This weekend, several sidewalks were entirely blocked to pedestrians, denying access to citizens and potential patrons of businesses located beyond the blockades.
Regular readers have heard plenty about Fairmont Avenue. But yesterday, sidewalks on both sides of that street were again closed, rendering the street inaccessible to pedestrians. The 7770 Norfolk project continues to block sidewalks around its site, and the recent closure of the sidewalk alongside the Bainbridge Bethesda project continues, as well. On Sunday, the makeshift "pedestrian walkway" along the curb was blocked to wheelchairs and foot traffic alike, with a cone.
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| There's ostensibly a "walkway" ahead for pedestrians on Fairmont Avenue |
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| See the cone ahead near the other ramp? No room for a wheelchair to pass. See the blocked sidewalk across the street? That's the 7700 Norfolk project blockade |
A new offender is the construction site at the former location of the Arlington Road post office. Apparently, a security fence collapsed outwards onto the Arlington Road sidewalk, and either no one bothered to pick it up, or no one is monitoring the site. Pedestrians were walking into oncoming traffic on Arlington Road, rather than crossing at Bethesda Avenue. Of course, with no sign to warn of the closure ahead, few are likely to take the time to do that once they are that far down the block. Drivers coming around the bend have no idea that someone will be in the road.
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| This fence has fallen... and it can't get up |
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| Pedestrians walking into oncoming traffic around a blind curve on Arlington Road on Sunday |
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| No detour sign or warning |
How this dangerous situation is being allowed to continue, is beyond me. If Montgomery County is serious about pedestrian safety, it's well past time to crack down on these violations. This is becoming a complete farce at this point. Is everyone keeping track of when I started reporting on this? Keep keeping track, so we find out how long deadly pedestrian situations are allowed to persist in Montgomery County.
10 comments:
I agree with you on this. Other than talking to Roger Berliner have you reported these conditions to the appropriate Montgomery County department?
The Fairmont Ave conditions have been reported often, but it continues to be a problem.
There needs to be more enforcement and monitoring. The county knows this is a problem, they need to do something.
A formal complaint was filed with the right department, but that person had yet to hear anything back from the county at last check. And obviously, the continuation of the problem indicates no crackdown has occurred.
Why not just move the cone back to its proper place if it bothers you so much? That's what a normal, rational person would do rather than rant about a freakin cone. Or do you honestly expect someone to be hired in order to watch the walkway and make sure people (you or some kid or whatever) don't move a cone?
The developer already built a ramp, posted signs, and blocked off a clear pedestrian path from vehicular traffic. No one could reasonably think this is tantamount to "rendering the street inaccessible to pedestrians." This incessant anti-growth whining is an absolute joke.
If only it was one cone! Problem is that the street has been closed quite often over the past few months. It's well documented.
Don't tell me...Robert (or a kid) knocked blocked the Arlington Road sidewalk all weekend too?
With all of the new development on tap, the county needs to a new sidewalk access policy and enforcement ASAP.
The street isn't closed and the sidewalk isn't blocked. There's a clear and ADA-compliant pedestrian path around the construction. That's what's required by law and that's what a reasonable person expects. I'm sorry that you wish sidewalks were never redone, but that's not reality. People complaining about brick paver installation or having to navigate an out of place cone have too much time on their hands and too few problems in their life. Just learn to enjoy how easy you have it and stfu.
No, I won't STFU. Why are you so invested in proving the street has been accessible? Go back through Robert's reporting over the past few months. Talk with folks who are pedestrians and live/work nearby.
No one is saying the don't want sidewalks re-done with pavers. We need to be smarter as county about the process.
Robert also reported that Arlington Road wasn't accessible for much of the holiday weekend.
8:09 - Do you think people in wheelchairs "enjoy how easy they have it" when the pedestrian path is blocked? The sidewalk on the other side has been entirely closed for months. The pedestrian detour has been repeatedly blocked at times over the last month. "STFU"? That's the kind of attitude that caused me to become an advocate for the disabled years ago. Accessibility doesn't happen when able-bodied people "shut up."
I don't oppose the Bainbridge Bethesda project. How, then, is my report "anti-growth whining?" The street at numerous times has been completely inaccessible to pedestrians. That's not whining, it's just a fact. I understand why the sidewalk has to be closed on the Bainbridge side. I don't understand why the pedestrian detour would be blocked to wheelchair traffic on the July 4th weekend. Or why 7770 Norfolk doesn't have a covered sidewalk on the other side. That's required under county regulations. I don't oppose either project.
I work on East-West Highway across from B-CC high school, and the construction of the new building on Pearl street has caused frequent blocking of the sidewalk on Pearl, Montgomery, and on E-W highway itself. It may not be an especially vibrant part of Bethesda, but at lunch time it's nearly impossible to walk from my office toward Wisconsin. When school was in session, there were high school students walking in a lane of east-west highway because of sidewalks being blocked. It's no treat for people in cars either - every morning a different lane (or lanes) of Montgomery is blocked, resulting in a backup all the way to Bethesda Row when I'm trying to get to work. I can't wait for that stupid building to be done!
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