One of the two pedestrian crosswalk signals at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Cordell Avenue in Bethesda is out-of-service less than a year after it was activated by the Maryland State Highway Administration. The signal control box at the northeast corner of the intersection has been crudely covered over with a flattened shipping box and yellow tape. In terms of pedestrian safety, results of the signals have been mixed, as many drivers simply ignore the yellow flashing lights. It's also worth noting that the SHA has yet to repaint the faded crosswalk, which is almost entirely worn off on the northbound lanes, a failure that isn't helping matters.
This is one of the most dangerous crossings in downtown Bethesda (with or without that signal activated). Cars ignore the flashing lights, and I've personally had drivers yell at me for crossing... even with the lights activated.
ReplyDeleteQuality workmanship/components are a thing of the past it seems.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that some aggrieved driver sabotaged it-- or perhaps that a pedestrian, seeing how dangerous this arrangement is, did. (Doesn't explain why the other one's still working, though.)
ReplyDeleteI walk and drive that stretch of road. The problem is folks trying to beat the Arilngton Road light. It only turns green once. So I look, if it's green then I don't step out. That's just rude to my way of thinking. I can wait until traffic backs up at the light. So many traffic problems are easily solved by nobody claiming the right of way.
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