BETHESDA, Md. — Bethesda residents want drivers to focus on the road, not their phones, after two fatal crashes in recent weeks.
Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner and others hit a few accident-prone roads on Tuesday to call attention to pedestrian and bicyclist safety.
At the intersection of River Road and Springfield Drive, dozens of people gathered and held signs that read: “Get off the phone,” “Slow down” and “Don’t drive distracted.”
Two weeks ago, a 95-year-old woman was struck and killed as she walked across River Road in a crosswalk, one that Berliner says is barely visible and in “terrible condition.”
In late August, 64-year-old Tim Holden was struck and killed while riding his bicycle along Massachusetts Avenue. He was a highly decorated Navy SEAL who worked as a counter-terrorism expert for the military.
“We can’t lose members of our community this way,” says Berliner, chairman of the County Council’s Transportation Committee.
Bethesda resident Virginia Voorhees says she is very concerned because drivers simply aren’t paying attention.
“It’s really not a good place to walk,” Vorhees says. “Even to walk down to Whole Foods, you take your life in your hands. You would never let your children cross the street by themselves.”
Berliner organized “A Day of Action” because he says distracted driving causes 80 percent of all crashes in Montgomery County.
The County Council is considering new development in the area, but Voorhees doesn’t want the traffic on these roads and the population to spike.
“They’ve told us the traffic here is OK, and it’s not,” Vorhees says. “If you live here, it’s very scary.”
Berliner says he understands her concerns regarding new development.
“When it comes to our full council,” he says. “I am confident that we will take the community’s concerns into account when we act on it.”
The councilman wants safety improvements — lighted crosswalk systems, for example — in high-traffic areas.
Berliner also wants the Maryland State Highway Administration to be more involved in the safety conversation.
SHA is conducting a traffic study on Massachusetts Avenue. More Montgomery County Police officers are targeting distracted drivers in this area.
