Technical Memorandum

DATE:   May 6, 2021

TO:         Ben Cares and Alexander Train, City of Chelsea

FROM:   Casey Claude, MPO Staff

RE:         Locations with High Bicycle and Pedestrian Crash Rates in the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Area: Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street in Chelsea

This memorandum summarizes the analyses and improvement strategies for the intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street in Chelsea.

This memorandum contains the following sections:

1. Study Background
2. Existing Conditions
3. Issues and Concerns
4. Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel
5. Crash Data Analysis
6. Improvement Recommendations
7. Conclusions and Next Steps

The memorandum also includes technical appendices that contain data and methods applied in the study.

1          Study Background

The purpose of the Locations with High Bicycle and Pedestrian Crash Rates in the Boston Region MPO Area study is to examine safety, mobility, and comfort issues for bicycle and pedestrian travel at intersections in the Boston Region MPO. The intent of the study is twofold: (1) study high crash locations to understand what is contributing to the danger of walking and bicycling at selected intersections, and (2) identify features of the physical environment in need of improvement for the safety and comfort of pedestrian and bicycle travel. This study supports the MPO’s visions and goals, which include increasing transportation safety, maintaining the transportation system, advancing mobility, and reducing vehicle emissions. This work also gives the communities in which the intersections are located the opportunity to look at the needs of the studied intersections, starting at the conceptual level, before the municipality commits funds for design and engineering. Eventually, if the project qualifies for federal funds, this documentation will be useful for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

Following a selection process based on bicycle and pedestrian crash information, equity considerations, and implementation potential (see Appendix A for details), the following three locations were chosen for study:

1. Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street in Chelsea
2. Liberty Street and Washington Street in Lynn
3. Main Street and Centre Street in Malden

The location in Chelsea was selected because the intersection at Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street is located within Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) crash clusters for both bicyclists and pedestrians.1 The intersection is also located within a traffic analysis zone (TAZ) that exceeds the regional thresholds for minority and low-income populations.2

MPO staff discussed safety and operations issues at the intersection and the scope of work for the study with the city of Chelsea, which expressed interest and willingness to participate in the study. The proximity of the location to the Route 1 ramp for the Tobin Bridge is perceived as contributing to high vehicle travel speeds along Everett Avenue within the vicinity of the study area. The intersection is a heavily-used connection in downtown Chelsea by travelers of all modes.

Safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities at the intersection are particularly important due to the location’s proximity to shops and restaurants on Broadway, schools, residential properties, and proposed bicycle facilities to improve the bicycle network in the area. A bus stop at the intersection of Third Street and Chestnut Street, to which the study intersection is connected, generates significant pedestrian travel in the area. The City of Chelsea recognizes the need to improve the intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street to ensure safe and comfortable travel for all users. Figure 1 shows the location of the intersection and the surrounding roadways.

Existing Conditions

The intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street is a four-legged intersection that includes flashing red and yellow signals for approaching one-way vehicle traffic. There are two approaches to the intersection. Chestnut Street is a northeast-bound, one-way road with a one-lane approach for through/right-turn movements. The intersection’s second approach is Everett Avenue southbound, which has one left/through lane. The flashing red signal directs motorists on Chestnut Street to stop for traffic on Everett Avenue before proceeding through the intersection, while the flashing yellow signal warns Everett Avenue drivers to be aware of approaching vehicles from Chestnut Street.

On the southwest corner of the intersection is A B Tineo Grocery (Figure 2). On the northwest corner of the intersection are residential buildings (Figure 3), and the northeast portion of the intersection is not a corner, but instead a pedestrian refuge island (Figure 4). On the other side of the island is Third Street, which joins Everett Avenue just north of the study intersection. The southeast of the intersection is anchored by a mixed-use building that houses the Chelsea Floor Covering Company (Figure 5).

