MDOT Statement On Pedestrian Safety After 4 Kids Hit

ASPEN HILL, MD — After four teens were hit by a car on Georgia Avenue/MD 97 in Aspen Hill last week, the Montgomery County Council sent a letter to Gov. Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Transportation.

After reading a Patch article on the county's call for more safety measures to be taken, the MDOT's State Highway Administration sent Patch a comment on the matter:

The Maryland Department of Transportation is taking a more comprehensive review than ever before on how to understand where and why pedestrian crashes are occurring and over a year ago launched a multi-part approach to find solutions to reduce the rising number of pedestrian fatalities in Maryland.

See more: Teens Hit By Car Sparks Call For Lower Speed Limit

Over the years, changes in uses along roadway and increases both travel overall and congestion have resulted in a dangerous mix. By understanding the challenges and root causes, MDOT will continue to work with local jurisdictions on the multi-part solutions that incorporate: roadway design characteristics, land-use, potentially reducing roadway speeds, pedestrian infrastructure improvements, education, and law enforcement.

New pedestrian infrastructure solutions installed over the last few years include: full pedestrian signals, hawk signals, mid-block crossings and traffic calming measures. Working together as partners, federal, state and local government; businesses; developers; parents; teachers, students and commuters, we can save lives on Maryland roadways. Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) remains deeply concerned about the recent increases in pedestrian fatalities on this corridor. MDOT SHA engineers and our partners in local governments and police agencies conferred in September and developed short-term and immediate solutions that will be implemented rapidly on MD 97 in Wheaton. Engineering recommendations include:

- reducing the lane width at the Georgia Avenue/MD 28 (Norbeck Road) intersection to ten-foot lanes (traffic calming),
- installing a pedestrian crossing at the MD 97/Reedie Avenue intersection,
- and installing brighter LED lighting at numerous intersections along the Georgia Avenue corridor
- reducing lane width in Wheaton along MD 97 between White Oak Drive and MD 193.

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