has identified the top locations for vehicular crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in the transportation planning area. The transportation planning area consists of Delaware and Franklin counties, Bloom and Violet townships in Fairfield County, and Pataskala in Licking County.
The pedestrian and bicycle high crash location list is a new addition to MORPC’s annual review of vehicle crashes.
Although the annual number of total crashes declined during the years examined (2003â€â€2007), pedestrian and bicycle crashes did not show a clear downward trend. Instead, they remained relatively stable, in part because more people are walking and bicycling. This suggests that additional attention should be paid to these types of crashes, especially since pedestrians and cyclists are much more vulnerable to injury or death in crashes. The injury rate in pedestrian and bicycle crashes was 79 percent, compared to 26 percent in all crashes.
In addition to the top pedestrian and bicycle crash locations, MORPC has also identified the top pedestrian and bicycle crash corridors. Corridors were identified by connecting segments of roadway where large numbers of pedestrian and bicycle crashes occur.
The top 3 pedestrian and bicycle crash locations are:
Lane Avenue at High Street and Tuller Street
Hague Avenue at Sullivant Avenue
Sullivant Avenue at Wayne AvenueThe top 3 crash corridors are:
High Street from the Short North to Clintonville
Lane Avenue in the OSU campus area
Sullivant Avenue in the HilltopHigh crash locations and corridors tend to correlate with areas where there is a large volume of pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as areas that lack appropriate infrastructure for moderate volumes of pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
“There are many advantages to identifying the region’s top pedestrian and bicycle crash locations. Local governments can use the information to apply for safety funding. The information can be used to plan for improved bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, which will make walking and biking safer in problem areas,†states Kerstin Carr, Manager, Active Transportation and Safety Programs.
Maps showing top crash locations and corridors will be made available for each city in MORPC’s transportation planning area. For a complete listing or for more information, visit http://www.morpc.org .
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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And we wonder why traditional media is dying?
Even if we had better figures, how reliable are they? There was a case yesterday in court involving a cyclist cited for riding to far out (taking the lane) on High Street. Doug Morgan offered his services and represented the cyclist. He notes on his blog:
First of all, it's important to note that the police officer truly believes that it's safest for a cyclist to ride close to the curb in all circumstances. He really believed he was protecting Michael and doing the right thing by trying to get him out of the center of the lane. Frankly, this is what most people, including inexperienced cyclists, think. That's why it's so important that we educate everyone on this issue.
I handed the officer a copy of City Code Section 2173.04 and asked him to read clause (A), the section he cited Michael under ("Every person operating a bicycle upon the roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable...."). I then asked him to read clause (C) of the law. He read as follows:
"This section does not require a person operating a bicycle to ride at the edge of the roadway or within a marked bike lane when it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. Conditions that may require riding away from the edge of the roadway or outside of a marked bike lane include when necessary to avoid fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, surface hazards, or if it otherwise is unsafe or impracticable to do so, including if the lane is too narrow for the bicycle and an overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane."
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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agtw31
columbus
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no wonder High st. is on there.walking on campus is nuts.people are always looking for something while driving down there,they don't even see you.
this week,i was outside getting a smoke at Cramblett Hall on 10th,and the OSU cop directing traffic around the construction almost got nailed by a car several times.
later,as i and some other folks were crossing the street to head to the parking garage,an elderly oriental lady pulled up in her Camry.she wasn't even going to stop,she was going to drive right through us,as she was looking for cars coming the other way.
i had to scream at her to stop,and the cop was standing right there,turned the other way.
i told the cop"she almost blasted you".
he just shrugged and said "i'm ready for a vacation".
Posted 2 years ago # -
roy
Downtown
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adrock wrote >>
lots of sidewalk bike riders on high street too.I've been wondering how to gently raise the topic of bikes on sidewalks, it's so common downtown and along High Street from GV to Clintonville. In decent weather it's almost daily that I face someone zooming down the sidewalk or silently overtaking me from behind. It's dangerous and unlawful to ride on sidewalks.
