ODOT: Many roads dangerous for Amish buggies
Every day on Ohio roadways, semitrailers, cars and trucks traveling more than 50 mph zip past horse-drawn buggies clip-clopping along at a 6-mph pace.
Millions of drivers share the highways with over 76,000 Amish and Mennonite travelers.
The mix is especially dangerous in Ashland, Wayne and Holmes counties. A recent study by the Ohio Department of Transportation found that area has some of the most dangerous routes for buggies. Results of the 2019 Statewide Amish Travel Study, which identifies high-priority roads and recommends improvements, could bring more state funding to make those roads safer.
Jared Feller, transportation engineer for ODOT District 3 and the study’s project manager, said his district, which includes Ashland and Wayne counties, will apply for project funding at the next opportunity. However, he said, funding could take a few years, especially for higher-cost improvements, because of the uncertain budget situation at the state level.
The study examined state routes. Ashland County Chief Deputy Carl Richert said the high speed limit on state routes makes buggy crashes more likely and more serious.
There were more than 700 reported crashes involving a horse-drawn vehicle on Ohio’s state routes between 2009 and 2018, according to the study. About 350 crashes resulted in injuries and 15 crashes resulted in fatalities. About 65% of collisions with buggies occurred while passing.
“Most of the time it’s not the Amish’s fault although they’re involved a lot,” Richert said. “I really pay attention to high-amish areas.”
Lt. Stephanie Norman, commander of the Wooster Post of the State Highway Patrol, which covers Wayne and Holmes County, said her department sees a lot of buggy accidents in the northwestern portion of Wayne where motor vehicle traffic is light and motorists don’t expect to see other vehicles.
“As far as engineering, what would help is wider berms so that they have a larger area that the buggy can be on rather than being on the main part of the roadway,” she said.
Countermeasures suggested by the study ranged from adding school zone signs around Amish schools to more drastic and costly steps like widening shoulders to 4 feet (estimated to cost about $750,000 per mile) and adding 8-foot buggy lanes (about $2 million per mile). The study did not recommend improvements for specific roads but suggested that higher priority segments may need more involved and costly solutions.
Among the segments deemed the highest priority by the ODOT study are parts of U.S. Route 42 in Ashland County, state Route 301 in Wayne and Medina counties, state Route 94 in Wayne County and state Routes 241 and 557 in Holmes County.
U.S. Route 42 in Ashland between state Route 604 and the border of Wayne County is the deadliest stretch with two fatal buggy accidents. Holmes County, home of the nation’s second largest Amish settlement — over 36,000 people — is also home to half of the worst areas for crashes per mile, per year.
Richert said he hopes the state invests in roads frequently used by Amish buggies but he realizes funding infrastructure projects can be a drawnout process.