"Street Smart" Dummies

(photo from COG)

The last two weeks have been very busy on Sligo Avenue. MCDOT has ripped-up the sidewalk in front of my house and along this side of the street and installed a wider path. PEPCO contractors are moving the poles closer to the centerline, and it looks like this new configuration will be better. I am told that MCDOT and PEPCO are talking about the situation now, and I have hopes that policy is being formed and a systematic approach will be adopted.


I have heard nothing at all from MDSHA. I called their ADA Office on February 24th and left a fairly-lengthy message. I have sent notes (through Facebook) to several elected officials asking for help, to no avail. I wonder why I have not heard from them. Are they ignoring me? Do they even hear me at all? I f a persistent guy like me can’t get a response, what chance does the average pedestrian/transit user have? I have done everything I am supposed to do, and it just doesn’t work.

Next Tuesday – March 23 – The Washington Council of Governments is sponsoring a demonstration on Sligo Avenue. County Executive Leggett will be speaking, among others. Some kind of demonstration is planned. I don’t have the details. They are closing-off Sligo Avenue for a while to do something with cars and speed. I think perhaps dummies might be involved. No pun intended.

Here is the press release:

For Immediate Release
March 19, 2010 Contact: Emily Howard/Meghan Curtiss
202.289.2001


REALISTIC PEDESTRIAN CRASH DEMONSTRATION SHOWS
LIFE-OR-DEATH NECESSITY OF SLOWING DOWN
Stopping Distances Increase Dramatically at Higher Speeds

WHAT : Demonstration showing how a pedestrian may be unharmed when a vehicle brakes at 25 mph, may sustain life-threatening injuries at 35 mph and may be killed at 40 mph.
• Law enforcement efforts to encourage safe walking, driving and cycling
• 2009 data on regional crashes and fatalities

WHY: Every eight minutes a pedestrian or cyclist is injured on our nation’s roadways.
• 101 pedestrian and cyclist-related fatalities occurred across the region in 2008
• Pedestrians and bicyclists account for one-fifth of fatalities in the Washington, D.C. region
WHO: Speakers
• C. E. Isiah Leggett, County Executive, Montgomery County
• J. Thomas Manger, Chief of Police, Montgomery County
• Kwame Brown, Chairman, Washington Council of Governments; Councilmember, DC Council
• Vernon Betkey, Chief, Maryland Highway Safety Office
• Gloria Jeff, Associate Director, District Department of Transportation
• Jeri Lee, Acting Chief of Police, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
• David Snyder, Council Member, City of Falls Church
• Jeff Dunckel, Pedestrian Safety Coordinator, Montgomery County

*SPANISH MEDIA NOTE: A Spanish-speaking officer will be available for interviews

WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 12:00 pm

WHERE: Intersection of Sligo Ave. and Chicago Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
*Site Finder: One block west of Montgomery County Police Station.

**Parking: Street parking available on Sligo Ave. between Grove St. and Chesapeake Ave., within road closure. Officers will assist with entry.

I hope that I get a chance to speak with Ike. I want to tell him that – while current efforts are admirable – a new approach is needed. Pedestrian routes need to be identified and redesigned. Urban cores like Silver Spring need to rely on and plan for excellent pedestrian infrastructure. Pedestrianism needs to be embraced as a transportation solution. Narrow and obstructed sidewalks from the car-centric 50’s need to be modernized for 21st Century reality. Take cars off of the roads the old-fashioned way ; by putting people on the sidewalks. Basically, do what you did before, but in reverse.

Finally, I want to tell him that Sligo Avenue is a logical pedestrian route to the future trailhead of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (Phase One). I want to encourage MCDOT to think about routes, and not just segments. Approach sidewalks as part of the transportation system, not simply an amenity. No where is better suited to this approach than Montgomery County. Pedestrian access (which includes safety) should be a priority, and the County's approach should be proactive.

I am trying to practice patience. It isn’t easy.

Walk the Walk

Even though I started this blog only a few month ago, I have been at this for a while. Here are a few old photos from some of my efforts to promote walking as a transportation choice.

Barbara McCann talks about Complete streets during a workshop I organized in Silver Spring in 2007


Receiving recognition for organizing the 2004 National Congress of Pedestrian Advocates in Silver Spring.

Promoting Walking on the steps of the State House in 2003

Testifying for the Walking Bill in 2008



This article about my website - Montgomery Sideways - appeared in the Montgomery County Gazette in 2008.


