As the Martha’s Vineyard Commission studies ways to improve road safety around the Island, a new report has revealed the Vineyard’s most dangerous roadways.
Among some of the takeaways: Five Corners was one of the more dangerous intersections on the Island; the number of accidents where substance use was cited was double the rate of the state average and the Island has a higher crash rate compared to the state average. The study also lists possible solutions, which include installing roundabouts and traffic signals.
The study was presented online on Wednesday, prepared for the Martha’s Vineyard Safe Streets and Roads for All Program — a project with the commission and with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The 30-page study ranked the top 20 intersections on Martha’s Vineyard by crash severity from 2018 to 2022. The Five Corners intersection in downtown Vineyard Haven saw one severe crash and two crashes resulting in other injuries.
The intersection of Franklin Street and Woodlawn Avenue was the second most dangerous, with Edgartown–West Tisbury Road and Barnes road third. All but one of the top twenty intersections were down-Island — State Road and Old Courthouse Road in West Tisbury made spot 18 on the list.
The study also ranked the most dangerous roadways with the area of State Road, Beach Road, and Tomahigan Avenue as the most dangerous. There was one severe crash and 16 other injuries in the area over the course of the study. State Road followed as the second most dangerous, and Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road was third. The roadways list also heavily represented areas down-Island.
Now that the commission has data on where severe crashes occur, presenters said that they will consider proven traffic solutions for the Vineyard and where different solutions might be applied.
These solutions could include significant changes for Vineyard roads, including installing turn lanes and traffic signals and converting intersections to roundabouts, presenters said. They did not match any solution to a specific Vineyard location on Wednesday.
Biker and pedestrian safety was also a focus; expanding shared-use paths, paving walkable shoulders, and reducing curb cuts could help reduce crashes, noted presenter Dru van Hengel, PhD, Active Transportation and Safety Sector Co-Lead at firm Nelson/Nygaard.
The traffic study came with other revelations about injuries on Vineyard roads, where from 2018 to 2022 there were an average of 186 reported crashes per year. One percent of these resulted in a death, and three percent resulted in a suspected serious injury.
The Vineyard has a higher rate of fatal crashes than the statewide average, presenters noted, with a rate of 4.9 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents. The state average is 3.8.
The standout trend identified in the study was the number of crashes involving a single vehicle, transportation planner Zack Gavel of Nelson/Nygaard said. “The majority of crashes on the Island are only involving a single vehicle, and that’s also disproportionately the types of crashes that are represented in the most serious outcomes,” he said.
The Vineyard’s rural roads also stand out when it comes to crashes with pedestrians.
“Martha’s Vineyard is actually somewhat anomalous in that it’s the only rural jurisdiction that is above the statewide average for pedestrian-involved crashes, in terms of the severity,” Gavel said.
Biker and pedestrian safety was another focus. Six percent of all crashes in the study involved a pedestrian or biker, but a disproportionate 28 percent of crashes with fatal or serious injury involved a pedestrian or biker.
Substance use also plays a role in Vineyard crashes; crashes resulting in death or injury on-Island were twice as likely to cite alcohol or drug use compared to crashes statewide.
The safest time to drive on-Island, the study said, is September, October, and November, with crashes in July and August higher than in statewide statistics.
Next steps for the safety program will involve creating project descriptions for the Vineyard’s most dangerous locations.
Public education efforts are another goal, and will target the Vineyard’s most common types of crashes. Enforcement strategies could come out of the commission’s work as well, including targeted speed limit enforcement on certain roads.
The study and presentation are available on the commission’s webpage for the presentation.
The commission is still seeking public input about traffic conditions on the Vineyard through a survey and comment section on their website.
Vineyarders can also point out areas where they have safety concerns on this interactive map.
Repaving the West Tisbury-to-Edgartown bike path would be a start. The last time that was done was the early 1990s.
Need light or. Arrows instercetion by the edgartown stop an shop i seen lot close calls at intersection
If substance was a factor to high accidents In five corners, so reinforcing no drinking and driving would be the most obvious solution!? Also I think every major intersection should have a camera installed.
I couldn’t help but notice the juxtaposition of this article on traffic safety citing Five Corners as “one of the more dangerous intersections on the island” and the role of substance abuse in the most serious accidents, with an article in the same MV Times “Minute” heralding the opening of a new bar and outdoor patio abutting the aforementioned Five Corners intersection. Was this accidental? or inevitable?
Appreciate the thoughtful and data driven efforts with a robust effort and opportunity for community feedback, as well as the intent to balance car, bike and pedestrian safety. I have high hopes that this could lead to many short and long term improvements as funding approves.
I understand why it’s not on the list, but traversing that little bridge in West Tisbury near where Humphrey’s used to be is my least favorite place to drive on MV.
There’s a bridge there? Never noticed it, although I noticed a railing, so I’ll have to look closer to recognize it as a bridge. I do remember several years ago someone hitting a beautiful vintage railing there and it got replaced with an ugly new railing. Next time I head to the post office I’ll check this dangerous bridge out! Thanks for the heads up!
Dear lord team, let’s put in a light already. It’s 2025. Give us a break. This island isn’t a tiny rural farmland anymore. It’s a uber-rich narcissists place to trash for a week every year. We are paying traffic police instead of using the traffic light – invented well over 100 years ago. Such a joke
TRUE that- and one of the first should be at the dual-entrance Stop and Shop parking lot stretch on Upper Main in Edgartown around where it intersects Chase Road, where accidents happen, daily near-misses abound, and pedestrians are often nearly taken out by people speeding thru all summer, ignoring 3 crosswalks and the people in or trying to use them.
It’s not the roads, it’s the people’s inability to follow the rules of the road. No one stops at stop signs, everyone thinks that their destination is more important than any others and the rules go out the window. It’s like the Wild West of driving out there. People with no licenses, no insurance, or inspection stickers. Maybe if the police actually participated in deterring these types of drivers we wouldn’t need lights.
Roundabouts at 5 corners, edg/vh and county rd. The triangle. Edg/Wt and Barnes
All should have a rotary. While living in Portugal I’ve witnessed these everywhere making mobility simply more mobile.
Please complete the survey linked in the article. Responses will help inform which solutions to pursue.
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