WESTBROOK – A study released by the Maine Department of Transportation shows the vehicle count numbers are too low to prompt a traffic signal at the Duck Pond and Hardy roads and Route 302 intersection, although during some points of the day they are close.

During a neighborhood meeting April 10, representatives from the transportation department told residents, many wanting a traffic light, that the traffic study did not meet criteria to install such a signal.

But Stephen Landry, project manager, and Bruce Van Note, deputy commissioner, did not provide the numbers at the meeting. Landry and Van Note spoke about the possibility of adding a roundabout to create a safer intersection. After the meeting, many residents were swayed that the roundabout was a safer option than a traffic signal, which Landry said could create more serious accidents.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration mandates when a traffic signal should be used at intersections based on traffic studies that show a count of vehicles and pedestrians in the area. But reaching these criteria does not always mean a traffic light will be installed.

According to the Federal Highway Administration’s rules, “The satisfaction of a traffic signal warrant or warrants shall not in itself require the installation of a traffic control signal.”

The standards set by the Federal Highway Administration include whether enough cars pass through the area in an eight-hour or four-hour time span and at peak hours, and how many pedestrians cross through the intersection each day.

Landry released the results of the Sept. 19 study on Friday. During the traffic study, which took place from 6 a.m. until 5 p.m., the state tracked 11,721 cars passing through the intersection on Route 302 northbound, and 12,206 headed south. The hourly minimums do exceed the requirements for a traffic light, but the side streets, Duck Pond and Hardy roads, do not meet criteria for the entire eight-hour span.

Northbound traffic on Route 302 ranged from 760 cars at 9 a.m. to a high of 1,396 cars at 7 a.m. Southbound traffic on Route 302 ranged from a low of 763 at 11 a.m. to a peak at 7 a.m. of 1,470 vehicles.

“From an eight-hour perspective, we’re not even close,” said Eric Dudley, city engineer.

There are two ways to consider whether the traffic meets standards during an eight-hour period, according to the federal requirements. Traffic on the main road must exceed 500 cars per hour for eight hours and 150 cars per hour for eight hours on side roads. If this requirement is not met – and it’s not in Westbrook’s case – and traffic volume is so heavy on the main streets it’s causing excessive delays when entering or crossing the main street from the side streets, the side street numbers needed to warrant a light are reduced, but the necessary vehicle count on main street increases.

For example, the state requires a traffic volume of 750 cars per hour on Route 302 and at least 75 cars on either Duck Pond Road or Hardy Road for eight hours per day to qualify for a light.

According to the study, starting at 3 p.m., Hardy Road meets the qualifications with 93 cars per hour, and continues to have more than 75 cars for the next two hours. But before 3 p.m. and after 5 p.m., that number decreases. At 10 a.m., only 52 cars drive along the roadway.

From a four-hour perspective, the numbers are even farther from reaching the threshhold, which needs at least 100 cars turning per every four hours.

The pedestrian levels needed to reach 107 walkers per four-hour time span to reach the levels needed for a light. Eleven pedestrians crossed the intersection during 11 hours on Sept. 19.

“Westbrook doesn’t have any intersections where pedestrian traffic would warrant a signal. Portland may have a few,” said Dudley.

Dudley said the federal stipulations were aimed at big cities like New York and Boston that have thousands of people trying to cross the streets.

Since September, there have been a series of meetings with neighbors and the transportation department to discuss the dangers of the intersection. According to Westbrook Police Capt. Tom Roth, there have been 11 reported accidents in the last two years at that intersection, although residents say more go unreported.

“I still want to see a traffic light go in up there,” said Ward 5 City Councilor Mike Sanphy, whose constituents live in the Duck Pond area.

Sanphy said he’s heard from other residents that they are concerned the roundabout won’t make it better for pedestrians and would make the area worse for anyone hauling a trailer.

Even if the numbers were met to add a street light, the ultimate decision is made based on the safest options.

“I wouldn’t recommend it [a traffic signal],” said Landry during the April 10 meeting. “I wouldn’t stop it but my recommendation would be to go toward something else safer.”

He also said the next step would be for the state to meet with city officials and try to come up with a consensus of what residents and elected officials would like to see and what the transportation department recommends as the safest and most cost-effective options.

The project is at least three years away from construction.