With high levels of traffic and increasing numbers of accidents, the Madison Police Department and Metro Transit are working to make the streets safer for everyone.
Earlier this week, MPD released a list of the top 10 most dangerous intersections in Madison, including busy spots on East Washington Avenue and Stoughton Road.
At the same time, Metro Transit released a video showing near accidents with buses taken by cameras that are equipped on every bus in the system. The video shows accidents such as near collisions between buses and pedestrians, skateboarders and bicyclists.
Mick Rusch, Marketing Communications manager for Metro Transit, said the accidents shown in the video are something that drivers see on a daily basis.
“Seeing as it happens on such a frequent occurrence, we felt an obligation to share this video to raise awareness that everyone needs to be careful, because you just never know what can happen out there,” Rusch said.
The video was shown at a press conference Nov. 3, held by Mayor Paul Soglin and Metro Transit General Manager Chuck Kamp to encourage people to be more aware of their surroundings out on the streets.
MPD Sgt. Rahim Rahaman said MPD has found there is not much of a difference when it comes to who is at fault in collisions.
“If you look at the crashes involving pedestrians, 55 percent of the time the car is at fault, compared to 42 percent of the time the pedestrian might be at fault,” Rahaman said. “They suddenly cross the roadway without looking, or they’re walking against signs, those kinds of things.”
Rahaman said in bicycle accidents it is more likely the motorist’s fault, with 60 percent of the cars at fault compared to the 32 percent of the bikes. Rahaman added that the accident usually occurs within 100 feet of the intersection, due to people not stopping at traffic lights and stop signs.
Rahaman said while everyone shares the roadway, pedestrians and bicyclists are more at risk. According to Rahaman, the difference between life and death can be caused by something as simple as driving 10 to 15 miles over the speed limit.
“Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians all think they’re the top dog, but it’s the pedestrians and the bicyclists that have more to lose,” he said. “They’re not protected.”
Both MPD and Metro Transit are planning a campaign to get the word out on how to prevent these accidents.
Rusch said in addition to the press conference, Metro Transit is going to put out newsletters and place ads in newspapers and on the sides of the buses in the spring when the streets get busy again.
The buses have implemented different features to help prevent accidents, including a chirping sound that activates when drivers make a turn and new mirrors that make it easier to see in blind spots.
Rusch said the biggest focus, however, is reminding drivers to stay alert.
“We ask everyone to be aware of their surroundings and just be aware of what’s going on in the streets,” Rusch said. “We’re doing this as a community initiative where we’re encouraging everybody to just be more aware and we’re challenging everyone to help reduce these incidents so that they never ever happen again.”
