Ranking the top 10 most dangerous intersections in Tallahassee | Street Scene

Q. Wally, retired and in no particular hurry would like to avoid dangerous intersections and has asked me to publish a list of Tallahassee’s most dangerous.

A. Kinda like the FBI most wanted. Maybe we could post such a dangerous intersection list in the post office. Actually Wally, several factors come in to play that may accuse a physical geographic location as dangerous. An active volcano comes to mind. The point being, excluding poor design, an intersection on its own is generally not a dangerous place, until that is, we show up; too fast or inattentive or both.

As a traffic safety engineer I didn’t like to install the “Dangerous Curve” sign. For a local government to request a dangerous curve sign meant to me they openly recognize a traffic hazard but instead of geometric remediation or complete redesign they choose to tell everyone they are taking the easy pathway from responsibility and placing the burden on the motorist.

I suppose in the interim, and at a location where logistics prevents allocation of millions of dollars for a new road, intersection, etc. reducing the speed supported by the standard warning sign, black arrow on yellow background, may work for awhile, but to keep the motoring public safe a proper design is the only true option. More about identifying known hazards v fixing them, later.

Now, to identify “dangerous” intersections in Tallahassee I forward the latest information (2017) provided by our city public works management team.

Listed by vehicles per hour and number of crashes ranked by severity rate/ million vehicles.

• Orange Avenue & Springhill Road

• Monroe Street & Orange Avenue

• Capital Circle & W. Tennessee Street

• Ocala Road & W. Tennessee Street

• Capital Circle & Apalachee Parkway

• Apalachee Parkway & Magnolia Drive 

• White Drive & Pensacola Street

• Calhoun Street & Apalachee Parkway

• White Drive & W. Tennessee Street

• Monroe Street & Tennessee Street

The Tallahassee Gridlock Guide:Tap into our map mashup of live traffic reports and the city and state's traffic cams

Havana Highway habits

David and his neighbors who travel State Road 12 in Gadsden County, locally known by Quincy residents as the Havana Highway, often sees some very bad driving on this stretch of 2 lane highway; speeding, passing on double yellow (hills and curves), riding another cars rear bumper, weaving off and on the road as if DUI, you name it, it’s out here says David, and asks what can be done?

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is the preeminent Florida Law Enforcement agency responsible for enforcing traffic laws. Each FHP Trooper is charged with that responsibility and they are on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The only way a local driving population feels they can push the limits is when they realize there is little or no traffic law enforcement in an area.

One of the things I lobbied against as a Trooper was the practice of Florida Troopers sitting along one area roadside “running radar” while other sections of the road is without responsible traffic safety watch/patrol. Which could mean a disabled motorist may not be cared for or, such as that which you experience, drivers acting in a reckless and dangerous manner.

There is something you can do, David, actually all of us can do. You may report a vehicle description, manner of driving and tag number to the local Florida Highway Patrol by dialing *FHP on your cellphone. Obviously tag numbers are important however only if you can read it without putting yourself in a compromising position. Or you can call Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in Tallahassee. *FHP is the direct link.

With this column we ask FHP Director Colonel Gene Spaulding to step up a presence on SR-12 in Gadsden County, specifically the section running between Havana and Quincy Florida. Most importantly for you and others out there, remain vigilant in a known area of bad driving. You might want to be extra perky when entering a vertical or horizontal curve. Thanks for letting us know, David. 

Philip Stuart (IMPAACT.org) is a retired Florida State Trooper, traffic operations project engineer and forensics expert witness. Send questions to crashsites@embarqmail.com.