Safety on Dale Drive

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Immediately address safety and traffic issues on Dale Drive to ensure safety of all people using Dale Drive, especially pedestrians and bicyclists.

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Skid marks of car that drove onto resident’s lawn on Dale and Grace Church. Occurred in Dec 2017.

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Pedestrian safety sign on side of road hit by car. Nov 2017.

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Map of Dale Drive

• 7 unprotected crosswalks

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• School bus stops along entire road

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• Less than a mile from DTSS

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• Impassable shoulder

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• No sidewalk

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• No bike lane

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• Blind corners and hills

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• A few blocks from Sligo Creek Park & playgrounds

• Nearly 1300 homes in Woodside communities without safe access on Dale

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• Dale & Georgia Ave intersection has highest ped traffic of all intersections in Montgomery Hills

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• MC deems Dale inappropriate for most bicyclists and an “unacceptable pedestrian link”

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• Cannot safely access metro stations or buses

Hill with persistent speeding & reckless driving

Confusing intersection w/ multiple accidents

Day care and church

Trailhead to Sligo Creek

DTSS, playgrounds, parks

Synagogue

Multiple local businesses

Highest pedestrian traffic along Georgia

Bus stop

Bus stop

The Problem

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• Dale Drive is a completely residential and dangerous for everyone who uses the road - pedestrians especially at risk
• Lack of adequate infrastructure and signage to protect pedestrians and bicyclists. MCDOT traffic calming is helping, but has not solved the problem and crashes are still occuring, sometimes due to the traffic calming.
• Road is winding and hilly with no sidewalks, no stop signs, no bike path
• Shoulder is very narrow, nonexistent in some sections, and completely impassable due to natural overgrowth and structural deterioration

• Cars pose a serious, persistent danger to pedestrians and bicyclists crossing or traveling along Dale.
• Speeding well beyond the posted 30 mph limit. Avg speed is nearly 40mph.
• Frequent reckless driving, including cars passing into oncoming traffic
• Cars rarely yield for pedestrians in crosswalks.

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Post office driver lost control coming downhill at Dale and Grace Church intersection in late 2016

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Safety and Well-Being of Residents

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• Residents frequently walk or bike to surrounding churches, parks, playgrounds, a synagogue, daycare, multiple local businesses, metro, and DTSS
• They cannot access these community institutions safely.

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• Children waiting along Dale to board school buses are in danger.

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• The problem will worsen with ongoing DTSS development.

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• Quality of life is reduced when residents fear for their safety and do not take advantage of nearby community amenities.

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• Residents forced to use their cars for local, walkable trips contributing to traffic volume, congestion and negative environmental impacts.

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• In a recent survey, Woodside Park residents agreed that pedestrian safety and speeding were major traffic concerns impacting the community.

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Residents Do Not Feel Safe

Over 98% of people surveyed said they witness speeding and reckless driving very often or often.

Resident Testimonials

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• I live with a great deal of fear about the cars speeding and careening down the hills on Dale Drive

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• We have a double stroller and having to race it across Dale or walking 1 block along Dale to get to streets that link to Sligo creek park is terrifying.

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• To get to Sligo Creek Trail, I have to cross Dale. I also cross it to get to Sniders. Every time, I am afraid for my safety — bringing my baby is even worse.

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• I do not feel safe walking in front of my own house. I take a risk each time I leave my driveway with my child. We have to dart out into the road to get around parked cars and each time I wonder if we'll be hit by a passing car.

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• I am terrified because cars speed down Dale and there are no sidewalks or other protections for pedestrians.

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• I feel so unsafe riding a bike on Dale that I will get off and walk my bike for that section of the trip.

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• I am so afraid to cross Dale with my kids.

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• Right now we take our lives in our hands to get to the Sligo Creek trail on our bikes or to get to any activities in downtown Silver Spring.

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• I have grave concerns about ever letting my child play in our front yard.

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Crashes and Citations - Data is Key!

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• Most accidents involve cars hitting fixed objects on the side of the road (signs, parked cars) - highest risk accident type for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• These were serious accidents - airbags deployed, cars towed, people injured

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• More enforcement is needed:
• Only a few speeding citations issued in 2017
• Mobile speed cameras have rarely been deployed
• When tickets were given in past years, cars have been going over 50 mph and passing into oncoming traffic
• Between March 2008 and November 2009, 1,209 speeding citations were issued. 87 tickets were issued in one day alone.

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Source: Montgomery County Open Data Portal and Police Dept

• 11 crashes on Dale in 2017;
• At least one pedestrian was hit and killed on this stretch of road.
• This total doesn't include near misses, smaller unreported accidents

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Car crashes into large truck in Alton Parkway crosswalk during morning commute hours . Nov 2017

Our Request

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• Implement a comprehensive plan that results in a Dale becoming a “complete street” and leads to:

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1. Reduction of traffic speeds
2. Increased safety for pedestrians crossing Dale Drive
3. Increased safety of pedestrians and bicyclists along Dale Drive
4. Increased safety of motorists, including residents pulling in

and out of their driveways

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• While the plan is being developed, implement common-sense solutions immediately.

