Government Police/Crime/Fire  

Town hall participants cry out for safer roads

During a two-hour town hall meeting on road safety, a Kensington volunteer firefighter announced a pedestrian had been struck near the Cabin John shopping center.

According to a Montgomery County police spokesperson, an adult female was struck on the 7900 block of Tuckerman Lane. She was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries

It was just another reminder to the more than 150 people – and numerous seeing eye dogs – gathered in the Montgomery County Council office building Saturday morning that it can be very dangerous to be a pedestrian or a cyclist in the county.

Concerning Numbers

There were 678 pedestrian and cyclist involved crashes this year, including 18 that resulted in death and 82 that caused serious injuries.

“Those are our neighbors, our friends, our loved ones, our classmates. They are more than statistics, and we are all here because we recognize that we have to make our roads safer for everyone,” said Councilmember Evan Glass, who organized the public meeting, his fifth one on road safety since he became a councilmember.

Personal Stories

Mindy Badin knows that all too well. Six years ago, her son got off the bus and crossed Route 355 in the middle of the busy roadway to meet friends at the IHop. He was struck and killed.

It is not uncommon for buses to stop without being near a crosswalk, she said.

“You are talking about what is going to happen after the collision. We are trying to prevent a collision before it happens,” Badin said during a panel on Safety on County Roads. The other two panel discussions concerned Safe Routes to School and State Road Safety Infrastructure.

Erika Hutko called some of the collisions avoidable if more safety measures were implemented.

Her 12-year-old son was sideswiped in a cul-de-sac by a neighbor who was using her phone while driving. He noticed the driver was not paying attention and moved to the grassy area by the sidewalk, but the driver – their neighbor – still ran into him, she said.

More Traffic Interventions Wanted

Many of those who spoke called for more speed cameras, more sidewalks, more no right on red intersections, more road humps and other traffic calming measures as well as better enforcement by police. Why do changes take so long, and why do they often occur after someone has been hit, they questioned.

Many people requested better crosswalks. Maryland Highway Administrator William Pines said that 2,000 crosswalks were improved throughout the state last year. He acknowledged that many more need to be improved, adding, “We have a long way to go.”

Several audience members complained that whenever they ask the county for traffic safety measures, they end up being turned down.

Improving Safety Around Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor said he would like the schools to spend “a lot more time” addressing road safety, and not just after a serious accident occurs.

Taylor has included in his proposed budget for next school year money to hire a safe routes school employee.

He urged parents to utilize available technology to follow their young drivers and notice if they speed or accelerate a lot. “Have hard conversations with your kids about their driving ability,” Taylor said, adding that he stores his cell phone in his car’s glove compartment when he drives.

Police Offer Insights

“Distracted driving is the number one cause of collisions in Montgomery County,” said Captain Warren Jensen, who runs the county police department’s traffic division. “Distraction is number one. That is what is hurting people. That is what is killing people,” he said.

Assistant Police Chief David McBain explained that speed cameras are placed according to results from traffic studies and are portable so they can be moved from one area to another after drivers become to accustomed to seeing them.

“We rely 100% on the data and where it tells us to put those cameras,” McBain said. To qualify, 85% of drivers must travel more than 12 miles above the speed limit.

Budget Constraints

State Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr (District 17) said she and her state colleagues are working to adopt legislation to make roads safer. However, she said, “Maryland does not have enough funding for all the roadways projects we need” while keeping up on maintenance. “Our transportation funding is not enough.”

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