(Status wouldn't slow me to select 'fix it')

I feel this needs to be fixed! I live right at this intersection and know first hand as well as see daily many examples of how this intersection is so dangerous. My family crosses multiple times per day. I have in fact taught my children to jay walk Winooski and then St Paul further north on the street because it is way safer by limiting the variables and ability to see any traffic heading in our direction. That is obviously not ideal. It is also not possible to jay walk much of the year (snow and crab apple dropping season) and thus we are left to gamble with our safety.
Last year many neighbors got together to try and get this changed but to no avail. It disappoints me that the city of Burlington hasn't taken action for the safety of our children and all citizens.

This item should not be closed, nothing has been done.

This needs the city's attention immediately, especially now that schools are back in session. Crossing guards will help as a temporary fix, but pedestrian lights will be required with rapid flashing beacons. The urgency of fixing this intersection is obvious and it should be prioritized.

I have always hated this intersection as a driver or pedestrian! Americans do not understand the concept of round abouts like Brits do. Before another serious injury, this needs to be dealt with please!

I fully agree with all these comments. It is a dangerous intersection, especially for pedestrians because you can't even see the signals/light colors from the sidewalks. At a minimum it needs a crossing guard but it is dangerous at all times of day for children and adults alike and the crossing guard would only be there a couple of hours on weekdays. I also end up jaywalking as a deliberate strategy to avoid the danger of the intersection and every time I do so I think, "how the heck would kids ever be able to navigate this safely?" I know that the city has restrictions on what it can do because it is a state highway...but it's time to get beyond that and find a solution.

Issue acknowledged - Sending to Technical Services for review

The Department of Public Works has a meeting scheduled as follows:

PROJECT STATUS

November 2016 - Please join the Burlington Department of Public Works and your neighbors to meet, discuss, and experience the South Winooski, St Paul, and Howard Street intersection. We will gather at the intersection on Saturday, November 12 at 10:00 AM to walk, roll, and observe the intersection. We are building upon past planning efforts to develop short-, medium-, and long-term improvements that will benefit all travelers, and we need you input: what works, what doesn’t, and what can we do about it? Hot cider, apples, and donuts will be provided!

The meeting flyer is in the link below:
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default/files/DPW/TransportationProjects/5CornersScopingStudy/WHSP%20-%20LCM%20-%20Flyer.pdf

Please come to a meeting at the park on the corner of S Winooski and St Paul this Saturday at 10. There is a group working on the issue who requests our input.

SCormier assigned this issue to SCormier

This issue was recategorized from Other to Capital improvements and long-term projects.

Any updates on the plan? Thanks so much for working on this!

Local Motion and others recently put together a pop-up demo of how this intersection could be made safer. You can see the video of the results at https://vimeo.com/234247605 and sign on in support at http://www.localmotion.org/goal_make_howard_st_paul_improvements_semi_permanent

A couple of things to think about. Pedestrian signals do not necessarily solve anything here, by the mere presence of them alone. If the signal dwelled in St. Paul Street green for lack of any other traffic, then yes, pedestrian signals would be needed as a means of making it change (buttons) to allow the crossing. Ironically, because of the lack of pedestrian signals, the signal is set to change every time to Howard Street, whether anyone is waiting there or not. We have to assume someone always wants to cross, and cannot operate the signal as-is any other way. Since it changes every time, buttons are not needed.

Pedestrians can see the color of the signals and make a choice of whether to cross or not. Certain signals have "cut-away" visors to increase visibility at greater angles. Traditionally, crossing was always at the "spokes" of the wheel, so to speak, not across the middle of the intersection. This worked well for the first 40+ years of operation. The signal was updated from a single 5-way head to its current configuration in July 1994, but it still mimics the earlier operation of changing every time for Howard Street.

Sometime in the 2000's a crosswalk was added to the north side of Howard, through the middle of the intersection. This creates a path of longer distance versus shorter crossings at the perimeter. I would instruct my own kids not to use this crosswalk because of the increased exposure. Its presence is not as desirable, in my opinion, as the former method of perimeter only crossings. It does not seem to be causing major problems as a fairly low-volume crossing.

Pedestrian signals are a huge expense for what appears to be a non-problem. Ledge or solid rock in the area makes installation of underground conduit to all corners, which is necessary for pedestrian signals, a scary proposition. To put this in perspective, in 1995 we replaced the signal at North Avenue & Institute Road by the high school. To make the transition to a new signal more efficient and less disruptive, the plan was to add a second pole and mount new control equipment before removing the first. Dirt work had been contracted out for $4700. It was not an overly expensive upgrade. In the process of drilling a hole for the new pole it was discovered that the whole area was solid rock. We allowed the contractor a justified add-on for additional work to drill the hole. A 5' hole took a whole day of chipping and cost $1250 in additional work.

Imagine this type of complication, not just for a single hole, but for an entire trench across a street, times four. The entire process would be loud, disruptive to traffic and pedestrians, and is not guaranteed to be free of additional complications. A likely six-digit price is justified for very busy crossings, perhaps, but this has to be prioritized versus other things needing attention.

I have made it known that I am not in favor of pedestrian signals here for the above reasons, and in fact would lobby against them as a conscientious steward of other people's (tax) money.

The expense of pedestrian signals, combined with the need to stop traffic on St. Paul Street over and over, makes this a candidate for a small roundabout, if such a thing were to work within the footprint of the intersection. Slowing down to make the turn, and yielding to pedestrians and other traffic already in the circle, would amount to reduced speeds and possibly safer crossings, with less delay to all. Could be a rare win-win-win in the traffic world, but again, only if the geometry allows.

Hello South End Neighbors: The DPW Commission will be receiving a presentation on the scoping study for this intersection on Wednesday, February 21 at their 6:30pm meeting. The materials for the meeting, including the scoping report, are at: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/DPW/Commission/Agendas. DPW is planning on making initial improvements to this intersection this year.

Thanks. I wish they would look at all of St. Paul Street at the same time, and add a cross-walk at Adams St. and St. Paul, and put up more flashing lights or other traffic calming efforts. The curve near Adams Street makes the sight lines challenging for motorists and pedestrians alike. We've had a dog killed and I had an accident there, both within the past year.

The new signals were turned on about 10:00 the morning of March 25th. Twelve new pedestrian signals are installed for the six crosswalks. Aerial signals were removed and replaced with post-top style signals. This picture was taken just after the old aerial signals were removed, the cable they hung from has not yet been dropped. Four of five radar sensors are in the foreground, the fifth has not yet been installed on the pole by the Do Not Enter sign. All are working now. The Department of Public Works has resolved this request. Thanks for helping to keep Burlington a great place to live and work.

Let me be the first to say thanks to all, citizens and city employees alike, for fixing this! As I was sitting at the light today, I watched as two school-aged children awaited their proper signal at the bump-out and then were able to bicycle up across Shelburne St. safely and without difficulty. Hooray!!!

Thank you for listening to the people!

Thank you for everyone who participated in the 2016-2018 planning process that resulted in a clear preferred alternative for the neighborhood. The recommendations led to a 2018-2020 Quick Build installation of temporary curb extensions so that the community could experience the recommendations first hand and DPW could determine whether any tweaks were necessary before the final curb line was set. This also gave DPW time to coordinate the permanent curb extensions and signal upgrades with planned adjacent paving and sidewalk work. The intersection is a great enhancement to a great neighborhood.