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Council debates crash-report methods and signal plans for Bennett/Akins and Ridge/Akins intersections
Summary
Police and council members reviewed a top‑10 crash list; Chief Keith Tarase explained a 10‑year total at Bennett–Akins (73 crashes 2014–2024, plus 5 in 2025) and said engineering studies sometimes exclude minor or driveway crashes. Residents urged keeping those incidents in analyses and asked for improved sightlines and traffic‑calming measures while Engineering and Signal Services complete reviews.
Chief Keith Tarase told the Safety Committee that intersection statistics for 2024–25 have been circulated and explained the notation used at Bennett and Akins: 73 crashes from 2014–2024 with 5 additional crashes in 2025, yielding a two‑year added total of 78.
Vice Chair Gary Petrusky said a separate GPD engineering report covering 2019–2023 lists far fewer crashes and questioned why the datasets differ. Tarase explained that engineering studies sometimes exclude certain collisions (for example, driveway crashes or very minor incidents) when applying traffic‑warrant criteria. "If you look at the report from GPD, in the first paragraph they state that they removed certain crashes out of this study," he said.
Resident Kaylee Green and Rich Harrell pushed back on exclusions, saying driveway and low‑severity crashes still matter for residents trying to enter and exit roadways. Harrell urged trimming vegetation and suggested lowering the downhill speed limit on Bennett Road to 25 mph and adding more formalized angled stops at Akins and the Parkway to reduce cut‑through traffic.
Chief Tarase said Metroparks crews and city service crews have trimmed vegetation near Parkway intersections to improve sightlines; Signal Services has equipment scheduled and the department expects signal work and signage adjustments in the coming weeks. The mayor said the Law and Engineering departments are reviewing materials and that a 4‑way stop could be used to demonstrate need for a traffic signal in some cases.
Why it matters: disagreement over crash-count methodology affects application for engineering grants and whether to pursue signalization; residents emphasize safety impacts from lower‑severity crashes and sightline obstructions.
Next steps: Engineering to provide the formal traffic study rationale; Signal Services to schedule installation and Police to coordinate timing and signal timing if installed.