I organized the first Walk to School Day in Montgomery County in 1999. I organized the event for three years and helped to spread the event across the County.While my kids were at East Silver Spring Elementary Schoo most of the approaches to the school got new sidewalks. This is the lobby of ESS, where the kids from several classrooms decorated for WSD in 2001.

Walking alongside Will down Sligo Avenue on WSD, 2001


Annapolis - outside the Hearing Room during the Maryland Bike/Ped Symposium. February,2002. I led this group of students, Teachers, and parents to the State Capitol to promote walkable neighborhoods.

Just Wait

Yesterday I sent the letter copied below to The Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Civil Rights. I am not proud of this, but I think it needed to be done. Perhaps the term “Right-of-way” is so simple that people have forgotten the meaning. I moved to this place because I am blind and can’t drive – and yet, even here it is difficult for a disabled person to get around. “Right –of-way” refers to vehicles, not people.

If MCDOT and MDSHA can’t be depended on to make ROWs accessible for all, where can a guy like me turn? I am not a member of any group. I don’t have a lawyer – or money for one. My agenda is plain to see. This is personal, although I am saying what many would say if they were asked. A long time ago I went to a retail training seminar where they taught the 1-99 ratio for complaints. For every person who complains, there are 99 people who are just as dissatisfied but don’t complain. Because sidewalks and pedestrian access can be so mundane, I bet the ration for complaints is more like 1-999. Relying on complaints before planning infrastructure improvements is ludicrous. This approach relies heavily on people who are already dealing with disabilities, hard times, or busy lives. Does it really take a blind man to see what MCDOT and MDSHA can’t see? Or, are they just determined not to recognize the problem?

How many people walk and take transit in Silver Spring? A lot. How many of them do so voluntarily? Some, to be sure, but you might be surprised at the number of people who do it because they have no choice. Some are too poor. Others are disabled, or elderly. Children make up a large portion of the pedestrian population too. For many people sidewalks are the only access to the world. That shouldn’t be so difficult to understand - or so easy to forget. To paraphrase Cesar Chavez; It’s not about the sidewalks and curb cuts. It’s about the people.

I made my first “Sidewalk Call” to the County back in 1996. Fourteen years later, and I am still being told WAIT. WAIT another 30 years for the next time we change the utility poles. WAIT for MDSHA to actually get involved in the process of building pedestrian-accessible ROWs – and not simply respond to complaints. WAIT for laws and enforcement that prohibit actions that create dangerous situations for pedestrians. WAIT for change. WAIT until the next Pedestrian Safety Meeting. Wait, Wait, WAIT.

WAIT to be treated as if you have as much right to access on your own street as anyone who drives down it.

I have been called a curmudgeon by people at MCDOT - which I think highlights the situation perfectly. One definition of curmudgeon is: a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person. I never thought of myself as any of these things – at least, not perpetually. The truth is I was called this because that is how I am forced to deal with MCDOT and MDSHA. They will only act on complaints, but they can’t stand getting complaints. They call the people who use the infrastructure names when they report on the situation too often or too forcefully. I heard in a meeting once that MCDOT gets too many complaints to seriously address them all. It is no wonder that pedestrians with problems get frustrated and upset with the current approach. It is really no approach at all.
I am including the text of my brief complaint without the photos – which you have already seen.


March 1, 2010

Throughout Montgomery County, MD there are utility poles in the middle of sidewalks that make access for people with disabilities difficult or impossible. These poles are ubiquitous, and create obstructions for people with disabilities, like myself all over Montgomery County and the State of Maryland.

I I have complained about these poles to The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), and the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA) many times over the last ten years. Always, I was told that moving these poles was too expensive, and therefore not an option. Always, I would reply – “Well, when they DO replace them, they need to be done properly to create access.”

On December 1, 2009, I came home to find that many of the utility poles on my street had white “Xs” painted on them. I called my Councilmember’s office and MCDOT, but no one could tell me what the markings meant.

The following day, I came home to find a man with a concrete saw eyeing the pole in front of my house. We talked for some time, and he told me that he worked for a contractor who was replacing all of the poles. He also made it clear that he was the person who was placing the new poles, and that he had no idea what ADA is. He said that the contractor was also replacing poles on Piney Branch Rd., Dale Dr., and other streets in the neighborhood – dozens of poles on both MCDOT and MDSHA ROW.

