Bellefonte is considering two options to improve safety at the Diamond intersection of High and Allegheny streets.
One of those options is transforming the intersection into a roundabout, which would drastically change the look of the heart of town.
A roundabout may be a big, unwanted change for some in Bellefonte, but, according to PennDOT, data shows these types of intersections can reduce fatalities, injuries and crashes.
Bellefonte is considering the changes to the Diamond intersection after a handful of significant pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents resulted in serious injuries and even the death of a woman crossing the busy street last July.
In August, borough council heard two re-design concepts from Pennoni Associates, which worked with the borough’s Streets Committee to develop a plan for the safety issues. The borough will hold public comment meetings at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 and 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 6 to hear from residents.
The two options being considered are similar in some respects. Both take public parking spaces away. Both add green space to the Diamond.
But they differ drastically from there.
The other option is to change the Diamond design slightly, keeping the current two-way stop sign pattern. PennDOT recently compiled data from 26 roundabouts on state routes at intersections that were previously stop or signal controlled, and it shows a reduction in all three categories.
All intersections used in the study have at least three years of crash data available before and after the roundabout were built.
“The modern roundabout is simply safer than the traditional intersection,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said in a press release. “Though not the right option for every intersection, data shows that when installed, roundabouts save lives and reduce crash severity.”
Department data based on police-submitted crash reports spanning the years 2000 through 2020 shows that fatalities at these locations were reduced by 100 percent, and the total number of crashes decreased by 22 percent.
Additionally:
• Suspected serious injuries were reduced by 81 percent;
• Suspected minor injuries were reduced by 36 percent;
• Possible/unknown severity injuries were reduced by 76 percent; and
• Property damage-only crashes increased by 13 percent.
PennDOT said roundabouts are frequently installed to address intersections with safety issues but may also be installed to improve traffic flow as well as other reasons, such as traffic calming and to facilitate pedestrian mobility.
Although roundabouts are safer and typically more efficient than traditional signalized intersections, they may not always be the best option due to topography or other reasons, such as property impacts, capacity issues and proximity to other intersections.
More information about the proposed designs for the Bellefonte Diamond are available on the borough website.
This story appears in the Sept. 30-Oct. 6 edition of the Centre County Gazette.
