WELLFLEET — The Cape Cod Commission brought statistics on the Outer Cape’s traffic hot spots, plus lots of ideas for reducing crashes, to a forum here on April 2. The organizers wanted reactions from the community, but only two people came to the event.
The commission’s work on its Vision Zero Action Plan began last fall. It’s part of a nationwide effort to identify traffic safety improvements towns can implement. Colleen Medeiros, the commission’s transportation program manager, said the goal is ambitious but attainable. “Hoboken, N.J. was one of the first communities to adopt Vision Zero, and they have reached zero,” Medeiros said.
The first phase focused on analyzing crash data from 2018 through 2023. The commission surveyed first responders, public works officials, employers of seasonal workers, town planners, and residents. Next, a committee with representatives from local government, regional transportation organizations, and public health and bike safety organizations worked on ideas for changes with consultants from Kimley-Horn, a Raleigh, N.C. planning and engineering consultancy with offices in Waltham.
The Wellfleet meeting was part of the commission’s phase two, starting with forums to discuss potential measures for high-risk areas. It will culminate with the release of a draft action plan in May.
Once the plan is ready, Medeiros said, the commission will meet with local officials and help communities apply for grants to cover bigger projects. According to Medieros, the application process for measures that respond to the plan has been streamlined, allowing applicants to go directly to the Federal Highway Administration, where grant money has already been allocated.
What the Data Show
Of the 29,587 crashes in Barnstable County between 2018 and 2023, 81 resulted in fatalities and 664 in serious injuries. Those totals include crashes involving motor vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
Some conclusions were unsurprising, such as that more than half the crashes resulting in death and serious injuries occurred from May to September. While more serious crashes and fatalities happened during the day, peaking between 3 and 6 p.m., 34 percent occurred at dusk or in the dark.
The total crash tally for the four Outer Cape towns was 2,143, with four fatal crashes and 58 with serious injuries.
Eastham
Eastham had 798 crashes, including two with fatalities and 20 with serious injuries. High-risk corridors include Brackett Road, Bridge Road, the Eastham rotary, Route 6, Herring Brook Road, Massasoit Road, Nauset Road, Old County Road, Old Orchard Road, Samoset Road, and Schoolhouse Road.
According to the commission, suggestions from the public focused on adding a sidewalk along Samoset Road, addressing a Route 6 high-risk corridor from the rotary to Samoset, and improving the two-way stop at Route 6 and Gov. Prence Road.
The commission’s work adds more — from installing speed feedback signs on Brackett Road to working with Nauset High to address problems at Cable Road, where 18 crashes happened between 2018 and 2023.
Wellfleet
Wellfleet had 578 crashes, including one fatality and 21 with serious injuries. High-risk corridors include Route 6, Kendrick Avenue, Commercial Street, Main Street, West Main Street, LeCount Hollow Road, and School Street.
Public suggestions collected by the commission included adding a sidewalk along Chequessett Neck Road, improving the intersection of Route 6 and LeCount Hollow (where there was a fatal crash on Oct. 10, 2024), and redesigning the entry to the rail trail at LeCount Hollow to improve visibility for bicyclists.
Among the short-term measures drafted by the commission were pedestrian signs for Commercial Street and improvements to the intersections of Commercial with Kendrick and Holbrook avenues.
Crashes were most frequent on the six-mile stretch of Route 6 from the Eastham line to Briar Lane. Of the 300 crashes on that stretch, one resulted in death and 12 in serious injuries. Five involved bicyclists and two involved pedestrians.
Truro
Truro had 221 crashes, eight with serious injuries, and no fatalities. One high-risk area is the mile-long stretch of Route 6 between Castle Road and Shore Road, where 34 crashes occurred, two involving bicyclists and five resulting in serious injuries. Truro Center Road at Depot Road and South Pamet Road is another: seven crashes happened there.
Public comments pointed to the need to enforce the four-foot passing area around vulnerable road users and the need for shelters, trash barrels, benches, and signs along bus routes.
Among the commission’s suggestions are adding a flashing light at the crosswalk north of the intersection of Truro Center Road and Depot or South Pamet roads and putting in a marked crosswalk along Depot Street past Truro Center Road.
Provincetown
Provincetown had 546 crashes, with one fatality; nine involved serious injuries. High-risk corridors include Atlantic Avenue, Bradford, Center, Commercial, and Conwell streets, Race Point, Atkins Mayo, and Shank Painter roads, and Routes 6 and 6A.
Of the total, 141 crashes occurred on Commercial Street between Arch and Franklin streets; 86 happened on Bradford Street between Shank Painter and Kendall Lane or Atkins Mayo Road, including 23 with serious injuries and the one fatality; 52 crashes on Shank Painter Road between Bradford and Route 6; and Route 6 had 12 crashes at Conwell Street and 14 at Snail Road.
Suggestions included improving the signals at intersections on Route 6, installing traffic-calming elements along parts of Conwell Street, and lowering the speed limit on Bradford Street.
Turkeys and Turkeys
At the public forum, Bill Scully of Kimley-Horn said some improvements rely on changing “the mindset” of drivers. “We know that speed is the critical issue,” he said. “The higher the speed, the more likely the crash and the more serious the injury.” Enforcing speed limits will help address the problem, he said.
Scully also brought up unforeseen hazards, saying some pheasants had walked across the highway during his trip to Cape Cod that day. In such situations, drivers sometimes overreact, causing crashes involving vehicles around them.
That prompted Colleen Robinson, one of only two residents who attended the forum, to ask how the problem of turkeys taking over local roads could be addressed. That stumped Scully.
“I’ll have to think about that,” he said.
