AMATS | Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study | Planning for Greater Akron

Our sister agency in Cleveland, NOACA, received an earmark for a project in Garfield Heights which they are required to add to their Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program.  Because AMATS and NOACA are in the same Air Quality Non-Attainment area, and the project will impact air quality, AMATS must concur with NOACA’s air quality analysis through a signed resolution.

Because of the urgency of this item, AMATS is requesting any public comments by Friday, September 9th. If you have any questions, please contact Phyllis Jividen at 330-375-2436 or PJividen@AkronOhio.gov.

There will be a special meeting of the Policy Committee on September 15, 2011 at 1:30pm at the Akron CitiCenter Building, 5th Floor Conference room.

Please review the memo and resolution here.

AMATS announces that a second round of funding is available to Greater Akron area communities through its Connecting Communities Planning Grant Program.

The agency’s program awards funds for the study of potential improvements that promote livability such as bicycle, pedestrian and transit-oriented projects.  The program had a successful inaugural year, according to AMATS Mobility Planner Heather Davis Reidl.

Last December, the agency provided two $50,000 grants to the city of Akron and METRO of Summit County for their Downtown Akron Connectivity Study and to the Village of Richfield for its Crossroad of Commerce & Community Study.  (Both studies are underway and additional information about these efforts are available by clicking here.)

“We received 17 applications from project sponsors last year.  Awarding the grants wasn’t easy because some of the proposals were really innovative.  We’re eager to see what this year’s round of applicants will propose,” Davis Reidl says.

AMATS wants to build on the program’s momentum as it enters its second year and will again award two $50,000 grants.

“We want to encourage walking and biking by investing in healthy, safe and walk-able neighborhoods in all areas – rural, urban and suburban.  If a community has an idea to make its downtown more accessible by foot or wants to connect a neighborhood to a bike trail, we want to help,” Davis Reidl explains.

Key dates for communities interested in applying for these funds are:

• Sept. 1 – AMATS will begin accepting applications.  Application forms will be available on this date.
• Oct. 14 – This is the deadline to submit completed applications to the agency.

A 10-member task force of area leaders will review and score project applications and issue recommendations to the AMATS Policy Committee.  The committee is expected to announce grant recipients during its December meeting.

While motorcycle crashes, like the one shown above, account for 2 percent of total crashes in the Greater Akron area, they account for 22 percent of crash-related fatalities.

Traffic crashes on the Greater Akron area’s roadways and intersections showed a slight increase from 2009 to 2010, according to the latest three-year analysis compiled by AMATS.

The agency bases its analysis on more than 52,000 crash records from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.  AMATS identifies and ranks high-crash roadways, intersections and freeways by a composite score based on number of crashes, crash rate and severity.

PULAY

The analysis shows that the total number of area crashes increased by 2 percent to 16,873 in 2010 from 16,471 in 2009.  AMATS Transportation Engineer Dave Pulay notes that the 2010 total is still roughly 6,200 fewer crashes than in 2002.

“Although we had a slight increase last year, we’re still lower than we were nine years ago.  Crashes have been on a downward trend for the last decade due to a combination of things, such as the completion of much-needed safety improvements, fewer vehicle miles traveled because of the weak economy and safer vehicles,” Pulay observes.

The 2008-2010 analysis identifies high-crash roadway sections and intersections in the Greater Akron area.  As the agency responsible for transportation planning in the area, AMATS uses this information to identify and plan for safety improvements throughout the region.

Other findings of the analysis are that:

• Motorcycle crashes represented 2 percent of total area crashes, but represented 22 percent of crash-related fatalities.  Pedestrian-related crashes represented 1 percent of total crashes, but represented 14 percent of fatalities.

• While Akron is home to the area’s highest ranked high-crash roadway section located on Canton Road (state Route 91), from the Akron South Corporate line to Triplett Boulevard, Portage County is home to the second and third highest ranked high-crash sections located at state Route 44, from Tallmadge Road to Interstate 76, in Rootstown Township and state Route 59 (East Main Street), from Willow Street to Luther Avenue, in Kent.

• The two highest ranked high-crash intersections in the area are located in Summit County at S. Broadway Street and East Thornton Street in Akron and state Route 91 (Darrow Road) and Graham Road in Stow.  The area’s third highest ranked intersection is located at state Routes 14 and 44 and state Route 88 (North Freedom Street) in Ravenna.

• Although the total number of area crashes increased, the number of high-crash roadway segments and intersections actually decreased.

To view the report, please click here.  For additional information regarding crashes and safety issues, please visit our Reports or Focus-Safety pages.  Pulay adds that the agency will release its analysis of freeway locations in the Greater Akron area in the coming weeks.  For more information, please call AMATS at 330-375-2436.