Roundabout Or Enhanced Signalized Intersection For Pomeroy Village?

TSO Examined The Options With Emphasis On Safety

Thursday’s (4/8) meeting of the Town Services & Outreach Committee (TSO)  focused on the Pomeroy Village intersection project. The TSO and then the Council will decide this spring whether to support the reconstruction of the village intersection (West Street, Pomeroy Lane, and West Pomeroy Lane) as a roundabout or as an enhanced signalized intersection. With either option, the planned improvements include new crosswalks, improved and extended sidewalks, added curb cuts for better accessibility, bus stop improvements, on-road bike lanes, and a multi-use path for pedestrians and for cyclists who feel safer not riding on-street.

During the TSO meeting’s public comment period, Myra Ross, the chairperson of the Disability Access Advisory Committee, said that she is encouraged by comments from the DPW Superintendent Guilford Mooring that the Town is considering pedestrian activated crossing signals for the crosswalks with a roundabout or signalized intersection. She noted that the US Access Board’s Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way (PROWAG) now include guidelines for accessible design at roundabouts. PROWAG requires that pedestrian facilities at roundabouts include pedestrian activated signals for multi-lane crossings, and that the signals have a non-visual, audible component for accessibility. PROWAG also requires that roundabout projects with a pedestrian component incorporate sidewalk and edge treatments to guide pedestrians with visual impairments to the crosswalk locations. Ross urged the Town to consult with experts to ensure that the design is fully accessible and safe for blind and visually impaired pedestrians. PROWAG is not enforceable under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but Ross indicated that she expected regulations requiring this will be forthcoming. The DAAC’s next meeting is on Tuesday, April 13 (agenda here), and Ross said that the DAAC will submit written feedback on the intersection project after that meeting.

TSO chairperson Darcy DuMont (District 5) started off the Council’s discussion by summarizing the main tasks for the TSO regarding the project, including discussing the status of  outreach activities and additional information TSO would like before taking a vote. TSO’s vote on which intersection option to recommend will occur at their meeting on April 22 if TSO is ready to vote then, or otherwise at the following meeting. DuMont indicated that the timeframe might be tight to vote on the 22nd. DuMont mentioned the extensive online packet of meeting materials that had been uploaded for TSO members review.

Public Outreach
The next item was a review by Town staff of public outreach for the project. Planning Director Christine Brestrup summarized the Council and committee meetings attended by staff where the project was discussed, and the comments from the public forums held on March 27 and 29. Combined, the two forums were attended by 40 members of the public, plus Council members and Town staff. Brestrup shared that many of the public comments at the forums focused on safety, including pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and that there were varying opinions on whether a roundabout or enhanced signalized intersection was preferable and more safe. Some commenters asked about the possibility of adding new crosswalks and sidewalks beyond the intersection, such as having a new crosswalk at the Amherst Office Park north of the intersection, where workers often want to cross the street to get lunch, or new sidewalks to connect Pomeroy Village better with the South Amherst Common or with the Hickory Ridge property. Town staff have indicated that the budget for this project ($1.5 million) is insufficient for improvements beyond the immediate intersection area.

DuMont then reviewed the feedback received at a recent District 5 meeting  At that meeting, safety was also the most frequent issue raised.  She also mentioned that some of the attendees supporting the roundabout live very close to the intersection. 

Planner Ben Breger provided summary of resident engagement on the Engage Amherst website for the project. He indicated that to date, the website has had a total of 406 unique visitors, including 200 who have viewed materials or videos. Approximately 40-45 visitors have typed in ideas for the intersection, and 26 people have completed a short survey about the project. So far, half of the survey respondents have indicated that safety is the most important issue to address with the project. When asked about which features are the most important for the redesigned intersection, 73% of survey respondents said safe crosswalks for pedestrians. The other top responses were: pedestrian activated crossing signals (46%), traffic calming measures (44%), sidewalks on both sides of the road (44%) and bike lanes (38%). Breger said that the Engage Amherst web site is still open for more people to leave comments or do the survey. Town Manager Paul Bockelman mentioned that the Town may host a pop-up event near the intersection later this month to connect with more people on the project and get their feedback. The date is still to be determined.

Outreach To Business And Property Owners 
Brestrup indicated that Breger has prepared a letter to the owners of businesses and properties that are closest to the intersection and that will be most impacted by the project. This letter was expected to be sent via email or U.S. mail within a few days following the TSO meeting. Brestup said that she would provide the TSO with a copy of the letter and the list of owners contacted. The list includes approximately 40 business owners and four additional property owners. The letter invites the owners to follow up with Brestrup or Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek with any comments or concerns about the project. 

Feedback From Town Committees
TSO has received comments on the project from the Design Review Board (DRB) and the Conservation Commission (ConCom). Neither committee made a formal recommendation on which intersection design would be best. ConCom wrote that with either configuration, the project would “greatly improve this intersection for all modes of travel.” The TSO is waiting for comments from the DAAC, and a copy of the minutes from a recent Planning Board meeting where the project was discussed. The TSO also received a memo from the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) with the TAC’s recommendations for each intersection design. These recommendations focus on safety and called for the Town to “follow best practices for accessibility of all pedestrians, including mobility challenged, visually impaired, and blind pedestrians, including making crossings as easy for pedestrians as possible, with short crossing distances, clearly marked crossing points and crosswalks” and pedestrian-activated crossing signals. TAC also recommends that “measures be taken if needed to minimize potential conflicts between through traffic at the intersection and the vehicles entering and existing nearby businesses.” If a roundabout is selected as the preferred design, TAC recommends that the crosswalks be set back from the roundabout on the approaching roads to minimize potential vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. If an enhanced signalized intersection is selected, the TAC recommends that right turns on red be prohibited and that “if possible and within budget, traffic calming measures be added on the northbound and southbound approaches to the intersection on West Street” as the enhanced signalized intersection will not by itself calm traffic.  A roundabout, in comparison, would automatically include traffic calming and slower traffic speeds than a straight roadway. At the last TAC meeting, the TAC approved the following statement “The TAC recognizes the need to upgrade and will support either of Town’s choices.  That said, we support the Pomeroy Village intersection being redesigned as a roundabout with pedestrian activated accessible crossing signals/lights.”  TAC’s vote was 3 in favor, 0 against, and 1 abstention. Two members were absent.

