Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett today announced the launch of pedestrian safety promotion teams that will intercept pedestrians who are engaged in risky behaviors and provide them with information about safe walking practices. This effort along Piney Branch Road between Flower Avenue and the Prince Georges County line is part of the County’s overall strategy to make pedestrian safety improvements where the most pedestrian collisions in the County occur. The education initiative also includes ads at local movie theaters and on Ride On buses and bus shelters.

“We believe our approach of targeting engineering, education and enforcement resources in areas with the highest rate of collisions will have a significant impact on improving safety for those most at risk,” said Leggett. “In partnership with the State Highway Administration (SHA), we have developed an action plan to keep pedestrians safe along Piney Branch Road. Conducting a grassroots intervention, especially during the holidays when more pedestrians are walking after dark, is the first step in a long-term plan that we hope will dramatically improve pedestrian safety and accessibility in the Piney Branch area.”

The safety promotion teams are comprised of bi-lingual staff from CASA de Maryland, Inc. who will work several days a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas, distributing information on safe walking, driving and biking in both English and Spanish. They will also provide reflective items to help pedestrians be more visible in the dark. In addition to on-street interventions, the teams will conduct pedestrian safety education at stores, apartment complexes, organized community events and religious institutions.

Between January 2003 and December 2007, the 1.6 mile Piney Branch corridor had 26 pedestrian-or bicycle-related crashes, one of which was a fatality. Piney Branch Road is a state-owned road, so the County and SHA are working together to improve safety. A team of County Department of Transportation (DOT) and SHA engineers conducted a pedestrian and bicycle road safety audit along the road and identified nine locations needing engineering improvements, with the highest priority being the entrances to the Panam Latino Market and LA Market near the intersection of Piney Branch and University Boulevard.

“The State Highway Administration is proud to be partnering with Montgomery County to improve pedestrian mobility throughout the county,” said SHA District Engineer Darrell Mobley.

Many of the needed engineering improvements are major long-term projects (see table below), but in the short term, staff have already trimmed foliage that obstructs line of sight; retimed signals to meet new standards that allow for more pedestrian crossing time; repaired broken street lights; and installed “Stop For School Bus When Red Lights Flash” signs. Over the next six months, DOT will install a new sidewalk at Piney Branch and Flower Avenue, and PEPCO will ensure a consistent level of street lighting.

Leggett also announced that the County is currently constructing traffic calming measures on Carroll Avenue in front of New Hampshire Estates Elementary School. When engineers conducted the Piney Branch safety audit, residents, community groups and school representatives asked for improvements near the school that include curb bump outs with crosswalks; pedestrian refuge islands; extensive signage to warn motorists that pedestrians are present; curb, gutter and sidewalk modifications to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) standards; and minor roadway repairs. The work should be completed in December.

“As a result of community outreach and advocacy in the New Hampshire Estates neighborhood, pedestrian improvements are being made along Carroll Avenue,” said Mary Kendall, Maryland International Corridor CSAFE program director. “I want to thank the many residents in this neighborhood who spoke up and made their voices heard because they wanted a safe route to school and home. I also want to thank the Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) Division of Traffic Engineering and Operations (TEO), which is making the improvements along Carroll Avenue. Efforts to improve pedestrian travel along Carroll Avenue have been underway since April 2009. The residents and other community stakeholders in this area are looking forward to a continued partnership with the local government.”

To better target educational efforts along the Piney Branch corridor, DOT engaged Casa de Maryland staff to interview nearly 600 pedestrians in either English or Spanish and gauge their perception of walkability along Piney Branch. Pedestrians were asked how often they walk and for what purpose, what they know about pedestrian safety rules and whether they typically comply with them, whether bus stops are accessible and whether they feel safe as a pedestrian.

CASA de Maryland, Inc. Executive Director Gustavo Torres said, “One-on-one peer education has proven to be a particularly effective way of teaching Latino populations about health and safety concerns. Hearing about issues of importance from another member of the community gives the information provided more credibility. People in the community readily respond to our approachable and dedicated staff. Latinos are dying at disproportionately higher rates than other pedestrians, but we can make a difference if we work together, and ….I know our partnership with the County will help us achieve long-term, coordinated and comprehensive solutions.”

Key findings of the on-street survey were:

• Spanish speaking residents walk more and for multiple purposes compared to English speaking residents who generally walk for a single purpose;

• Most people understood basic pedestrian safety rules. Spanish speakers were more likely to know when to properly cross with the crossing signal and to cross at intersections and crosswalks than English speakers.

• Both groups said they don’t use crosswalks when they’re in a hurry or the crosswalk is too far away.

