Loose Change

this afternoon Rachel and I took a year's worth of loose change to the coin counter at Chevy Chase bank on Georgia at Cameron. On the way home we ran into this work crew on Sligo Avenue near Georgia Avenue. They were using jack hammers on the street, and were standing on the sidewalk. Ordinarily, I would switch to the other side of the street at this point. The problem is that the other side is blocked as well - AS USUAL.





Cars parked at several auto shops here block the sidewalk. Men were working on these two vehicles on the sidewalk. Rachel suggested that we go over to Gist, but that is just as bad.


We also walked by the gaping hole in the sidewalk near our home. The recent rains have increased the size of this hole, It's at least 2-feet deep.

Another Crazy Weekend

I spent a lot of time out and about this weekend. We shopped the Fresh Farm Farmers' Market, had dinner at union Station, and went to Rockville via Metro to look for computer parts. I noticed that drivers were particularly impatient this weekend. People were taking more risks than usual in response to backed-up traffic and general driving annoyances. It seemed that everywhere I went there were drivers speeding, running lights, honking their horns, and generally pushing limits.

Here are a few of the situations I came across on the sideways this weekend.
This truck was parked across the sidewalk on Easley Street near Fenton - at the Shell Station. I walked by this location several times over a few hours and it was not parked here temporarily. I saw pedestrians walking in the stret to get past this location.
A Crossing Guard on duty near the Silver Spring Metro on Friday evening. These Crossing Guards do a great job, and really keep things afe at these busy intersections.

The Greyhound Terminal on Sligo Avenue. Several times a day cars are parked over the sidewalk here.
Wire from a chain link fence at the corner of Sligo Avenue and Mayor Lane is a dangerous trip hazard. It's been like this for a long time, but it's getting worse.
Once again, the passage in front of the Fire Station One restaurant is blocked. You can't go to the outside because A firetruck is blocking the way. On the inside, seating stacked chair are stored in the way. A person in a wheelchair could not get by unless someone offered to help move these heavy wrought-iron seats out of the way. What gives this restaurant the right to do this???
The intersection of Silver Spring and Georgia Avenues. Again, at the location of Fire Station One. A car pulled into the crosswalk. ( Taken after I crossed - I just missed getting the cross signal white.) Notice the Fire Truck parked to the edge of Georgia Avenue.

Pedestrians walking around several cars stopped in the crosswalk at Wayne and Georgia Avenues.

Second-class

Yesterday we headed to Safeway in the afternoon, and I stopped to take photos of the ever-widening hole forming around one of the pole-tandems on our street. We ran into our neighbors on their way out, and I got an earful about these poles. The law of unintended consequences is clearly at work here, I thought. I tried to do something good by demanding that these poles be replaced according to modern standards - and the law. What happened as a result made me feel a little guilty, standing there listening to her.


(photo from 2005)

These sidewalks have had problems almost continually since I have lived here - 13 years. No matter what I do, MCDOT can't seem to get this worked out. It is almost like being pubished for asking for help in the first place. I ask them to fix the poles - they make them worse. I ask again - they hold an event right next to the crazy double-pole thing, and no one says a word. The County Executive speaks while standing RIGHT NEXT to the poles and doesn't notice. All the cameras are on HIM. The focus is on what is happening in the street. The poles are completely ignored. Five months later, and the poles are still here. MCDOT might as well give me the finger.

Hundreds of people walk down Sligo Avenue everyday. Some , because they want to - others, because they must. The street is dotted with apartment buildings, and the Ride-on bus is busy here. Drivers and Bicyclists have few problems, because the road surface is FABULOUS. The sidewalks are second-class. Industry and government turning their backs on those who don't OWN.

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Georgia Avenue Pedestrian Road Safety Audit

I n March, 2009 I participated in a Road Safety Audit of Georgia Avenue. I spent 6 hours over two days with a team of people made of representatives from MCDOT, SHA, MC Police, Mel Tull, and neighborhood residents. This group was led by consultants hired by Montgomery County - as part of their HIA ( High Incidence Area) program. We walked Georgia from Sligo to Spring several times, taking note of conditions, talking about possible solutions, and discussing perspectives. I was their blind person, mostly.

MCDOT did the right thing here. This could be considered a proactive approach - even as part of a reactive program.They sent people who could participate at a high level. SHA sent a note-taker. She was a very nice person, but she had only been with SHA for 6 months, and couldn't really add anything to the discussion. She certainly did not know enough to answer questions about how SHA would see things. There was a feeling in the room ( which I believe was openly expressed) that this wasn't a priority for SHA.