Figure 2
Southwest Corner of Intersection: A B Tineo Grocery

Figure 3
Northwest Corner of Intersection: Residential Buildings

Figure 4
Northeast Corner of Intersection: Pedestrian Refuge Island

Figure 5
Southeast Corner of Intersection: Chelsea Floor Covering Company

Sidewalks are present throughout the intersection on both sides of the roadways, all exceeding the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) minimum width of five feet. Staff did not observe bicycle facilities along either roadway at this intersection in August 2020, but Chelsea has since added dedicated bike lanes and sharrow markings to Washington Avenue and Broadway from 6th Street to 3rd Street using MassDOT’s Shared Streets & Spaces funding.

There is only one marked crossing where Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street meet: a fading ladder-style crosswalk with solid white lines between two parallel solid white lines marks the southern leg of the intersection, guiding users across Everett Avenue along the south side of Chestnut Street. Neither the crosswalks on Everett Avenue nor Chestnut Street direct pedestrians to cross to the island on the intersection’s northeastern corner.

Figure 6

Marked crosswalk on Everett Avenue across southern leg of the intersection.

When MPO staff visited the area on August 18, 2020, it appeared that the pavement on Chestnut Street had been scarified. While aerial imagery indicates that a crosswalk had previously been painted along the western leg of the intersection, the scarification presumably removed the pavement markings. MPO staff did not observe a crosswalk painted for pedestrians traveling along the west side of Everett Avenue, crossing Chestnut Street.

Figure 7

Scarified pavement without marked crosswalk where Chestnut Street meets Everett Avenue.

Connected to the study area is the intersection of Third Street and Chestnut Street. Along Third Street, just north of the intersection, is a bus stop for the 111, 112, and 114 bus routes.

Both of the intersection approaches feature on-street parking. Along the Chestnut Street approach, cars can park along both sides of the roadway. Along the Everett Street approach, cars can park along the west side of the street. South of the Chestnut Street intersection, Everett Avenue includes on-street vehicle parking on both sides of the roadway.

Figure 8

None of the curb ramps at the intersection include pedestrian detectable warnings with truncated domes.

3          Issues and Concerns

The biggest concern at the Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street intersection is that it is located within HSIP crash clusters for both pedestrians and bicyclists. As previously explained, there are no bicycle facilities along either roadway. While there are pedestrian accommodations such as sidewalks, there are several elements in need of improvement.

All three curb ramps at the study location lack detectable warnings with truncated domes, which is an ADA requirement to help users with disabilities distinguish between the safety of the sidewalk and the danger of the roadway.

Figure 9

The narrow sidewalks and lack of curb ramps on the intersection island are not ADA-accessible.

While the curb cuts for the northwest and southeast corners of the intersection guide users into the path of the associated crosswalks, the curb cut on the southwest corner only accommodates one of its marked crosswalks. While the curb ramp on the northwest corner of the intersection suggests there will be an apex curb ramp on the intersection’s southwest corner, in actuality, this curb cut only serves users crossing Everett Avenue at the southern leg of the intersection. There is no curb cut on the intersection’s southwest corner to serve the Chestnut Street crosswalk along the west leg of the intersection. Finally, there appears to be drainage issues with the curb ramp on the intersection’s southeast corner. The pedestrian refuge island at the northeast corner of the intersection includes a small segment of brick sidewalk, but the width does not meet the ADA minimum of five feet. Furthermore, there are no curb cuts on either side of the island, nor are there ADA-accessible curb ramps with detectable warnings featuring truncated domes. This means that the island, which could serve as a useful pedestrian refuge, does not have sidewalks or curb ramps that meet ADA requirements. Finally, vegetation on the island is overgrown, making it difficult for pedestrians to safely gauge breaks in vehicle traffic approaching the intersection along Everett Avenue.

Figure 10

View from curb ramp on intersection’s northwest corner. There is no curb ramp on the southwest corner for the Chestnut Street crossing.