• Those who use the crosswalks feel less safe than others – probably prompting them to be more careful about obeying safe pedestrian crossing rules.

The engineering action plan for the Piney Branch corridor includes specific location recommendations and installation of countdown pedestrian signals; high-visibility pavement markings for crosswalks; lighting at bus stops; upgrades to intersection push buttons; and upgrades to meet ADA standards throughout the study area.

The plan to improve pedestrian safety for Piney Branch also includes enhanced enforcement efforts. Next week, Police will kick off their “Shop With a Cop” promotion, a Countywide effort with a focus on Piney Branch to promote overall holiday and pedestrian safety. Police also plan to conduct enhanced enforcement efforts, issuing warning citations to pedestrians who don’t follow pedestrian safety laws and ticketing drivers who speed, drive aggressively or do not stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

Work Planned for Piney Branch HIA

Location: Panam Market/LA Market Entrances

Item No.  - Improvement  - Lead Agency
1.a Extend the existing raised median approximately 300’ north of University Boulevard. SHA/MC DOT

1.b Install a pedestrian barrier along raised median. MC DOT

1.c Relocate bus stops closer to improved crossing at University Boulevard. MC DOT

Location: Barron Street & Piney Branch Road

Item No. -  Improvement  - Lead Agency

2.a Short Term: Consider relocating crosswalk on the north side. SHA

2.b Long Term: Install traffic control signals for west side access points. SHA

2.c Consider installing a post-mounted accessible pedestrian push button. SHA

2.d Short Term: trim tree. SHA

2.e Ensure consistent level lighting between Barron Street and University Boulevard. MC DOT

2.f Repair / replace street lights. MC DOT

2.g Ensure the bus shelters are lit. MC DOT

2.h Trim vegetation. SHA

2.i Install wayfinding signing. MC DOT

2.j Install white edge lines to delineate travel lanes from on-street parking areas. SHA

Location: Between Nob Hill Apartments and Forest Park Apartments

Item No. Improvement Lead Agency

3.a Consolidate the bus stops between driveways; provide a midblock crosswalk with median refuge and Hnd flashing high-intensity beacons (median improvements are expected to have a positive effect controlling vehicle speeds). SHA

3.b Relocate existing advance warning signs farther upstream. SHA

3.c Install additional street lights to decrease spacing. MC DOT

3.d Repair/replace street lights that are not working. MC DOT

Location: Between Pine Way Towers and Park Montgomery Apartments

Item No. - Improvement - Lead Agency

4.a Install a midblock crosswalk with a median refuge and flashing high-intensity beacons between Pine Way Towers and Park Montgomery Apartments. MC DOT

4.b Implement driver education program. MC DOT

4.c Increase enforcement. MC DOT

4.d Install “STOP FOR SCHOO L BUS WHEN RED LIGHTS FLASH” on both sides of roadway. SHA

Location: Flower Avenue & Piney Branch Road

Item No. - Improvement -  Lead Agency

5.a Create a wider sidewalk with a buffer on the west side by narrowing the outside travel lane, reducing corner radius in the SE corner, and relocating crosswalks to improve visibility of pedestrians. MC DOT/ SHA

5.b Remove signal equipment sight-line obstructions to improve sight lines. SHA

Location: University Boulevard & Piney Branch Road

Item No. - Improvement - Lead Agency

6.a Consider focused public education program for pedestrian behavior. (planned) MC DOT 

6c Consolidate stops in northbound direction on the far side of the intersection. MC DOT

6.d Move bus stops east of University closer to intersection. MC DOT

Location: Carroll Avenue & Piney Branch Road

Item - No. Improvement - Lead Agency

7.a Consider reducing posted speed to the south in conjunction with the midblock crosswalk between Pine Way Towers and Park Montgomery Apartments. SHA

7.b Consider installing “NO RIGHT TURN ON RED” on northbound and westbound approaches. SHA

7.c Consider replacing old pedestrian signals with LED traffic signals. SHA

7.d Trim vegetation to improve accessibility to the push button. SHA

7.e Consider installing crosswalk markings on west leg (private driveway). SHA

7.f Trim vegetation to improve the effective width of sidewalk. SHA

Location: Greenwood Avenue & Piney Branch Road

Item No. -  Improvement Lead -  Agency

8.a Replace/repair pedestrian push buttons. MC DOT

8.b Consider upgrading push buttons to the type that confirms the press. SHA

8.c Trim overhanging branches from street trees that are blocking the traffic signal heads SHA

Location: Arliss Street & Piney Branch Road

Item No. - Improvement - Lead Agency

9a Trim trees to remove overhanging branches that are blocking the traffic signals and lane use signs. SHA

For more information about the County’s pedestrian safety efforts, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/walk.