Leggett Joins Governor at Bill Signing for Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act; O’Malley Hails Leggett’s Role as Consistently Strong Advocate

On May 16, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett joined Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. and Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch at the bill signing for the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013.

Leggett was praised by many, including the Governor, for his role as an outspoken advocate for an increase in transportation funding revenues: “Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has been a consistently strong advocate and working together with legislative leaders and members of the General Assembly, we have guaranteed a sustainable transportation funding source that will provide a safer, more efficient transportation network, spur economic development and support more than 57,200 jobs,” said O’Malley.

The Act increases revenues from the sale of gasoline for the first time in a generation. Revenue from the bill is estimated at $4.4 billion over the next six years, boosting economic development in the County. The funds will be dedicated to new roads and mass transit projects, including the Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway and a backlog of major road projects.

See Leggett’s statement following passage of the bill and the full press release for more details.

Leggett Objects to MTA Proposal to Eliminate Three ICC Commuter Bus Routes; MTA to Hold Public Hearings in June

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett opposes the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) proposal to eliminate three commuter bus routes along the Inter County Connector (ICC) that serve Walter Reed-Bethesda, the Shady Grove Red Line Metro Station and other stops.

In his letter, Leggett notes that this commuter bus service is part of a comprehensive traffic strategy developed by the Maryland and Montgomery County departments of Transportation in collaboration with the Navy, the National Institutes of Health and the local community to mitigate the effects of BRAC (the Base Realignment and Closure Act) in Bethesda. BRAC has increased staff at Walter Reed-Bethesda by about 45 percent.

MTA will hold public hearings June 4 through 6 on its proposed elimination of three commuter bus routes along the InterCounty Connector.

The affected routes are:

• Route 202: Weekday peak service between Gaithersburg and DOD/Fort Meade 
• Route 203: Weekday peak service between Columbia and Bethesda 
• Route 204: Weekday peak service between College Park and Germantown 

For more information about the dates, times and locations of the public hearings, visit MTA’s website.

MCDOT Improving Transportation Infrastructure

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) Division of Highway Services is working on road maintenance projects using hot mix asphalt to resurface the following areas and streets:

• Westlake Drive, Bethesda, from Democracy Boulevard to Tuckerman Lane, began the week of May 13. The project is expected to take four weeks, with construction occurring between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

Pavement preservation projects are also underway. These include full depth patching in portions of the pavement that have deteriorated, sealing cracks and applying a micro-resurfacing material. The first phase of the projects listed below is expected to take four weeks, weather permitting. Final resurfacing will occur this summer or fall. Construction will occur between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

• Brownstown Estates, Germantown, began April 29. 
• The Countryside neighborhood, Fairland, began May 13. 
• Fox Hills West, Potomac, began April 22. 
• Hawkins Landing, Gaithersburg, began May 9.

Minor Schedule Adjustments on Three Ride On Bus Routes Began May 5

On May 5, Montgomery County’s Ride On bus service made minor schedule changes to bus routes 42, 45 and 94 to better match schedules with bus operations. Information on the changes is also available in Spanish.

Riders are encouraged to get up-to-date information about when their next bus is arriving by computer, smartphone or text message at Ride On Real Time.

For more information about Ride On, call 311, or from outside the County, call 240-777-0311, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The TTY (for hearing impaired) number is 301-251-4850. Or, visit the County’s website.

Pedestrian Safety Progress Continues But More Work Remains

A May 8 CountyStat review of Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett’s Pedestrian Safety Initiative showed that County efforts to improve pedestrian safety are having a positive effect. In 2012, the most severe collisions resulting in debilitating injury (Level 4) or death (Level 5) decreased by 20 percent and fatalities dropped to an all-time low of 0.6 per 100,000 people.

While the CountyStat analysis reveals significant progress, more work remains to be done. So far this year, there have been nine pedestrian fatalities, compared with a total for all of 2012 of six. Nationally, pedestrian collisions have also increased. This uptick illustrates that the work of the Pedestrian Initiative is not done and the difficulty in trying to curb pedestrian collisions that often result from split second decisions made by drivers or pedestrians.

An article by Angie Schmitt in DC.StreetsBlog.org discussed a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control that “found that while 10.5 percent of all trips in the United States are made on foot, pedestrians made up 13 percent of all traffic fatalities between 2001 and 2010. During those years, a staggering 47,392 pedestrians were killed on American roadways.”

Schmitt reported that minority groups and the elderly suffer disproportionately from dangerous conditions for walking.

The County continues engineering, enforcement and education activities to reduce pedestrian collisions, including the following recent efforts:

MCDOT Installs Traffic Calming Project on Brunett Avenue to Improve Pedestrian Safety

Residents concerned about speeding traffic on Brunett Avenue between Guilford Street and Bruce Drive in Silver Spring asked the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to do something to improve safety for pedestrian. This spring, contractors installed new, concrete median islands; marked crosswalks along Brunett Avenue; installed curb, gutter and sidewalk modifications to ensure ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance; and completed minor roadway repairs.

Residents concerned about pedestrian safety in their neighborhoods who would like to request a traffic study may contact the MCDOT Division of Traffic Engineering by email or in writing at: The Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Engineering, 100 Edison Park Drive, 4th Floor, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Provide contact information, include the location of concern and describe the safety issues.

Police Step Up Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Enforcement This Spring

During April and May, the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Traffic Division focused enforcement efforts on pedestrian safety in High Incidence Areas (HIAs) -- areas with more pedestrian collisions -- and other crosswalk locations where driver compliance with pedestrian safety laws has been an issue. Results of some of these actions are listed below.

On May 8, officers at the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Turkey Branch Parkway in Aspen Hill addressed safety concerns between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: 

• 72 drivers were cited for failing to stop for a pedestrian crossing the roadway in a crosswalk; 
• One driver was cited for a child seat violation; 
• Four tickets were issued for driving with a suspended license; and 
• Two citations noted the need for safety repairs to vehicles. 

On May 9, officers dressed in bright clothing crossed in the crosswalk at the intersection of Democracy Boulevard and Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They issued 77 traffic citations; 56 citations for failing to stop for a pedestrian crossing the roadway in a crosswalk; and arrested one person who was charged with a drug offense.

Between 2008 and 2012, 48.5 percent of Maryland’s nighttime passenger vehicle fatality victims were not wearing seat belts. On May 10, Montgomery County, Gaithersburg and Rockville City police officers conducted nighttime seat belt enforcement for several hours starting at 7:30 p.m. at the entrance and exit ramps of I-270 and I-495.

The activity resulted in a total of 139 traffic citations, with the following breakdown:

• 44 seat belt citations issued; 
• 59 warnings issued; 
• Four driving under the influence (DUI) arrests; 
• Two criminal arrests; 
• One criminal citation issued; 
• One warrant served; 
• Eight driving with a suspended license citations; and 
• 25 citations noted the need for safety repairs to vehicles. 

During the Washington region’s Street Smart campaign, which ran through May 13, law enforcement officers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and northern Virginia stepped up ticketing of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists who violate traffic safety laws. Drivers and cyclists who fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, as well as pedestrians who jaywalk, can face fines. Drivers also are subject to getting points on their driving records.

Information on the campaign and the Street Smart public education program is available on MWCOG’s website.