The geometry of the island on the northeast corner makes it easy for drivers to quickly turn left onto Chestnut Street or make a U-turn onto Third Street. However, pedestrians standing on the island waiting for a break in vehicle traffic are barely visible to Everett Street motorists, if at all.

On the northwest corner of the intersection, sight lines for crossing pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists are impeded by parked cars on the west side of the Everett Avenue approach. These parked cars also make it difficult for oncoming Everett Avenue drivers to see people trying to cross the intersection.

Staff did not observe bicycle racks within the vicinity of the Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street intersection.

Figure 11

Cars parked north of the intersection on Everett Avenue make it difficult to see oncoming traffic from the Chestnut Street approach

4          Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel

On August 18, 2020, MPO staff counted 103 pedestrians and eight bicyclists during one hour of peak PM travel. Staff observed many pedestrians traveling through the intersection heading towards or returning from the bus stop just north of the Third Street and Chestnut Street intersection. Only one bicyclist was observed traveling in the wrong direction along a one-way street.

MPO staff graded the intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street in Chelsea using the Boston Region MPO’s Pedestrian Report Card Assessment (PRCA)3 and Bicycle Report Card4 tools to assess the safety and comfort of the area for people walking and bicycling. The grading categories reflect the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) goals and assess the quality of four different aspects of the environment: Capacity Management and Mobility, Economic Vitality, Safety, and System Preservation. The report cards also prioritize locations based on Transportation Equity factors, incorporating another Boston region LRTP goal.

Figure 12
Non-Signalized Intersection PRCA for Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street

The intersection received a “poor” score for Capacity Management and Mobility, in spite of the presence of sufficiently wide sidewalks along both sides of the two roadways. This was due to the complete absence of detectable warnings, such as truncated domes, and the fact that only one leg of the intersection was marked with a crosswalk.

The intersection received a “good” rating in the subject of Economic Vitality, because many pedestrians travel through the location. Additionally, the southeast corner of the intersection included a sidewalk bump-out, which is a type of traffic calming infrastructure.

Although the intersection scored well in two performance measure categories, the intersection performed “poor” in the Safety category. This was due to the study area being located within an HSIP-eligible crash cluster and because the narrowest marked crossing at the intersection measured more than 35 feet wide. On the positive side of this location’s Safety score was the fact that both Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street include only one lane of vehicle travel, which minimizes potential conflict points with motorists for pedestrians crossing either roadway. Additionally, vehicle-travel speed was considered “good” at the intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street because the average speed does not exceed 25 miles per hour.

Sidewalk condition was “fair” at this location because many segments of concrete were cracked and in need of repair; however, the sidewalks were sufficiently wide and located on both sides of all four intersection legs. Overall, the intersection was considered a High Priority area for pedestrian transportation equity because the proportions of all four populations at the location (low income, minority, elderly, and zero-vehicle households) exceed the regional averages, and the intersection was located within a quarter mile of a school.

Figure 13

Bicycle Report Card for Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street

The intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street received a failing score for every Bicycle Report Card grading category. The lack of bicycle facilities played a large factor in the ratings. In Capacity Management and Mobility, this absence outweighed the fact that the intersection was within a quarter mile of bicycle lanes at the intersection of Walnut Street and Fourth Street, and that the bus stop at the intersection of Third Street and Chestnut Street was feet away from the study location, much closer than the half mile Proximity to Transit metric. In the Economic Vitality category, the absence of bicycle racks effectively negated the value of the diverse land uses at the location, which create many origins and destinations for people who bicycle within the study area.

Although Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street include only one lane of vehicle travel, the intersection received a “poor” Safety score. This can be attributed to the lack of bicycle facilities at the intersection, the associated absence of operating space for bicycles along both roadways, and the fact that Chestnut Street meets Everett Avenue within an HSIP-eligible bicycle crash cluster.

Without bicycle facilities at the location, it was impossible for either roadway to earn points for bicycle System Preservation, which led to another failing grade. Overall, the intersection was considered a High Priority area for pedestrian transportation equity because the proportions of all four populations at the location (low income, minority, youth, and zero-vehicle households) exceed the regional averages and the intersection was located within a quarter mile of a school.