Sgt Harmon was there from MC Police, and he was a great contributor.

About a year ago I started asking to see the report from the RSA. I took some calls, and reminding people that we spent two days working on the project, It wasn't cheap, so where is the report? It took a while, but I got the draft report a few weeks later. I asked if the team could get together once more to discuss the report, and I made a few suggestions about how to amend the document -- and that was the last I heard ofrom anyone. The repost has still not been released as a finished document.

That report provided a snapshot of the conditions on Georgia Avenue. Now that we have waited over a year, conditions have changed. Still, I think the 115-page report should be released so that the community can look it over. The result were interesting.

Odds & Ends

Georgia Avenue, near Pacci's Restaurant.


A street light knocked over on the corner of Sligo X Fenton - aceoss from the Greyhound Terminal. These lights have been struck at least four times since Fenton was redesigned.


Outside the Greyhound Terminal at Sligo X Fenton. It's been parked here for about a week.

"P" is for Purple

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the new Silver Spring Library and the proposed "pedestrian" bridge connecting it to the Wayne Avenue (once known as the Doug Duncan) Parking Garage. The post was up for a brief time before I took it down later that day. I thought it would go unnoticed, but someone commented, wondering where it had gone. I answered that I had taken it down because I wanted to work on it and would post it again later.
I lied. Well - sort of.
I took the post down because I was afraid of criticizing the Purple Line.
The Purple Line has become a Sacred Cow to Silver Spring “Hippie-crits.” Even though the transit line is nowhere close to being built, the need for a light rail station in the same location has drastically altered the design of the new Library, moving the main entrance to the third-floor. Now - of course - you're going to need a bridge to fix this crazy design! All brought to you courtesy of the Purple Line.
I didn’t participate in the planning process or public comment. I wanted to, but I just didn’t have the time. I know a lot of caring people did, and they did their best to do a good job. I assumed it would be done right, and that is a mistake I make too often.

Instead, we now have a train station with a Library in it, not the other way around. Oh, BTW, there’s no train in sight. The debate about the pedestrian bridge is a proxy discussion. The real discussion should have been - are we going to accommodate people here, or are we going to accommodate the Purple Line? To me, it is clear that the Purple Line won this contest.

If people had won, the entrance to the Library would be on street level. There would be no need for a bridge. Instead, the new Library will turn its back to the community in favor of the parking garage. If the county builds the bridge it will be saying, in effect “We would prefer it if you would drive here.” Even though the new site will have a light rail station, the current design runs contrary to Smart Growth principles. It would be unfortunate to construct a public building so unfriendly to pedestrians.

Just because you walk over it doesn’t mean it’s a pedestrian bridge. The fact that it is connected to a parking garage at one end means it is intended to service drivers, not pedestrians. P is not for Pedestrian in this case.

Disabled people have varying degrees of mobility, and to assume we all need to be driven to the Library is both condescending and unrealistic. This is not Smart Growth. People are willing to spend almost $2 Billion on a train, but don’t care about the community’s ability to walk there. Why don’t they advocate for sidewalks on their own streets? Maybe it’s because taking five feet of yard might leave them with no where to put their “Purple Line, Greener Future” signs.
Silver Spring needs good sidewalks. We also need public buildings at street level where the doors open up to the entire community, not just those who park in the right place. Pedestrians should not have to enter the parking deck to get to the front entrance. Pedestrians should not be relegated to “back door status” either. Montgomery County should think beyond cars for a change, and design a Public Library that places equal emphasis on pedestrian access. I am afraid that the cavalier attitude of some Purple People scares away people who have legitimate concerns. As a consequence, decisions are made that cause unforeseen problems. Overbearing support for the Purple Line will ruin it.

“Purple Thinking” clouds the decision-making process in so many matters these days. I want a Purple Line, but I want one that works for everyone. Not connecting it to good sidewalks will keep the project from reaching its potential. If those rabid supporters really want a viable light rail line, they will subject the project to rigorous testing and honest appraisal of potential consequences. Facing the challenge of creating a useful transit line means asking the hard questions and being open to hearing the answers. Instead, everyone is expected to fall into line and support the train, regardless of the impacts. The majority of the compromises to accommodate the Purple Line will be carried by pedestrians, AGAIN. Big Stakeholders like Discovery get what they want without debate, while pedestrians are left to deal with the consequences. Who is looking-out for us?