Bumper to Bumper: Sending a walk signal for Aspen Hill Road

The posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour, but despite posted signs, drivers continually travel at much higher speeds. I have two young children who love to ride their bikes along Aspen Hill Road, but I am so terrified that a car is going to lose control.

Another concern I have is for myself because I do not drive. I rely on public transportation. There are absolutely no crosswalks between the Arctic Avenue and Aspen Hill Road intersection and the Aspen Hill Library, nor are there any traffic devices (i.e. speed humps) between the intersection of Arctic Avenue and Aspen Hill Road, and Parkland Drive and Aspen Hill Road to slow the traffic.

I have personally counted the number of crosswalks on the 2.5-mile stretch of Aspen Hill Road, and there are very few.

There are a total of seven crosswalks (two of which are at Connecticut Avenue) on Aspen Hill Road between Georgia Avenue and Veirs Mill Road.

For example, when I get off the bus at Aspen Hill Road and Eades Street, crossing the street without a crosswalk is extremely dangerous, and I must walk almost a mile out of my way to Aspen Hill Road and Arctic Avenue to where there is a crosswalk, then walk almost another mile back to get to my home.

I feel it highly necessary for there to be more crosswalks, as well as some kind of device to slow drivers along Aspen Hill Road.

Kellie Husband, Rockville

A: Two good things come from your submission. First, county police have been asked to increase enforcement of aggressive and reckless drivers along Aspen Hill Road. Second, officials with the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation said they will perform a traffic study at the intersection of Aspen Hill Road and Eades Street to determine whether a marked crosswalk will improve safety there.

If you want officials with the department to look at other intersections to determine whether there is a potential need for crosswalks, call 240-777-6000 to request additional studies at specific locations.

The process for making the request is outlined on the county’s Web site, www.montgomerycountymd.gov⁄dpwt. Click on ‘‘Traffic and Safety” then on ‘‘Traffic Calming.”

Here’s how it works: Essentially, the department asks that it receive a letter from the president of the community association that specifies what hours of the day speeding seems to be at its worst.

Ultimately, it requires the association’s endorsement and concurrence from the majority of residents to install traffic calming devices.

Q: I work just south of the intersection of Shady Grove Road and Gaither Road in Gaithersburg, and at a minimum, I experience the situation I’m about to describe twice a day.

When heading east on Shady Grove Road in the far right lane and just before turning right onto Gaither Road, the asphalt pavement is rippled and wavy.

This is because there is a bus stop at this location and with the heavier buses and tractor-trailers that brake here for the stop or red light, the asphalt has actually moved or shifted, creating uneven pavement.

When traveling in this lane at the posted speed you actually can catch air in your seat. It’s been like this for years. There really needs to be concrete paving in this area.

Then heading north on Gaither Road at the Shady Grove Road traffic light the same situation exists but on a much smaller scale. This could be just a subgrade issue.

I have noticed that the sidewalks, curb and gutter along this stretch of Shady Grove Road are being improved and replaced.

Is it possible that this intersection is getting ready to be repaved?

Bob Mazzuca, Germantown

A: Hopefully you’ve seen improvement, as the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation recently completed the repaving and restriping of Shady Grove Road between the Interstate 270 bridge and Route 355.

If you have concerns about other county roads (those that are not numbered routes, such as Route 355), you can contact the Department of Public Works and Transportation at 240-777-ROAD (7623) or e-mail highway@montgomerycountymd.gov.

And if it is a state road (those that are numbered routes), you can contact the State Highway Administration at 800-323-MSHA (6742) or go to www.marylandroads.com.

You can also contact one of the three SHA maintenance shops in Montgomery County:

*Fairland Shop, Silver Spring: 301-572-5166

*Kensington Shop: 301-493-8297

*Gaithersburg Shop: 301-948-2477

Q: I live in the Tanglewood development in Silver Spring and enter by turning off of Fairland Road and onto Brahms Avenue. The property that had belonged to Verizon’s Fairland Data Center has had a flurry of sewage pipes and other work done, including moving the telephone poles.

I can’t help but notice that when you turn from Route 29 onto Fairland Road then turn onto Brahms Avenue, there is a major difference in the height of the grading.

The old entrance is at least 6 feet to 8 feet lower than the grading that is being done on the old Fairland Data Center property.

What’s up?

C. Wheeler

A: The work being done there is part of the county’s Fairland Road improvements project, which will ultimately widen Fairland Road from the current two lanes to three lanes for about 7,100 feet between Route 29 and the county line.

In addition to that, the project will include the construction of a 5-foot sidewalk along the north side of the road and an 8-foot bike path along the south side. The project will also include intersection and drainage improvements, streetlights and landscaping.

The project is designed to accommodate a future Route 29-Fairland Road interchange that is being designed by the State Highway Administration. Linking to the interchange requires raising the elevation of Fairland Road near Route 29 to meet the road grades proposed by the State Highway Administration.

The coordination between the county and state will improve traffic flow and reduce the construction time for the interchange project. And it eliminates the need for the administration to remove a portion of the newly constructed Fairland Road to accommodate its project when it moves forward.

Q: The traffic lights on southbound Germantown Road (Route 118) at Middlebrook Road and Wisteria Drive in Germantown have been out of sync for the last couple of months, at least during the 5-6 p.m. hours.

Recently, I was the fourth one at the red light at Middlebrook Road and barely made it through the green light at Wisteria Drive.

Could the timing of these lights be adjusted?

Yiming Bao, Germantown

A: Good thing you wrote in, because it prompted officials with the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation to review the timing at the intersections. What they did was adjust the timing to better coordinate traffic flow. You should have seen an improvement by now.

In closing: Bumper to Bumper would love to revive an old favorite feature called Driving Me Crazy. It’s a chance for you to sound off — in 50 words or less — on what it is in this area that drives you crazy.

I can’t promise to find you an answer. And I certainly can’t promise to fix the craziness. But it’s a chance to air your frustrations.

So send in your grievances, pet peeves and advice on how not to be ‘‘that driver” to bumper@gazette.net.

Bumper to Bumper, a biweekly column dedicated to answering your questions related to transportation issues, is compiled and written by Staff Writer JoAnn Grbach. For past columns, log on to www.gazette.net.