Pedestrians
6 steps to boulevardize Wheaton's Viers Mill Road
Viers Mill Road (MD 586) in downtown Wheaton sticks out like a sore thumb from its surroundings. It currently acts as a barrier between the historic walkable urban town and the Westfield Wheaton properties. The road should be a celebrated urban boulevard. Its right-of-way goes back to colonial times, but was rebuilt as a suburban arterial in the 1960's.
Photo by the author.
Despite the fact that Viers Mill Road between University Boulevard and Georgia Avenue was rebuilt for un-walkability by our forebears at the dawn of the suburbanization era, it currently sees a lot of pedestrian crossings. I am one of those pedestrians. Here are some ideas to improve the road so it more accurately reflects its current uses.
- Increase the width of the median. It is far safer to cross a six lane road if you have a safe midpoint. The current median is a tiny ribbon of concrete that's about a foot wide between Reedie Drive and University Boulevard. When I stand on it, I feel very nervous.
- Move the bus stops just south of University Boulevard to the corner of Ennals Avenue. When I ride the RideOn 34 home from Friendship Heights/Bethesda, I'm usually the only passenger who gets off at that stop who then crosses Viers Mill Road at the crosswalk at University Boulevard. I am clearly a part of a small minority of passengers whose final destination is east or north of the bus stop.
Most other passengers diagonally cross Viers Mill Road towards Ennals Avenue. Some cross to the bus stop located across the street in order to connect with the C4/Q's/38 etc to go north on Viers Mill Road into car-dependent suburbia towards Rockville. Consequently, most passengers who get off the bus at that stop end up crossing mid-block... on a six-lane road with a one foot median.
- Create a block at Ennals Avenue. Currently, a motorist on Viers Mill Road has little way of knowing that there is a small cross street between Reedie Drive and University Boulevard. There isn't even a signed crosswalk between the Ennals Avenue sidewalk and the CVS across the street.
On Friday, February 5th, I almost saw a car collision between two motorists because there are no markings to cross Viers Mill Road from the (suburban-style) CVS parking lot. The curb cut for the CVS parking lot aligns perfectly with Ennals Avenue.
Plenty of crossings between strip malls and side streets have blinkers or traffic lights. This would be a reasonable place to put one in to make motorists aware of potential pedestrian and automobile crossings. Better notification of the crossings, along with the wider median and relocated bus stops, would all work together in providing pedestrian vitality. The increased street activity will tell motorists that it is time to slow down.
- Narrow the lanes. Current lane widths are built to suburban arterial guidelines. Narrowing them to 10 or 11 feet (except the one lane that must be 12 for delivery trucks) would cause motorists to slow down and drive more gently, causing fewer collisions. The narrower lane widths would be more consistent with an urban boulevard like Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.
Most motorists currently ignore the bus lane. - Fully separate the bus lanes. The right lane on Viers Mill Road has "Bus Only" painted on it just south of University Boulevard. However, just like on 7th Street NW in DC, few personal vehicle operators heed or even notice the markings. Inexpensive rubber poles would explicitly separate the bus lane, similar to the bike lane on 15th Street between Massachusetts Avenue and U St.
There is precedent for using the rubber poles in Wheaton. MCDOT used them on Reedie Drive across from Triangle Lane (in front of the Mid-County Services Building) to create a bulb-out so pedestrians have less asphalt to cross and motor vehicle operators are more aware of the crosswalk. (The MCDOT deseves credit for implementing this good idea.)
CVS's curb cut could remain a place for automobiles to cross the bus lane. It will not add much danger because the bus lane will have much less traffic than an automobile lane and the buses will be stopping at the relocated bus stop right in front of the CVS curb cut/Ennals Avenue crosswalk. The separated bus lanes would be in effect between University Boulevard and Reedie Drive both northbound and southbound.
- Improve the crosswalk across Viers Mill Road on the south side of Reedie Drive. Pedestrian bridges suck for pedestrians. It's that simple. They're a metaphorical middle finger to them. They're always underused, whether it's in Seven Corners, Hyattsville, or proposed at the Silver Spring library.
