Inman Square: Worst Bike Crash Location in Massachusetts

The worst area in Massachusetts for bicycle crashes is Inman Square in Somerville and Cambridge, according to a recent report by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Porter Square is the third worst area for bike crashes.

Meanwhile, Davis Square is the sixth worst area for pedestrian crashes in Massachusetts.

The "2009 Top Crash Locations Report" was released in August, 2011, and lists the top 200 automobile crash locations in the state, using data collected between 2007 and 2009. It also outlines the top ten worst locations for pedestrian and bike crashes using data collected between 2002 and 2009.

Somerville intersections in the top 200

In terms of car crashes, three intersections in Somerville made the top 200 list.

The area of Mystic Avenue and McGrath Highway was the worst, ranked 30 on the list of crash sites. Between 2007 and 2009, there were 67 crashes in that area. None were fatal, but 26 resulted in injuries.

The report takes into account the severity of crashes in ranking intersections. Fatal crashes are weighted heaviest. Crashes resulting in injuries are also weighted heavily, and crashes involving only property damage are weighted the least.

The intersection of Somerville Avenue and Bow Street, in Union Square, was the next Somerville location on the top 200 list, ranked at 125. Between 2007 and 2009, there were 48 crashes there, 17 resulting in injuries.

Finally, the intersection of Broadway and Alewife Brook Parkway was ranked 185 on the list, with 52 crashes between 2007 and 2009, 13 resulting in injuries.

How does Somerville compare?

As a comparison, Cambridge had two of the top 200 crash sites. The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Prospect Street, in Central Square, was ranked 25. The intersection of Memorial Drive and River Street was ranked 76.

In Medford, the intersection of Mystic Valley Parkway and Winthrop Street was ranked 120, and the intersection of Main Street and Salem Street was ranked 153.

Boston had six intersections in the top 200.

All of that pales in comparison to places like Lowell and Brockton, which had the first and second worst intersections in the state, respectively. Lowell has 14 intersections on the list; Brockton has 16.

Bicycle crashes

The area of Inman Square, in Somerville and Cambridge, was the worst intersection in Massachusetts for bike crashes between 2002 and 2009. There were 106 bike crashes in and around Inman Square during that period. None were fatal, but 71 resulted in injuries.

Beacon Street, which turns into Hampshire Street in Cambridge, and Cambridge Street, in Cambridge, had the most bike crashes.

Porter Square, which ranked third on the list of top 10 bicycle crash locations, suffered most of its crashes along Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, but there were a number of crashes along Elm Street, in Somerville.

Stay out of Cambridge if you're on a bike

The number of bike crashes in Cambridge probably reflects the high number of bicyclists in that city. On the list of top 10 bike crash locations in Massachusetts, Cambridge is home to areas that rank 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 on the list.

Stay off Mass Ave 

In Cambridge, several bike accidents took place on Massachusetts Avenue.

Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square, Porter Square, near MIT, between Central and Harvard squares, and near the Charles River were all top-10 bike crash locations.

Davis Square and pedestrian crashes

Meanwhile, Davis Square was the sixth worst place in Massachusetts for pedestrian accidents. Between 2002 and 2009, there were 38 pedestrian crashes in Davis Square. Of those, one was a fatal and 32 resulted in injuries.

Central Square, in Cambridge, was ranked number three on the list of pedestrian crash sites, with 94 total pedestrian crashes, two of them fatal and 43 resulting in injuries.

See the whole report here.