In 2020, Washington Street intersections at Third, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth streets accounted for four of the top eight car accident locations in Jamestown.

It wasn’t an isolated trend.

The 2020 Jamestown Public Safety Department annual report is the first time the city published the number of streets with the most traffic accidents, though we have a feeling the trend that we saw from 2020 through 2022 likely would have held true for quite some time. Four intersections – Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth streets – and the entrance to the Tops parking lot made the list in 2021, while a whopping seven intersections – Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth streets, as well as the Tops parking lot entrance – were among the top 24 accident locations charted by city police in 2022. Only one Washington Street intersection made the top five accident locations list in 2023 and, by 2024, Washington Street didn’t make the list of top accident locations at all.

It’s safe to say the redesign of Washington Street, from a public safety standpoint, has been a success. It has slowed traffic down, limited traffic flow and made the road easier both to drive and for pedestrians or cyclists to cross.

The redesign isn’t necessarily perfect. There are times it doesn’t make much sense for traffic flow and it’s not uncommon to see traffic backed up near the Washington Street bridge during busy times of the day. That was a concern since the Washington Street reconstruction project was announced, and for the most part it’s been manageable. And for all the hullabaloo over bike lanes and bike stop boxes, we still don’t see many cyclists riding down Washington Street.

In the grand scheme of things, changing Washington Street’s physical characteristics may have fixed one of the most common problems found in Washington Street accidents – drivers not paying proper attention to the road. Changing Washington Street and ending the familiar old traffic patterns has forced drivers to pay attention to what’s in front of them – and Washington Street is safer for drivers because of it.