The pedestrian bridge across Viers Mill Road between Reedie Drive and Georgia Avenue is one of the less offensive examples of its kind because it at least provides a convenient route the the Metro for commuters who park in the upper levels of the Metro garage. Also, when a shopper gets off the Metro, the pedestrian bridge is the most obvious path to the mall.
However, the reverse is not true. Depending on which exit a transit-oriented customer uses to leave the mall, crossing Viers Mill Road at Reedie Drive could be more convenient. The businesses along the eastern side of Viers Mill Road would love the increased foot traffic. Many pedestrians might make a new discovery such as Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center.
Regardless, the increased foot traffic on the sidewalks and crossing the street will further tell motorists that they are on an urban boulevard and to drive accordingly. I personally use this crossing when I walk to the mall from my residence, too.
Looking across from the CVS to Ennals Avenue. Note the lack of even a crosswalk.
The upcoming 2010/11 Sector Plan will lay the framework for Wheaton to better use its existing walkable urban infrastructure and achieve its potential as an economic and social center of place. In order to facilitate this important process, all the infrastructure must be arranged to facilitate this positive growth. With a few small (low-cost) changes, Viers Mill Road between University Boulevard and Georgia Avenue can better serve the town that exists partly because of its historic proximity to the road.
 | Cavan Wilk became interested in the physical layout and economic systems of modern human settlements while working on his Master's in Financial Economics. His writing often focuses on the interactions between a place's form, its economic systems, and the experiences of those who live in them. He lives in downtown Silver Spring.  |
Comments
@ggwash
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by jnb on Feb 10, 2010 1:46 pm • link • report
The first five points tie into each other and focus on both addressing why things are the way they, and how to improve them. They are all tied together.
by Cavan on Feb 10, 2010 3:13 pm • link • report
by Matthias on Feb 10, 2010 5:24 pm • link • report
by kk on Feb 10, 2010 6:26 pm • link • report
by Squalish on Feb 11, 2010 11:43 am • link • report
Coming out is a different story, as I described in point #6. Many pedestrians also cross by Bally's to the southern end of the bus bay attached to the Metro station.
by Cavan on Feb 11, 2010 11:50 am • link • report
Anything that impacts the curb line entails some significant investment as well as careful review of drainage impacts & impacts to median-based structures. It's certainly technically feasible, but difficult to kick off in this economic environment.
Also, again I'm not sure of the cross-section... but if narrowing lanes isn't enough: acquiring additional right-of-way along the outside edge of the roadway can be tricky in an urban environment; and it'd also mean reconstructing the outside curb, too.
Contact your councilmembers to see if this is something to include in the Consolidated Transportation Plan/Program (CTP), which sets the County's priorities & is used by the as the primary consideration of how to spend State funds.
2 - Have you contacted WMATA or Ride-On? Also, do you have any suggestions as to where the bus stops would be relocated to?
3 - I have some major concerns with uncontrolled marked crosswalks across roadways with more than one lane in a direction -- especially 3+ lanes. Where roadways have more than one lane in each direction, marked crosswalks can increase what is referred to as a “multi-threat scenario” – essentially a situation whereby risk for pedestrians and motorists alike can be significantly increased.
The multi-threat scenario can be best described with an example: imagine a pedestrian attempting to cross at a crosswalk; there are two lanes in each direction, and two cars are approaching the crosswalk in the same lane – one right behind the other. The first motorist may notice the pedestrian and slow down to yield.
Trailing motorists have a natural tendency to focus on the vehicle in front of them, and hence: the second motoristÂ’s attention was already diverted from the pedestrian; but the appearance of brake lights has now fully captured the motoristÂ’s attention. The second motorist does not notice the presence of the pedestrian and is only acting in response to the actions of the first motorists.
