Column: If it’s about traffic safety, then why doesn’t it seem that way?

Editor’s note: A column is a written opinion based on facts. Have a different point of view? Submit it here.

By Dan Kontos

There is nothing in your life that you will routinely face that leads to a greater chance of being injured or prematurely killed than being involved in a traffic crash.

Statistics show that there is an average of over 580 fatalities statewide every year in Wisconsin. In Portage County, for 2023, there were 1,260 crashes, resulting in 351 injuries. This is a serious issue.

We hear about plans to change, update, and reconfigure our local roads all the time. A “road diet” here, a roundabout there, and bike lanes everywhere. Reduce speed limits, add more stop signs, more traffic signals. 

Seemingly, some would just throw anything against the wall and see if it sticks. These alterations are most often done in the name of traffic safety. But are they, really?

The first look should always be at the evidence. Unlike the “follow the science” crowd, or the “settled science” crowd, I’d rather put my sights on the scientific method. 

Boiled down, I make observations and ask questions. I then formulate a hypothesis. Next, I collect data, through experimentation or compilation. I then observe the results of examining the data. Finally, I can draw a conclusion. Afterwards, you can test the theory and see if you get the same results.

Traffic safety efforts are no different. Here in central Portage County, my question is whether our efforts to reimagine our roadways are making it more or less safe for us. I then collect data through a largely neutral and trustworthy source, namely the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. I observe the results as compared to historical numbers, and my conclusion is a bit of a head scratcher.

Looking back at 2023, and comparing it to the averages of the previous five years, it looks on its face to be a better year for traffic safety. Overall reportable traffic crashes in Portage County dropped by six percent. While serious crashes did go up 40 percent, the number of fatalities plummeted by 84 percent. Lately, we average six people losing their lives on our highways, and we only lost one last year. One too many, but statistically much better.

Digging into the numbers throws up some red flags. Intersection (and intersection-related) crashes surpassed all types of lane deviation crashes for the first time. Not to get too wonky, but that means crashes that occur at or near intersections are more common than when a vehicle leaves its lane and runs off the road, or strikes another travelling vehicle. 

Anecdotally, that’s not common for counties such as ours. This tells me that our crashes are moving from open highway settings towards more populated and urbanized areas. The data backs me up on that.

The city of Stevens Point has the next major highway project as the “Business 51” reconstruction moves forward. While 2023 crashes in Stevens Point are relatively unchanged from the previous five years, pedestrian crashes are up 25 percent and bicycle crashes are up just three percent.

By comparison, the village of Plover is down 100 percent in pedestrian and 55 percent in bicycle crashes, even with a two percent increase in overall crashes. In Whiting, crashes are down 34 percent, with the number of pedestrians struck remaining at zero; while one bicyclist was hit, with only one other struck in the last five years. The town of Hull is pretty much the same story.

Is the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Street Safety Commission the answer? Are they really representative of traffic safety professionals, or are they safe street advocates for bikes and pedestrians? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but recognize it for what it is. It’s not the same thing.

Now, give credit where credit is due. The much-debated Stanley Street conversion from four lanes to three lanes was a hot topic for a while. Looking at the numbers, since the transformation, between Michigan Avenue and County YY (Green Avenue), crashes are down approximately 34 percent, and injuries down 46 percent.

In a 2019 article written for the site Strong Towns, Stevens Point Alderperson David Shore wrote a piece admitting that the main push for the road diet was not to make the roadway safer, but to add credibility to the city’s desire to be seen as more bicycle friendly, and improving “fairness” for the two-wheeled riders.

Shore wrote, “A couple key points about people who use bicycles for transportation. First is an issue of fairness: some of them don’t have the option of driving—because they can’t afford a car or have had their license revoked. For the majority of voluntary bike-riders, though, it’s a generational thing. Millennials have proven themselves dramatically less car-reliant compared to earlier generations and clearly want to live in communities with good bicycle infrastructure.”

Shore’s motivation was certainly to promote a different agenda other than traffic safety. We all want the roads to be safer for bikes and pedestrians, and the facts have shown Stanley Street to be a safer roadway. However, I credit that to the detailed examination and analysis of Director of Public Works Scott Beduhn, not the coincidental goal of being thought of as a bike-friendly city.

I admit that engineering is not always the solution. Case in point, I give you the County HH overpass with Interstate 39, with its steep grades, uncoordinated signals, and problematic merging traffic? Engineering is, however, a part of the formula to get there.

Now, if we only had a local group of true traffic safety professionals who can provide input, ideas, and recommendations to make our streets safer. If we only had a multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional blend of specialists in their field who all want the same thing; reducing the severity and frequency of traffic crashes for all users.

If we had one, I think we would call it a Traffic Safety Commission… Oh wait, we do!

By law, each of the 72 counties is required to have a Traffic Safety Commission (simply referred to as a TSC by all the cool kids.) Portage County has one, and by TSC standards, it’s pretty robust. Almost 20 members sit on this body, review crash data, analyze causes of crashes, make recommendations and endorsements, and actively work to bring resources into our local communities. Full disclosure – I am a proud long-time member of this commission.

The TSC consists of the Highway Commissioner, the Sheriff, the County Highway Safety Coordinator, County Board members and representatives from the fields of education, medicine, law, risk management, planning and zoning, emergency management, traffic incident management, medical examiner, and representatives from the Stevens Point and Plover Police Departments. 

In addition, the state provides an additional three members involved in law enforcement, highway engineering, and highway safety designated by the Secretary of Transportation. The County Executive, County Board Chair, and the Mayor are even regular attendees. Others also show up to provide their input and expertise.

These are regular, open meetings for the public. On occasion, units of government and concerned citizens will present their ideas and issues for feedback or resolution.

This group has made formal recommendations that have undoubtedly saved lives, reduced traffic hazards, and brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants and other safety improvements.

With all this traffic safety horsepower, why not use them to help provide a rich array of input on all the traffic safety issues throughout the County? Don’t you think that if it’s really about traffic safety for all road users, the TSC would be a natural place to get input from the true traffic safety community in Portage County? If not, ask yourself why not? I have a theory and conclusion, but I’ll let you draw your own.

So, with that, let’s meet in the opinion section to talk about all of it, boldly, honestly, and with a healthy respect for each other. Until then, buckle-up, and may God bless you and keep you safe out on the highways.