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Neighbors from both sides of Georgia Avenue attended a community meeting on November 16, 2021, to discuss the intersections of August Drive and Dexter Avenue, following the tragic death of 4-year old Iliana Hernandez in an October car crash at the corner of Georgia and Dexter. Neighbors from McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls (west side of Georgia) and Forest Estates (east side of Georgia) sincerely appreciated the strong turn out from Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), State Highway Administration (SHA), and our state delegation (Del. Al Carr, Del. Emily Shetty, Del. Jared Solomon, Office of Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher). The discussion was productive, positive, and focused on our shared priority of increasing safety along Georgia Avenue for all road users (photo of the meeting attached below).
Some major updates are coming soon, many courtesy of MCPD, who has been a great partner. Speed cameras coming to Georgia Avenue and August Drive New portable speed cameras are approved for Georgia Avenue near August Drive! The determination by MCPD followed a speed study of the area in November, which found:
A large number of cars were recorded exceeding the existing 35 mph speed limit by more than 20 mph (56 mph+).
The maximum recorded speed northbound was 104 mph, and the maximum recorded southbound speed was 119 mph.
The speed cameras will be installed sometime this spring. New signage is now posted on Georgia Avenue stating "Speed Camera Corridor - Photo Enforced." MCPD states that the speed cameras are portable and will be moved as needed and without notice. MCPD states that the County has 300+ approved locations and just 34 portable cameras, although a modest amount of new cameras should be purchased over the next several years. A speed camera is a long requested safety measure and our communities are very happy to finally see this happen. Thank you! We hope that more speed cameras can be added to the county's inventory as soon as possible to increase enforcement of unsafe speeds throughout the county. Lowered speed limit on Georgia Avenue between Wheaton and Silver Spring from 35mph to 30mph Last week, SHA installed new signs on Georgia Avenue between Forest Glen Road and Wheaton lowering the speed limit from 35mph to 30mph. Enormous thanks to SHA for making this critical change! This lower speed limit was recommended by the 2020 Montgomery Hills/Forest Glen Sector Plan. With an existing lowered speed limit in Wheaton and major planned changes in Montgomery Hills, Georgia Avenue can become a calmer, safer road from Wheaton to downtown Silver Spring! August Drive pedestrian interval increased at signalized crossing MCPD stated on November 16th that the timing for this signalized pedestrian crossing increased in early November. Specifically, the solid walk time was increased from 25 seconds to 28 seconds, and includes an additional period for flashing red which adds to the amount of time the red light stays red before it cycles to green.
No red light cameras at this time MCPD is performing a red light study at Georgia and August to determine if a red light camera is justified and indicates that so far the data does not support a camera. However, the study appears to be ongoing and we remain in communication with MCPD on this issue. If you have any comments or concerns, please email traffic@mchkcivic.org and we'll share them with the organizers.
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