Meeting tonight re: safety improvements at River Rd. intersection where 3 died last year

A meeting will be held at 7:00 PM tonight, March 8, 2017, in the auditorium at Walt Whitman High School at 7100 Whittier Boulevard in Bethesda, to discuss potential safety improvements at the intersection of River Road and Braeburn Parkway. Three members of a Whitman family were killed when a westbound driver approaching at extreme speeds struck their vehicle as it attempted to turn left across the westbound lanes last year.

Community members seeking ways to make the intersection safer have been frustrated by the slow-moving process at the state level. Maryland State Highway Administration crews started, and then abruptly stopped, installing warning flashers near the intersection late last summer. Many felt warning lights were not sufficient, and have called for a traffic signal and realignment of the intersection with Braeburn Parkway and Pyle Road. Pedestrian crossing of River Road is an equal concern. A vote taken at a previous meeting found a majority of attendees supporting these ideas.

The SHA's public statements have so far stated a full traffic signal is not warranted. Others in the community have suggested simply closing the rear entrance to Whitman and/or banning turns at the intersection, believing the guarantee of safety for students and others would outweigh the minor inconvenience. However, some Bannockburn residents have pointed out that they need to make turns there to get in and out of their neighborhood, likely making closing the Whitman entrance the more viable option of the latter two.

Whatever your position or ideas, it is a good idea to attend tonight's meeting to make your opinion heard, or introduce further suggestions no one has considered yet.