Department of Public Safety

Traffic Control Division

June 13, 2011

Traffic Intersection Review Information Circular Street at Whitney Place and Park Place

Background The following information is being provided in response to comments and concerns posted on the internet web site SeeClickFix. Commenters noted a concern that this intersection is very confusing regarding determining right-of-way, and is perceived to be dangerous at times. Commenters feel that it is a free-for-all, and seems to have know control. They have compared it to the intersection of Lincoln Avenue at Jefferson Street (5points), and question why this intersection does not work as well as that one seems to. The comparison of these two intersections is inappropriate, as they are nothing alike in geometric design, control technique, or traffic load. Intersection geometric design and operation The intersection of Circular Street at Whitney/Park Place is a Diamond(6-point) type intersection . Diamond intersection are described as two separate intersections that are located in close proximity to each other. Circular Street at Park Place makeup a T intersection to the north, and Circular Street at Whitney Place makeup a Y intersection to the south. The two intersections are approximately 175 feet apart. The intersection is currently under Multi-way Stop control, and has been for more then forty years. The intersection has experienced significant traffic growth to date that is highly impacting the intersections Level of Service, Vehicle Capacity and Safety Level.

Identified intersection operation problems The intersection review identified a number of operational problems and possible safety issues. 1. Multi-way stop control is generally not recommended for use at diamond type intersection. A key factor to their operation is that motorists on each approach must be able to see each other, that they can see who arrived at the intersection first, and that they can see the other vehicle start to enter the intersection. 2. Motorists traveling northbound from both Circular Street and Whitney Place do not yield the right-of-way for vehicles on Park Place (see following photo).

3. Motorists northbound on Circular Street do not yield the right-of-way for vehicles southbound from Circular Street heading towards Whitney Place. (see following photo).

4. The intersections Vehicle Capacity is exceed at multiple times of the day causing long vehicle backups, confusion, and long delay time to clear the intersection. Multi-way Stop application and limitations Multi-way stop control is intended for use at low volume road intersections where traffic volumes on each intersection approach is approximately equal. They can provide an effective safety measure to reduce certain types of accidents, such as right and left turn, and right angle collisions. These controls are useful at high pedestrian crossing locations to provide needed gaps in traffic for pedestrians to cross. Multi-way stop control is additionally effective at intersection where after stopping at an intersection, a motorist cannot see conflicting traffic to safely enter the intersection. Multi-way stops are also used as an emergency temporary control at intersections that have met the requirements for traffic signal installation. Multi-way stop control has a great disadvantage of delaying all vehicles entering an intersection, whereas it should never be necessary to delay more then half of these vehicles. Multi-way stop control provides a relatively low Vehicle Capacity in comparison to other types of intersection control such as, traffic signals and roundabouts. Vehicle Capacity is the measurement of the number of vehicles that

can pass through the intersection per hour. This low Vehicle Capacity is caused by the delay that is imposed by the stop signs on each vehicle entering the intersection. The delay is described as the sum of the stopping time, plus perception/decision time, plus startup and intersection clearance time. The intersection method of control fails when the number of vehicles arriving at the intersection exceeds the number departing. This condition can be seen through long traffic backups and excessive delay before a motorist can clear the intersection. This deterioration can also have a negative impact on the intersections safety level. When vehicles arrive at the stop points so quickly that it can no longer be determined who arrived first, can create confusion as to who has the right-ofway. Conclusion The Traffic Divisions conclusion: Based on the review of the intersections operating conditions, the Multi-way Stop control seems to no longer meet the traffic demands being place on the intersection. Recommend that a traffic signal control be installed at the intersection to mitigate the problems identified. The estimated cost to install a traffic signal at this location is $ 185,000.00 (one hundred eighty five thousand dollars) Note: Due to the intersections geometry and the historic nature of the adjacent land uses, the installation of a roundabout is not believed to be feasible at this location. By: Mark Benacquista