5          Crash Data Analysis

5.1      Collision Trends

Twenty-eight crashes were recorded over the five-year period between 2013 and 2017. Table 1 breaks these crashes down by type of collision, severity, and factors that may have influenced the crash. While none of the crashes involved bicyclists, six included pedestrians. All six pedestrian crashes involved a single vehicle and primarily occurred under dry, clear conditions during daylight, off-peak travel hours.

* Peak periods are defined as 6:00–9:00 AM and 3:00–6:00 PM.

Highlights of these data include:

• Eight crashes (29 percent) were angle collisions
• Seven crashes (25 percent) were sideswipe collisions between vehicles traveling in the same direction
• Five crashes (18 percent) were rear-end collisions
• Six crashes (21 percent) occurred on wet roadways
• Eleven crashes (39 percent) occurred under dark conditions on lighted roadway, including one of the six pedestrian-involved crashes

5.2      Collision Diagram

MPO staff also prepared a collision diagram for the study intersection to examine crash patterns. Police reports were obtained for the years 2013–17. Figure 14 shows the collision diagram. The index numbers in the collision diagram may be used to cross-reference the crash records included in Appendix B. The index numbers with circles around them refer to injury or fatal crashes, depending on the thickness of the circle line.

5.3      Safety Analysis

After analyzing the collision data, MPO staff concluded that crashes within the study area primarily appear to be caused by confusion and lack of visibility. Four of the six pedestrian-involved crashes included pedestrians who were entering or crossing a marked crosswalk at the intersection. The other two pedestrians were hit crossing the intersection where there was not a crosswalk. This may be attributed to three overarching factors:

• The lack of safe pedestrian accommodations on and leading to the pedestrian refuge island fails to communicate that motorists should expect pedestrians in the roadway at this intersection.
• On-street parking in the study area and overgrown vegetation on the pedestrian refuge island make it difficult for both motorists and pedestrians to see other roadway users traveling through the intersection.
• The width of the roadway contributes to confusion about the number of travel lanes and encourages Everett Avenue vehicles to travel quickly throughout the vicinity of the intersection, in spite of the fact that vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians may be crossing or turning onto Everett Avenue.

6          Improvement Recommendations

An improvement that would help all users in the intersection is the addition of a stop sign on the north side of Chestnut Street where it meets Everett Avenue. There should be a stop sign on either side of the roadway at the location, because there is only one direction of travel on Chestnut Street. A stop line should be painted ahead of the stop signs on Chestnut Street and on-street parking should not extend closer to Everett Avenue than the line marking. These recommendations and those listed below are illustrated in Figure 15.

Pedestrian Improvements

• Replace the would-be apex curb cut on the southwest corner of the intersection with two ADA-accessible paired curb ramps. Paired curb ramps are a separate curb ramp and landing for each direction of crosswalk. The United States Access Board 5 states:
• “Paired curb ramps on a corner allow better alignment for people using mobility aids and for pedestrians with vision impairments.”
• “Paired curb ramps allow pedestrians with disabilities to be aligned with the crossing direction while waiting to cross the street.”
• Add pedestrian detectable warnings with truncated domes to each curb ramp.
• Fix the dip where the curb ramp meets the roadway on the southeast corner of the intersection to address drainage issues and facilitate travel for all pedestrians, such as those in wheelchairs or pushing strollers.
• Extend and add sidewalk bump outs to narrow the roadway crossings for pedestrians and to slow vehicle traffic.
• Extend the sidewalk on the northwest corner of the intersection into and along Everett Avenue. The sidewalk should extend north to the point where on-street parking begins, and match the depth of the parking spaces.
• Paint crosswalk markings where Chestnut Street meets Everett Avenue on the west leg of the intersection.
• Create a legitimate pedestrian refuge out of the island on the northeast portion of the intersection.
• Reconfigure the island’s geometry to slow vehicles turning left from Everett Avenue onto Chestnut Street and to improve the visibility of pedestrians on the island.
• Expand the sidewalk to the ADA minimum width of five feet.
• Create curb ramps on both sides of the island.
• Add pedestrian detectable warnings with truncated domes to each curb ramp.
• Trim vegetation so that pedestrians can safely gauge oncoming Everett Avenue traffic when trying to cross the roadway.
• Create crosswalk markings that lead to the new ADA-compliant curb ramps on the pedestrian refuge island once the above-listed improvements have been implemented.
• Add Pedestrian Warning signs (known as W11-2) to the intersection approaches to warn motorists of the upcoming pedestrian crossings. The signs may also be accompanied by diagonal downward pointing arrows (known as W16-7P). These signs should be added to
• Everett Avenue ahead of Chestnut Street;
• Chestnut Street ahead of Everett Avenue; and
• Third Street ahead of Chestnut Street.
• Conduct signal warrant analysis to determine if full signalization with pedestrian signals is necessary at the intersection.
  

