MDOT improving pedestrian safety in the wake of tragedy

After a recent tragedy where two young men were killed crossing Rockville Pike by the White Flint Metro, a friend of one of the families reached out to Maryland Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher (D-18) to create something positive come out of the terrible circumstances.

The tragedy is a profound argument in favor of properly funding the smart growth-oriented White Flint Sector Plan. Even though it will be a few years before White Flint starts to resemble Bethesda’s urban form, it is already starting to urbanize.

Many new residents have moved into White Flint in order to take advantage of its proximity to transit and amenities. New grocery stores and cafes have already started opening up. The demand is there for a more urban format, although we’re stuck with an inappropriate 1960’s legacy urban form for the very near future.

Back in October, Delegate Waldstreicher cc’d me in an email conversation he was having with Sarah Libby, the friend of one of the tragically deceased young men. She wrote,

I was trying to figure out a way to turn this terrible tragedy into something positive and I was thinking that perhaps there could be some sort of legislation regarding blinking lights around metro stops and large intersections. Adam and Rory were being responsible drinkers in that they took the metro home from the bar rather than drive … after a certain time, the lights at that intersection [Rockville Pike and Marinelli Road] go from Green and red to blinking yellow and there is no walk sign.

Sarah struck a chord with my life experience. I use the Metro for play as well as work and have walked home after many nights out. The thought of being tragically killed after responsibly using the Metro for nightlife is sobering for anyone. When I asserted that Rockville Pike in its current pedestrian-unfriendly form would be an impediment to realizing the vision of the White Flint Sector Plan, I did so from the both the heart and from personal experience as a pedestrian.

After speaking to staff and the Maryland SHA and MCDOT, Del. Waldstreicher updated Sarah on November 9,

MCDOT and SHA are conducting a station-by-station review to focus their safety efforts on those Metro stops with significant post-midnight pedestrian traffic. For example, I assume there will likely be light changes near stations like Wheaton, Glenmont, and Bethesda (in fact, this has already happened at the White Flint station). Meanwhile, less dense stations like Medical Center and Grosvenor will likely have no light changes. I think this common-sense approach is exactly what we need from both a procedural (less bureaucracy) and substantive point of view.

Delegate Waldstreicher made another fair point,

Hard-red lights at 2 a.m. could possibly encourage non-compliance by drivers (there’s no-one around so they’ll just go). It may have the same effect on some pedestrians. Even though I believe we are in the right and the net effect will be positive, I don’t want to pretend that cycled lights are a silver bullet.

As frustrating as the substance of this point may be, I think it’s a valid concern. A traffic light could lull a pedestrian into a false sense of security when a motorist is just going to run them over anyway while ignoring a red light. Sarah subsequently replied:

I understand the concern of non-compliance with the lights during the later hours causing more danger and might I suggest red light cameras in those intersections? … If nothing else I do believe that the 24 red/green lights will slow people down. According to some witnesses, this young man who killed Adam and Rory was going between 70 and 100 mph.

Being from the area, he like most of us probably knows that all of the lights around here blink after midnight and while yellow means yield, realistically that does not happen. I think that had he known that there is an actual non-blinking light ahead he would have started to slow down, especially if he knew he could get a red light ticket.”

The replies from the SHA, MCDOT, and the county police were all very prompt, professional, and responsive. They deserve credit for listening and trying to make things better in the short term. None of the current staff of MCDOT or the SHA is responsible for decisions in the 1960’s that turned Rockville Pike into the monster that it is today.

This tragic event shows how quickly people who are otherwise uninterested in transportation policy quickly become experts when it touches their life. It also underscores how much our infrastructure and urban form shape our everyday life. In another email with Sarah, I compared my experiences that inspired me to become an advocate to taking the Red Pill in The Matrix, a metaphor she agreed with. Sarah and the families of Adam and Rory have taken the most painful kind of Red Pill.

Very often, a painful life experience can inspire someone to make a difference in the world. The silver lining of the tragic deaths of Adam and Rory is that the county and state are now closely examining pedestrian transportation policy around Red Line Metro stations. The actions will move Montgomery County towards a more balanced transportation system for all.