Councilor George Ryan (District 3) asked Mooring to confirm two statements from  TAC’s memo – that the road width at the intersection will increase with the enhanced signal option, and that if a roundabout is built, it will be smaller than the Atkins Center roundabouts – and Mooring did so.  Mooring indicated that the size of a roundabout at Pomeroy Village would be close to the size of the roundabout at Governors Drive and North Pleasant Street on the north end of the UMass campus.

Mooring also provided some information on vehicle accidents at the Pomeroy intersection. In the last decade, 31 crashes have been reported there, with left turn crashes, T-bone angled crashes, and crashes from drivers running red lights being most common. Mooring also provided data on crashes at the Triangle Street and East Pleasant Street intersection. Since the roundabout was completed, 17 accidents have been reported there and all have been minor, low-speed crashes. The reported accidents include two bicycle-vehicle crashes and no pedestrian crashes, though DuMont and Myra Ross both indicated that this could be due to visually impaired and other vulnerable pedestrians avoiding the roundabout. DuMont requested that the Town provide data on crashes at the Triangle intersection before the roundabout was built.

TSO members then discussed other information and questions they would like answers to before taking a vote on the project.

Impact On Businesses
Ryan said that he would like to know more about the potential impact on the intersection design choice on businesses and future business development. The TSO’s meeting packet included the results of a research study that looked at roundabout corridors in 3 cities in Kansas and in Carmel, Indiana and concluded “roundabouts on business corridors have a positive impact on traffic flows and business.” Since the late 1990s, Carmel, Indiana has building and replacing signalized intersections with roundabouts and now has over 135 roundabouts. Ryan said that he’d reach out to Amherst Chamber of Commerce and the downtown Business Improvement District leadership to get their perspectives. TSO member Alisa Brewer suggested that the City of Northampton could be contacted and asked to share its experiences with roundabouts in business areas. One New England community that’s had great success with roundabouts in its downtown is Manchester, Vermont. Brestrup asked whether a roundabout would make business development at the intersection more challenging, including in terms of in moving business parking away from the front of the buildings. Mooring suggested that this wouldn’t necessarily be an issue since buildings don’t have to be built up to the property line and since having open space in front of buildings leaves room for sidewalks, benches, and other amenities.

Costs Of The Two Options
DuMont requested more specific information on the construction costs of the two options, and whether a roundabout would require more repaving. Mooring indicated that the overall costs of both options are similar. He also said that with either option, the intersection will be repaved and Town will be fixing the storm water drainage issues near the gas station. Mooring was also asked about the maintenance costs for each option. It is expected that a signalized intersection would have more monthly maintenance and energy costs than a roundabout. 

Land Takings.
Councilor Andy Steinberg (at large)  asked about the amount of land taking with each option and how off-street parking would be impacted. Mooring indicated that with each option, there will be small takings on each corner, and that one parking space on the southeast corner may need to be removed.  With a signalized intersection, if the traffic analysis indicates that left-turn lanes are required on Pomeroy Lane and/or West Pomeroy Lane, then the land takings will likely be larger with the signalized intersection option than with the roundabout. 

Accessibility Options
Brewer asked that clear information be provided on the accessibility and pedestrian signal options. Mooring said that the Town is considering using Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) with audible alerts, for the crosswalks at the intersection if a roundabout is selected. RRFBs have been installed at crosswalks on Pine Street and on the UMass campus. In addition to the PROWAG guidelines, researchers have developed other guidance documents and recommendations for making roundabouts fully accessible to visually impaired pedestrians. (Look here for a report from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program on Crossing Solutions at Roundabouts and Channelized Turn Lanes for Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities). DuMont asked about the concern that’s been raised that with a roundabout, there is no time period when all the traffic is stopped and hence is the RRFB treatment adequately safe. Studies have shown that that RRFBs can increase drivers yield rates 73-96% and reduce crashes by 47%. At signalized intersections, one cause of serious crashes is drivers running red lights. Such crashes don’t happen at roundabouts. 

Impact on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
DuMont requested information on the GHG impacts of the roundabout compared to signalized intersections.  Mooring indicated that roundabouts are generally better at reducing GHG emissions.

Additional Roundabouts
DuMont asked whether the Town may be moving towards roundabouts at more intersections. This could be a possibility, though Mooring indicated that certain large major intersections in town will always remain signalized — for example, the intersection at University Drive and Northampton Road (Route 9) — since they are large and complicated.  

Disruption of Construction
TSO member Evan Ross (District 4) asked which option would be more disruptive to businesses and traffic during construction.  Mooring indicated that with a roundabout, it is harder to close one part of the intersection at a time while working on another part, so a roundabout would likely be more disruptive and require greater detouring of traffic.

TSO’s discussion on the Pomeroy Village project will continue at its next meeting on April 22 at 7 p.m.