Bicycle Improvements

• Add bicycle racks to the intersection and nearby locations. Refer to the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (or APBP) bike parking guidebook for recommendations and rationale.6
• Test parking–protected, separated bicycle facilities along the west side of Everett Avenue between the sidewalk curb and the parking lane.
• Mark bicycle facility path across Chestnut Street with paint to increase driver awareness of bicyclists traveling along Everett Avenue through the intersection.
• The width of roadway allocated for southbound travel along Everett Avenue expands by several feet from the Tobin Bridge to Chestnut Street. The minimum width of 22 feet allows for one 10-foot wide vehicle-travel lane, one seven-foot wide parking lane, and one five-foot wide bike lane. As the roadway widens, there is sufficient space to add a painted buffer between the bike lane and the parking lane.
• South of the intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street, the roadway along Everett Avenue measures approximately 40 feet wide. This allows the roadway to maintain its current one lane of vehicle travel and two parking lanes, one on each side of the roadway, and still allows for the addition of a new separated bike lane. The roadway would include one 11-foot wide vehicle-travel lane and two seven-foot wide parking lanes, leaving 15 feet for bicycle facilities. The separated bike lane south of the Chestnut Street intersection should measure a minimum of five feet wide and have at least two feet of buffer space from parked vehicles.

Rapid Implementation Suggestion

Before new physical features can be constructed, use pavement markings such as striping to extend sidewalks, add bump-outs, and reconfigure the island’s geometry to quickly improve intersection safety (Figure 16). This approach makes it possible to inexpensively test the proposed changes to the built environment. Adding features such as traffic cones, flexible bollards, or large planters will help communicate that drivers should not enter painted pavement locations.

7          Conclusions and Next Steps

7.1      Conclusions

The above evaluations and recommendations support the need for improvements that would enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety and comfort at the intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street in Chelsea. All of the suggestions address concerns related to crashes involving people walking or bicycling. A key concern is the speed at which motorists travel along Everett Avenue within the vicinity of the intersection, which may warrant additional signalization and intersection reorientation. Although MPO staff were not able to analyze traffic volumes and assess travel patterns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this memorandum presents several approaches that the City of Chelsea could take to improve the quality of the pedestrian and bicyclist environment at this intersection without severely impacting other modes of travel.

7.2      Next Steps

As traffic patterns return to previous levels over the coming months and years, Chelsea should consider documenting the motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and other users who regularly travel through the intersection of Everett Avenue and Chestnut Street. A better understanding of travel volumes by mode and turning movements would be helpful for conducting the signal warrant analysis recommended in this memorandum. If future assessments of the intersection determine that the location would benefit from geometric reconfiguration or the installation of infrastructure, such as pedestrian signals, Chelsea may consider applying for Transportation Improvement Program funding through the Boston Region MPO.