I made frantic calls to MCDOT, and after threatening to get in the hole to stop them, PEPCO agreed to stop the project on my street. While they negotiated with MCDOT on how to fix my street,they continued on other streets. The replacement pole was placed in front of my house. The contractor said he already had the money in the hole. The replacement pole is larger, and obviously makes the passage too narrow for a person in a wheelchair, with a guide animal, or with a stroller.

While MCDOT is taking steps to fix the situation in front of my home, nothing is changing about how dozens of other poles throughout the neighborhood, county, and state are being replaced. I am happy that they are fixing the situation, but when I get to the end of the street there is another utility pole waiting for me, and another, and then another. MCDOT and MDSHA must approach this situation systematically – not in a patchwork fusion based on complaints from disabled people.

MCDOT said they were talking with MDSHA about this, but it has been 3 months and I have heard nothing. These poles are a serious impediment for people with disabilities. They come-up everywhere you go. They create narrow passages and other problems – sometimes depending on weather and time-of-day or night. MCDOT and MDSHA do not have plans to deal with these obstacles when the opportunity arises. By not having a plan, they are allowing crucial infrastructure to be installed incorrectly, which in turn pushes accessibility 30-years down the road for thousands of local residents like me and my family. In an urban, transit-oriented community like ours, that is just not acceptable. MCDOT and MDSHA must plan to remove barriers whenever they replace infrastructure, no matter how insignificant the single instance may be. A roadblock is a roadblock, no matter what form it takes.

These government agencies are discriminating against people who use sidewalks. People who use the ROW with a personal vehicle are treated in one manner, while those who walk and use transit are treated as inferiors. MCDOT and MDSHA spend a lot of money to maintain the roadway and almost nothing on the maintenance of sidewalks by comparison. Pedestrians in Maryland and Montgomery County are treated as second-class citizens.

In my opinion, both MCDOT and MDSHA are blatantly violating Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. I have notified them of this, and I believe that they do not intend to fully-address my complaint. I ask the Federal Highway Administration to investigate my claim and compel MCDOT and MDSHA to resolve this issue. MCDOT and MDSHA must understand the importance of planning to remove ROW obstacles for those who cannot drive. MCDOT and MDSHA must develop a self-evaluation and transition plan for the replacement of utility poles in the ROW. MCDOT and MDSHA must budget adequate funds to achieve this function. MCDOT and MDSHA must provide safe and convenient access to all users of the ROW regardless of their ability. Now, not 30 years from now. AS a blind person, I can’t wait that long.

In an effort to be brief I have not included all of the information I have pertaining to this matter. I have been keeping a blog about pedestrian access issues since October, 2009, and this topic is covered there more fully. I will provide additional information at your request.

Sincerely,
William Smith

What's Wrong With This Picture?

This photo was taken on Sligo Avenue near Fenton St. on Saturday, Feb. 20.


This person had to walk into a busy street to get to this busy bus stop. Ten dfays after the storm, and people are still being forced to put their lives at risk to use Ride-On and MetroBus.

Chicken

Last night my Daughter, Rachel and I walked down Georgia Avenue on our way to KFC – just inside the DC line across from Jessup-Blair Park. The sidewalk in front of the park wasn’t cleared, and we had to walk against traffic on Georgia Avenue – in the dark. Playing Chicken on Georgia Avenue with traffic, hmmm... what was I thinking?

Combined with the snow-bound sidewalk on the NE corner of Georgia Avenue and East-West Highway, I’d say that we walked a total of 100 yards. in the street getting there and back.. No medals for us, though. Only surprise that the sidewalks were not cleared 8 days after the snow, and the adrenalin rush that comes from surviving an ordeal. Traffic was heavy and fast, and we were inches-away from the vehicles at times.

If you are a pedestrian be careful when you go out. Things are still not right, and a bucket of chicken isn’t worth your life!

One Week Later

These photos were taken a couple of days after the last storm (daylight), and yesterday evening around 7 PM. They show the new pedestrian refuge island on Sligo Avenue – still covered by snow and inaccessible to anyone. This piece of infrastructure worked so well until the snow, when it failed completely, and actually may have added to problems at times. Still, it did reduce vehicle speeds, which is always a help.

The S Word

I haven’t posted in a few weeks because I have been traveling and dealing with record snowfall. Just like in December, the region was blanketed by feet of snow. No sense wasting any more time on the details.

I’ve spent many hours digging snow from around my house and clearing the sidewalk in front of my house. I spent a lot of time digging in front of other peoples’ property too. A few people have thanked me for digging in places where it was blocked and dangerous—as if I were being a good Samaritan. I usually replied that I was doing this for myself and my family, but I’m happy if it helps other people too.

