In case you missed it, the Press-Telegram over the weekend debuted an interesting series on the most dangerous roads and intersections in Long Beach.
The subsequent articles provide some fascinating information and rank the most accident-prone areas (staff writer Kelly Puente does a fantastic job with more than a half-dozen articles on the issue), but the series really shines online with an interactive map that tells us a lot about our driving habits.
It’s pretty well established that Long Beach has traffic troubles. Some of its intersections are among Southern California’s most congested, and the Press-Telegram article reports that between 25-30 fatalities are recorded each year. So they’re not only busy, they can be dangerous.
But it’s interesting to note which areas are busy, and which areas are dangerous; because according to the Press-Telegram’s interactive map, those two things are not the same.
For example, the interactive map notes that the most traffic accidents that result in injuries occur almost exclusively in central Long Beach, in the area south of 7th Street but east of Pacific Avenue and west of Temple.
However, the map notes that the city’s most congested intersections are almost exclusively on the eastern side of the city, with top honors going to 7th/PCH with 2nd/PCH not far behind (the traffic circle is a surprising 7th place).
So while the city’s most congested intersections lie to the east, the most dangerous intersections (for drivers and pedestrians) can be found in central Long Beach.
The overarching theme of Puente’s series is that drivers and pedestrians alike should exercise extreme caution when using intersections.
What do you think the series tells us about our driving habits? What needs to be done to make our streets safer?