Immediate Interventions

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The County should implement short-term solutions to immediately alleviate safety risks while the comprehensive plan is developed. These should include (but are not limited to):

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1. Construct pedestrian refuge islands and fully protect each crosswalk (enhanced stop lines, HAWK or Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons, state law ped x-ing signs, etc.)
2. Install temporary rubber barriers along the white lines - in the most dangerous areas - to protect pedestrians.
3. Build curb extensions, bulb outs and other traffic calming measures that can be quickly installed.
4. Post additional photo enforced signs
5. Frequently deploy DOT’s Speed Monitoring Awareness Radar Trailer units
6. Regularly deploy speed cameras in accordance with the List of Designated Speed Camera Corridors & Speed Camera Locations
7. Support the update the Master Plan to accurately classify Dale as a minor arterial
8. Make the shoulders useable (repave, clear natural overgrowth/debris, repaint)
9. Install plastic reflecting poles & trapezoidal reflecting delineators along shoulder
10. Paint speed limits and warnings about upcoming curves on the road

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A Comprehensive Strategy to Make Dale a

“Complete Street”

• Begin study of long term solutions no later than Sept 2018.
• Share timeline and process with residents so they can monitor progress and ensure accountability.
• Conduct community walks with residents and collect their qualitative data.

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• Include Dale in MC’s Bike Master Plan to reduce bike stress tolerance level (Dale is currently moderate high)

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• Include funding to implement study recs in next year’s MCDOT CIP request

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• Lower the speed limit to 25mph
• Speed limit on Dale is not specified in Master Plan so it is permitted to reduce it
• Speed matters - peds hit at 40mph have 83% chance of being killed (vs. ~45% chance of being killed at 30mph).

• Increase enforcement of all existing traffic laws through frequent and ongoing deployment of mobile cameras, police dept messaging unit, and police presence.

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• Reclassify Dale as a minor arterial road to more accurately reflect its purpose and characteristics.

Speed Matters:

Dale Drive’s speed limit should be lowered to 25 mph

Source: Vision Zero Network

Strong Support by County Residents

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• Over 176 residents have signed the Petition to Ensure the Safety of All People Using Dale Drive urging the County to immediately reduce the danger on the road

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• Official requests from impacted civic associations (WPCA, WFCA, SOECA)

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• Over 50 residents submitted official written comments to Council on budget hearing and Planning Board on reclassification of Dale

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• 180 members in Dale Drive Safety Coalition Facebook Group

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• This presentation has been

downloaded nearly 600 times

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• Over 6,000 impressions of tweets

using #daledrivesafety

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History of Past Efforts

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Our Efforts:

• Requested County support numerous times (at least 15 separate times in 2017)

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• Sent formal requests to County officials (dating back to 2008)

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• Formed the Dale Drive Safety Coalition

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• Conducted research so that residents are well-informed of neighbors’ past efforts and understand available data and county processes

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• Tracking a detailed account of all resident requests

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• Continuing to mobilize neighbors: circulating petition, canvassing neighborhood, testifying at public forums, and collaborating with other local community groups

Residents have been asking the County to address safety and traffic issues on Dale Drive for over twenty years. While some measures have been implemented, they are not adequate to ensure safety of all people using the road.

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County’s Commitment to Vision Zero

Completing the Dale Drive traffic project will help Vision Zero meet its goals.

• County Council resolution to adopt Vision Zero identifies road safety as a top public safety issue in the County.

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• We commend the County’s previous efforts to address road safety issues.

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• Vision Zero action plan calls for pedestrians and bicyclist to engage in safe walking and biking behavior, but Dale Drive infrastructure does not allow residents to do this.
• NO safe place to walk or bike.
• Crosswalks UNPROTECTED

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• Vision Zero calls for safe, viable alternatives to using cars for local trips - this option does not exist for residents on Dale Drive.

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• Children using Dale Drive do not have a safe walking route to school or bus stops.

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• “Three E” approach (Engineering, Education, Enforcement) is not adequately implemented on Dale Drive.

Recent Progress

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• MCDOT currently installing three pedestrian islands, new signage, bump outs and Qwick Kurbs, repainting, and shoulder repairs

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• MCDOT facilitty planning study on Dale Drive Pedeestrian Safety has begun; recommendations will go to Council in Summer 2019

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• MCPD temporarily deployed mobile messaging unit and mobile speed cameras

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• Planning Dept propsed and Council approved reclassifying Dale Drive as a minor arterial (from arterial) road.

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Montgomery Hills/Forest Glen Sector Planning

• MC Planning Dept and MD State Highway Administration efforts goals will not be met if Dale Drive safety issues are not addressed.

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• Dale is part of the study area and has significant impact on meeting MC Planning and SHA goals, such as:

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• Balance between transportation approaches / Reduce car-dominated environment
• Locals forced to take cars for local trips bc of dangers on Dale and Georgia

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• Increase pedestrian, bicyclist, motorist safety & Increase multi-modal accessibility
• Residents use Dale to access Georgia Ave and MH/FG transit

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• Foster business revitalization / Establish sense of place
• Viability of retail corridor is dependent on WP and WF ability to walk and bike to businesses

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Dale Drive Safety Photos

Dilapidated shoulder covered in potholes. Impassable if using a stroller or wheelchair, or riding a bike.

Extremely narrow shoulder around a blind curve.

Shoulder covered with wet mud making it impassable..

Crashes continue to occur...

March crash on Dale at Harvey Road

April crash on Dale at Grace Church Road

Nowhere to walk, run, or bike.

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Nowhere to push a stroller.

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No access for people with disabilities.

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Every day that goes by without the County’s intervention, people are in danger.

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Thank You!

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Corinne Hart

Co-Chair

Dale Drive Safety Coalition

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daledrivesafety@gmail.com

Twitter: @DaleDriveSafety