In Columbus only 'children's non motorized vehicles' are permitted on sidewalks, read: kiddie bikes. Riding on sidewalks can be as unsafe for bikers as bikes on sidewalks are for pedestrians. I've had a number of close calls, most recently Friday night in f/o Clever Crow pizza.
Some cyclists claim the ORC allows them to ride bikes on sidewalks. I'm not sure if this is true elsewhere, but it's not true in Columbus. Bikes may be walked along sidewalks and in crosswalks but not ridden.
I hope as the weather warms up, cycling groups publicize the sidewalk prohibition. More bikes on the streets--where they have a lawful right and obligation to ride--makes all cyclists safer.
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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roy wrote >>
adrock wrote >>
lots of sidewalk bike riders on high street too.I've been wondering how to gently raise the topic of bikes on sidewalks, it's so common downtown and along High Street from GV to Clintonville. In decent weather it's almost daily that I face someone zooming down the sidewalk or silently overtaking me from behind. It's dangerous and unlawful to ride on sidewalks.
In Columbus only 'children's non motorized vehicles' are permitted on sidewalks, read: kiddie bikes. Riding on sidewalks can be as unsafe for bikers as bikes on sidewalks are for pedestrians. I've had a number of close calls, most recently Friday night in f/o Clever Crow pizza.
Some cyclists claim the ORC allows them to ride bikes on sidewalks. I'm not sure if this is true elsewhere, but it's not true in Columbus. Bikes may be walked along sidewalks and in crosswalks but not ridden.
I hope as the weather warms up, cycling groups publicize the sidewalk prohibition. More bikes on the streets--where they have a lawful right and obligation to ride--makes all cyclists safer.We really want to try and push the education thing for B2WW this year.
The 10-12 cycling instructors we now have in Columbus have formed a working group to address how to get more cyclists educated. The rumblings I'm hearing is that there will be a pretty big push on their end when spring starts to roll around.
Most of this goes back to childhood. We don't teach kids properly, how we can expect them to shake off these practices into adulthood? More bikes in elementary, middle and high school and reinforcement in college would take care of a good deal of the issue.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Core_Models
Columbus
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...yeah, but the whole purpose of having the exception for kids in the law is that most people don't want their kids riding their bikes on the street. I don't think that should be changed either.
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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(2) "Children's non-motorized vehicle" means any child's wheeled device, including a bicycle that is under thirty (30) inches of handlebar height and operating at less than five (5) miles per hour, that is operator-propelled by human power in, upon, or by which any person may be transported upon a street, highway, sidewalk, or public or private property used for vehicular or pedestrian travel or parking; except that "non-motorized vehicle" does not include any wheelchair, any personal assistive mobility device, or any device that is used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. "Non-motorized vehicle" would include, but is not limited to, children's bicycles with or without training wheels, roller skates, in-line skates, rollerblades, skateboards, unicycles, tricycles, quad cycles, and scooters.
Next time I'm in Walmart I'll measure the bikes.
My point isn't to kick a bunch of 7-8 year olds out on the road, it's to gradually teach kids-at age appropriate points-how to eventually ride a bike in traffic. I'm fine with a parent who wants to keep their kid on the sidewalk when it's age appropriate, when you start hitting middle school and high school it's a different story. League of American Bicyclists has specific curriculum for kids and their parents and students at the 5th and 6th grade levels.
If you don't teach them the right way to do it at some point in their lives, bad habits will carry over to college and beyond. If you want to address the scofflaws then at some point we have to work with the kids.
Posted 2 years ago # -
agtw31
columbus
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are you willing to pay the price of violating traffic laws?
http://www.youtube.com/user/biscaynenick#p/a/f/2/3hTVDDe8v04
awesome British video about texting while driving(warning:graphic)
Posted 2 years ago #
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