I’ve taken a few photos, but haven’t we all seen far-too-many snow photos already? One or two, but mostly I want to write.

I’ll run down a list of observations I made during the recent recovery from the snow events.

My street is an arterial, so we get plowed immediately. It is my understanding that many neighborhood streets were not plowed for days. Some neighborhoods hire private contractors to plow their streets, or they do it themselves.

Many of these contractors pay no attention to where they deposit the snow removed from county streets or private property. They push piles up onto sidewalks and crosswalks without regard to the impact this has on pedestrian safety. In many cases, they deposit this snow onto sidewalks that have already been shoveled by property owners—rendering their efforts useless, and releasing them from any further obligation to clear the way.

MCDOT works very hard to keep county roads open for emergency vehicles during blizzards. It is understandable that their priority would be keeping the roads open and clear. However, the county spends a lot of money to clear ROW for vehicles, and almost no money clearing the right of way for pedestrians and transit users. At least – not until the recent storms. Many Ride-On and Metro bus stops were shoveled soon after the storm ended (and many were not), but only from the road. No effort was made to cut through to the sidewalk until days later.. This forces riders to walk down the side of the street to get to the bus stop. If you are going to dig out bus stops, you must dig out the sidewalks. If you don’t, you are creating an unsafe situation for people.

A little planning and training could go a long way. Oh, yeah, and how about some enforcement?


Urban District
I’m not very familiar with how the Silver Spring Urban District goes about removing snow from Downtown Silver Spring. I think that a single entity clears snow for everyone and everyone pays a fee for the service. In the Urban District, snow removal seems organized, comprehensive, and speedy. Unfortunately, most of the pedestrian routes to the Urban District remain extremely dangerous for days after the snow stops falling.

Pedestrian Thoroughfares
Living on and arterial ROW as I do, I see the huge numbers of people who walk up and down Sligo Ave when they can’t drive. During inclement weather, pedestrians turn to infrastructure they can count on. The County has a responsibility to understand this behavior and incorporate it into their plans. Places like Fenton St., Wayne Ave., Second Ave., and Colesville Rd. must be made safe and accessible to pedestrians after snowstorms.

This isn’t going to happen by itself, or because the County Council passes a law requiring people to shovel their walkways. In fact, the last time I heard anyone in county government mention that property owners are required to shovel their sidewalks was in 2004. Then, County Executive Duncan and County President Silverman were quoted in the Washington post saying that the shoveling law was only a suggestion, and “… mostly self-enforcement.” Now, I have always thought that the law requiring property owners to shovel their walks was intended to establish a community standard, not to have county government harassing residents. Personally, I would rather dig out a walkway than call HCA to file a complaint on a neighbor.

BUT - I think the county should actively enforce this law when it becomes excessive—more than three or four days after the snow. The county would never allow the ROW to be made inaccessible to drivers after the snow. If they are not “resourced” to fix the problems, then they should enforce the law and compel a property owner to comply.

Neighborhood sidewalks
Walking around my neighborhood and to downtown Silver Spring, I noticed several key problem areas. Most of these are easily avoidable with a little thought, encouragement, and training. I sent an email to Mell Tull at the RSC, and later Monday the problems were all clear except for one. I appreciate the response.

People tend to shovel out their driveways and cars first. During a large snow event, this is a mistake. Shovel the walk while the snow is fresh and un-trampled. You probably won’t be able to drive your car for several hours any way.

Many people dig out their driveways and throw the snow across the sidewalk.

Many places with large parking lots push the snow across the walkways.

Some businesses on Fenton St. never shovel their walks. Bus stops and crosswalks are dug out days later. The south side of Sligo Avemue is still blocked.

Roads are dry, and cars have resumed their normal speeds. Pedestrian Thoroughfares are blocked and the pedestrian transportations system is still questionable. People are still walking in the streets.

If you compare the amount of money the County spends to clear roads to the amount it spends to clear sidewalks- It’s easy to see that pedestrians are still not a priority, even in the “Smart Growth” urban areas of Montgomery County. It’s not going to get any better until we all do more. New laws, policies, and procedures are needed to make areas like Silver Spring truly safe an accessible for everyone. Enforcement needs to be proactive – not reliant on complaints against neighbors. Must I alienate my neighbors to gain equal access to the ROW in front of my home?

The first principal of nonviolent action is that of noncooperation with everything humiliating.
CESAR CHAVEZ