From November 19 to 22, no public parking will be allowed at the parking meters along Tuckerman Lane near the Grosvenor/Strathmore Metrorail station. During this time, the meter spaces will be reserved for school buses when 10,000 Montgomery County Public School second graders attend Strathmore for a series of free concerts by the National Philharmonic. This is the ninth year these concerts have been held. To accommodate all the students, seven daytime performances are scheduled.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
New Teen Drivers with Teen Passengers at Higher Risk for Fatal Crashes
The Washington Post recently reported that a Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) study found that new, 15-to-17-year-old drivers are almost eight times as likely to get into a fatal accident when they are carrying two or more teen passengers. The report author, Russell Henk, suspects that texting during driving may be a contributing factor in the collisions. The report states that new drivers may be more distracted by other teens in the vehicle.
The full Washington Post article is available online.
The full Washington Post article is available online.
Metro Opens New Parking Garage at Twinbrook Metro Station
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) opened a new 426-space parking garage at the Twinbrook Metrorail Station on October 7. The new Metro West Garage was constructed by JBG as part of a joint development project and provides replacement parking for an existing surface parking lot that will be used for retail, residential and offices.
Existing traffic patterns and parking rates ($4.75 on weekdays, free on weekends) will not change. The new Metro West Garage will be accessible from Chapman Avenue, which is adjacent to the station.
Construction has begun on the second phase of the project, which includes 206 apartments (15 percent affordable) and 33,000 square feet of retail shops.
See Metro’s website for more details.
Existing traffic patterns and parking rates ($4.75 on weekdays, free on weekends) will not change. The new Metro West Garage will be accessible from Chapman Avenue, which is adjacent to the station.
Construction has begun on the second phase of the project, which includes 206 apartments (15 percent affordable) and 33,000 square feet of retail shops.
See Metro’s website for more details.
Teens Continue to be at Risk Crossing Streets While Texting
High school students can't put their phones down, even when crossing a dangerous street. A new study quantifies just how often kids walk while distracted by technology. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, one in five high school students and one in eight middle school students cross the street while doing something with a digital device.
Pedestrian injuries among teenagers, in particular, have been on the rise, increasing 25% in the last five years in the 16-19 year-old age group. Crossing streets while staring at a screen is one suggested reason. Listening to music and texting were the top distractions. Thirty-nine percent of the students who were crossing the street while distracted were typing on a cell phone and another 39 percent were listening to headphones. Girls were a little more likely to walk distractedly than boys, but just barely.
(Source: WNYC.org, August 29, 2013 as cited in the NETS eNewsletter, September, 2013. To see the full article, go to the WNYC website.)
Pedestrian injuries among teenagers, in particular, have been on the rise, increasing 25% in the last five years in the 16-19 year-old age group. Crossing streets while staring at a screen is one suggested reason. Listening to music and texting were the top distractions. Thirty-nine percent of the students who were crossing the street while distracted were typing on a cell phone and another 39 percent were listening to headphones. Girls were a little more likely to walk distractedly than boys, but just barely.
(Source: WNYC.org, August 29, 2013 as cited in the NETS eNewsletter, September, 2013. To see the full article, go to the WNYC website.)
MCDOT to Construct Dual Bikeway on Woodglen Drive
MCDOT is installing a dual bikeway along a portion of Woodglen Drive that includes:
The Woodglen dual bikeway will provide an important link to the Bethesda Trolley Trail and access to Metro stations, as well as retail and neighborhood activity centers in the Rockville and North Bethesda areas.
In Maryland, bicycles are classified as vehicles and are permitted on any road where the speed limit is posted at 50 mph or below. The on-road bicycle lanes will require the removal of six metered parking spaces along Woodglen Drive. Travel lanes will be narrowed for the sharrow. To enhance safety, discourage speeding and alert motorists to those using the path, curb extenders will be built at the intersection of Executive Boulevard and Woodglen Drive.
For more information on bicycle infrastructure projects, visit MCDOT's bikeways website.
- An eight-foot, off-road, shared use bikepath on the west side of Woodglen Drive between Edson and Nicholson lanes in North Bethesda;
- An on-road, six-foot-wide bike lane on the east side of Woodglen Drive (in the northbound travel lane); and
- An on-road shared lane, or “sharrow” on the west side of Woodglen Drive (in the southbound travel lane).
The Woodglen dual bikeway will provide an important link to the Bethesda Trolley Trail and access to Metro stations, as well as retail and neighborhood activity centers in the Rockville and North Bethesda areas.
In Maryland, bicycles are classified as vehicles and are permitted on any road where the speed limit is posted at 50 mph or below. The on-road bicycle lanes will require the removal of six metered parking spaces along Woodglen Drive. Travel lanes will be narrowed for the sharrow. To enhance safety, discourage speeding and alert motorists to those using the path, curb extenders will be built at the intersection of Executive Boulevard and Woodglen Drive.
For more information on bicycle infrastructure projects, visit MCDOT's bikeways website.
Distracted Driving Causing More Pedestrian and Cyclist Collisions
According to dc.streetsblog.org, total traffic deaths have declined nationwide in recent years, but the same has not held true for the most vulnerable people on the streets -- cyclists and pedestrians. In 2011, 130 more pedestrians were killed in traffic than the year before, a three percent increase, while 54 more people lost their lives while biking, an increase of eight percent. The same year, overall traffic deaths declined two percent.
A new study published in Public Health Reports, the journal of the U.S. Public Health Service and the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, reveals that distracted driving — particularly driving while texting — partially explains the rising death toll.
A new study published in Public Health Reports, the journal of the U.S. Public Health Service and the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, reveals that distracted driving — particularly driving while texting — partially explains the rising death toll.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Leggett Announces Availability of First Montgomery County Bikeshare Stations; Program is First Bikeshare in Maryland
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| Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett (second from right) launched the first installment of the County’s 51 Bikeshare stations with 450 bikes. Bikeshare riders will be able to use any bike in the regional Capital Bikeshare network including the District of Columbia, Arlington and Alexandria. Pictured are (from left to right) Montgomery County Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Roger Berliner (Valerie Ervin not pictured), Maryland Transportation Secretary James T. Smith, Jr. and Senator Brian Frosh. |
Leggett made the announcement in Rockville at one of the 21 area stations designed to encourage low-income reverse commuters and job trainees to use Bikeshare. Those who qualify will receive a free, one-year membership in Capital Bikeshare.
Bikesharing provides short-term bicycle rentals at self-service, automated, solar-powered docking stations located at publicly accessible sites. Bikes may be picked up at one location and returned to another, creating a system that allows for one-way trips. Bikeshare is considered ideal for short trips of less than five miles. Trips under 30 minutes are included in the membership fee, while longer trips are charged based on their duration.
Over the next few weeks, the remaining Montgomery County stations will open. More information about Bikeshare and a map showing installed stations in the County is available online. For information on eligibility for free Bikeshare memberships and program benefits for low income residents, contact Montgomery County Commuter Services by email or phone at 240-777-8380.
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