The second motorist may not react quickly enough or may be following too closely, and may rear-end the motorist – potentially also causing one or both vehicles to collide with the pedestrian. Alternately, the second motorist may change lanes and continue across the crosswalk.
As the pedestrian sees the first motorist slowing down, the pedestrian may either not see the second motorist, or may assume the second motorist will also yield. As the pedestrian begins the crossing, a conflict may arise should the second motorist suddenly change lanes and pass the yielding vehicle.
This scenario creates multiple conflict points which can be exacerbated by wider roadways and heavier traffic volumes. I've been the pedestrian, motorist #1, and motorist #2... and I speak from the experience of being struck as a pedestrian on several occasions (though fortunately I haven't had the experience of striking a pedestrian).
Not to knock upon your suggestion entirely: I do think the stretch between 193 and Grandview is a bit lengthy for peds to be reasonably expected to use a signal if they're around Ennals. However, the area needs a major change in context -- both of the road & of the surrounding environment -- before I'd personally foresee a crosswalk here. That'd take the involvement of MNCPPC as the first step in coordinating land use and transportation.
4 - Agreed completely. Sort of along the lines of #1, however, simply restriping the road is also a bit complex. Restriping lane lines is something that should be done after resurfacing or applying a slurry seal. This ensures a fresh unspoiled pavement "canvas" with which to add new paint onto.
The alternatives are grinding out the existing markings or applying black paint on top of them. The former still leaves the path of the markings plainly visible & can make operations much worse. The latter wears off quickly as the paint cannot bind to the previous paint layer in the same manner that it can otherwise seep into & bond with asphalt. Essentially, the first layer of paint fills the pores in the asphalt... so the next layer of paint (the black paint) has nowhere to go.
Contact the SHA to request consideration of this change concurrent with the next resurfacing project (which could be many years from now; I'm not sure... but at least the request would be out there).
5 - A good suggestion, though the example on Reedie is a bit of a different animal. There are plenty of examples of tubular markers or Quick Curb / Flexposts being used throughout the State, so no need to cite precedent for using the devices in the first place.
But to focus on the 15th Street Bike Lane: how does 15th Street handle curb cuts? Does it just leave openings & rely on markings / green paint to keep motorists at bay?
I finally just saw the 15th Stree Bike Lane for my very first time last night, and that was only because I was walking across it on P St. For as much time as I spend on 14th, I never spend anytime on 15th... perhaps I'll try and do that a bit more.
6 - Don't dismiss bridges entirely: it's just that stand-alone bridges are generally pretty useless. Bridges worked into the environment (such as the bridge over Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda or the bridge over Fenton in Silver Spring) get some decent usage since they're integrated into the surrounding land uses.
This enclosed bridge in Providence is pretty convenient during the day, especially since I'm always up there around New Year's when it's far more preferable to be indoors:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Providence,+RI&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=Providence,+Rhode+Island&ll=41.825908,-71.415373&spn=0,359.996578&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=41.825965,-71.415197&panoid=9jKoKVfz2nlvUy4_Lexzbw&cbp=12,253.31,,0,-1.14
I regularly use it in winter from street level to street level instead of the marked crossing on the east side of the intersection... though I do tend toward the at-grade crossing in summer. It also doesn't help that the one access into the bridge is locked late at night... exit-only. Better public-private coordination would have been appreciated with that one!
However, when you point to bad bridges... yeah, I'd say Hyattsville is a prime example.
Back to the subject: I'm not too familiar with the mall here, other than going there once to participate in a "freeze". How is the mall's internal signing? Are there signs guiding people toward Metro and subsequently toward the bridge? Or do they guide people to Metro via at-grade crossings? Or is signing lacking entirely?
Also, what sort of crosswalk improvements are you seeking... Refreshing faded markings? Crosshatched crosswalks? APS/CPS? Reconstructed ADA ramps? More controlled/uncontrolled marked crossings? All of the above?
Great ideas- just make sure to follow up with those who would act upon them! Cheers!
by Bossi on Mar 26, 2010 9:07 pm • link • report
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