10 most crash-prone intersections in Scottsdale

Scottsdale's Hayden and Thomas roads intersection buzzes with activity at every corner.

A constant flow of customers patronize several fast-food and traditional restaurants, a Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, a CVS/pharmacy, two gas stations, a gym, a car wash, and an auto-repair shop, among other businesses.

There are also a lot of accidents.

Of all Scottsdale's intersections, the one at Hayden and Thomas roads recorded the most accidents in 2013, according to an Arizona Republic analysis. City records also show the intersection consistently ranking high for accidents since at least 2006.

Witnessing crashes near the intersection is "commonplace," said Scottsdale resident James McCrystal, who lived at a nearby apartment complex in 2013.

"I would say there are more accidents at that intersection than the surrounding ones," he said.

In 2013, there were 41 reported accidents at the intersection and its surrounding area, according to The Republic analysis. The intersection also ranked worst for injuries in 2013, with 21 reported injuries that year.

To determine which intersections had the most crashes and injuries, The Republic used data from the Arizona Department of Transportation. The data included crashes within 150 feet of intersections as reported by law-enforcement officers in 2013.

Heavy traffic through the Hayden-Thomas intersection can lead to frustrated and impatient drivers, said George Williams, Scottsdale's principal traffic engineer.

"Frustrated drivers tend to drive more aggressively, take more chances and, in general, make poor choices," he said.

Also contributing to its accident-prone status, the Thomas-Hayden intersection has many private driveways in close proximity, with most allowing both left and right turns, Williams said.

There are 10 driveways within 200 feet of the intersection, creating "conflict points, especially left-turn conflicts, that increase the complexities drivers must address," he said.

Dee Heine, who has driven the Hayden-Thomas intersection for 25 years, said she has seen many accidents in the vicinity.

"It has become worse since the (Loop) 101 opened," she said, noting that Thomas Road connects to the freeway about a mile to the east. "Most of it seems related to driver distraction or being in a hurry to beat the light."

Valley cities use data from ADOT, the Maricopa Association of Governments and local police departments to target problem intersections and plan improvements to curb crashes.

In response to the Hayden-Thomas intersection's safety concerns, Scottsdale has implemented some mitigation measures, Williams said. These included adding fully protected left-turn arrows, instead of allowing turns on both an arrow and the full green, advanced street-name signs to allow motorists to react sooner and reflective tape on signal-head back plates to improve night-time visibility.

Proposed improvements

Because those smaller changes have not significantly reduced accident counts, there are several proposed intersection changes currently being considered, Williams said.

The city plans to use federal funds from a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant for the following:

• Construct a raised median along Thomas Road limiting left-turn access to driveways near Hayden Road
• Provide offset left turns at the intersection to improve sight distance for left-turning vehicles on Thomas Road
• Create a dedicated eastbound right-turn lane on Thomas at Hayden Road
• Improve the westbound dedicated right-turn lane on Thomas at Hayden Road
• Consolidate driveways along Thomas Road near the intersection
• Extend existing bike lanes along Thomas Road through Hayden Road
• Provide a new right-turn bus bay on the north side of Thomas Road, west of Hayden Road

The city is working to complete the design-concept phase of the project by the end of this year or by early next year, and to begin construction "sometime next year," Williams said.

In addition to city efforts, the Scottsdale Police Department is refining its enforcement plan for the area, including stepping up what is known as "directed enforcement," said Lt. Joe Kertesz, of the department's traffic-enforcement section.

Directed enforcement entails focusing officers on specific problem locations, then having those officers run their own radars and pull vehicles over to educate drivers about the area's safety issues, he said.

Photo enforcement implemented in fiscal 2012-13 and speed warning-board signs are also part of the police department's multifaceted approach to increasing intersection safety, Kertesz said.

"The photo enforcement was recently installed ... but preliminary numbers do indicate accident rates are dropping," he said.

Other trouble spots

Other intersections that ranked high in 2013 for accidents include many along Scottsdale Road, one of the city's major north-south routes, and several along Shea Boulevard, which is a major connection to the Loop 101 freeway.

Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard are two of the city's heaviest traveled corridors with very high traffic volumes, Williams said.

Shea Boulevard acts as a favorite route for commuters and Scottsdale Road is one of the city's longest roads, Williams said.

Drivers along Scottsdale Road have a lot to process, including many signs related to businesses along the route, traffic signals and many driveways with full turning access, he said.

The city has made several changes over time to reduce complexity along Scottsdale Road, Williams said. These changes include adding right- and left-turn bays, restriping, consolidating driveways and adding medians. The city also has added photo enforcement.

Future efforts to improve safety along Scottsdale Road will include "opportunities to simplify the driving task and improve pedestrian facilities" at the Scottsdale-Indian School roads intersection as part of the Scottsdale Road streetscape project, Williams said.

The intersections on Shea at 90th and 92nd streets, which are close to the freeway, numerous businesses and Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center, were rebuilt about 10 years ago, and therefore are not planned for further major improvements, he said.

While not a direct improvement to Shea, the Mustang Transit Improvements project near the Shea-90th intersection is expected to make it easier for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and drivers to navigate the area, Williams said.

That project's proposed improvements include a new signal at the Scottsdale Healthcare driveway and a roundabout at the Mustang Library main driveway.

Overall, collisions have been trending down in Scottsdale since 2006.

That year, the city recorded 5,130 total collisions. In 2012, the most recent year with available data, the city recorded 3,710 total collisions.

Top-10 intersections for crashes in Scottsdale:

1. Hayden and Thomas roads: 41 accidents.

2. Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard: 33 accidents.

3. Scottsdale and Camelback roads: 29 accidents.

4. Scottsdale and McDowell roads: 29 accidents.

5. 92nd Street and Shea Boulevard: 28 accidents.

6. Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Greenway Hayden Loop: 27 accidents.

7. Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard: 25 accidents.

8. Scottsdale and Thomas roads: 25 accidents.

9. 90th Street and Shea Boulevard: 23 accidents.

10. Scottsdale and Indian School roads: 22 accidents.

Source: Arizona Republic analysis of ADOT data