Earlier this week leaders from the various agencies within the Maryland Department of Transportation met with local leaders in Prince George’s County to talk about upcoming projects that will be addressed or need to be addressed, and hear any other concerns they had.
And there were a lot of concerns. Chief among them was safety.
Prince George’s County leads the state of Maryland in motor vehicle fatalities, and the county is on track to see an increase in that dubious statistic this year. County leaders said that 19 of the 20 most dangerous stretches of road are actually controlled and maintained by the state.
“Two barriers to making these roadways safer are lack of continuous lighting and sidewalks in these sections,” said Michael Johnson, the county’s director of public works and transportation.
Sidewalks and pedestrian mobility were brought up by both elected leaders and citizens, with a proposed redesign of the Medical Center Drive exit off the Capital Beltway being heavily criticized for its awkward design that, it was argued, makes it more dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians. Right now that’s the only beltway crossing between Landover and Largo that has any pedestrian access at all.
“The whole purpose that we’re trying to sort of transition in Prince George’s County is to make, especially our areas near our Metro centers, transit-oriented. To be more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly,” said council vice chair Wala Blegay. She said the development of the area around the new hospital there is designed with mobility in mind.
“These interchanges are not necessarily helpful,” said Blegay.
“A huge issue for pedestrian and bike safety,” added council member Jolene Ivey. She said the new design would “require people, almost, to put themselves in harm’s way to get across the road.”
District 2 council member Wanika Fisher, whose district has been hampered by delays in the construction of the Purple Line, also lamented transportation planning in her inside-the-Beltway district.
“I’m a district that’s bordering D.C. and Montgomery County,” said Fisher, who added that the economic hubs there are all located on state roads. “It seems to be a struggle for our state partners. They put in a study, put in a study, whether it’s for a sidewalk or a light or anything else and it just doesn’t seem to make sense.”
She also highlighted Riggs Road/Maryland Route 212 as one that should see sidewalks the entire way.
“It’s just hard to see children in the streets, on the side of grass … and they’re not safe. And bus stops that are not safe,” said Fisher. She said if the county could address the situation there on its own, she believed it would.
“It’s just really critical and sad,” Fisher added. “You’re talking about communities of color, you’re talking about Black and Brown children that are left to walk in the street compared to other communities.”
For his part, state transportation secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the state will re-evaluate how decisions about sidewalks are made.
“We’re taking a whole look at how we do all of that,” he said. “We need to work together on that.”
The state also announced that it was looking to move forward with a redesign of the Route 4/Suitland Parkway intersection. Currently there’s a traffic light there, but Will Pines with Maryland State Highway said the state is back to looking for a contractor that will build a diamond-shaped intersection there, with on and offramps that can handle growing traffic needs.
