Assault reported at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at the campus of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda early Tuesday morning, February 13, 2024. The assault was reported at the school, located at 7100 Whittier Boulevard, at 12:00 AM.

Car stolen from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen car at Walt Whitman High School at 7100 Whittier Boulevard in Bethesda yesterday morning, May 26, 2023. The vehicle was reported stolen from the school's parking lot at 7:02 AM Friday.

Police investigating anti-Semitic vandalism at Walt Whitman HS in Bethesda

Montgomery County police are investigating what the department says is the second incident of anti-Semitic vandalism in Bethesda in the last month (there were two geographic locations involved in the incident last month). An anti-Jewish message was found spray-painted on the signboard outside of Walt Whitman High School at 7100 Whittier Boulevard around 8:04 AM yesterday, Saturday, December 17, 2022. No suspect has been identified yet, police say, but they are in the process of obtaining video or still camera images of any suspects from school or nearby residential surveillance cameras.

Police Chief Marcus Jones

"Acts of hate and bigotry are on the rise across the country and in Montgomery County," Police Chief Marcus Jones said in a statement Saturday. "Anti-Semitism and any forms of hate/bias are not welcome in our community. The Montgomery County Police Department takes these events seriously, has coordinated with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and continues to investigate and identify the person(s) responsible for these incidents. Officers are also actively increasing patrols to include community centers, schools and places of worship throughout the county."

Bannockburn residents support SHA River Rd. plan, but want speed cameras

It was a case of democracy in action last night at Walt Whitman High School. About 250 residents, almost entirely from the Bannockburn neighborhood, turned out to weigh in on the Maryland State Highway Administration's latest proposed fix for the River Road intersection where 3 people died in a horrific crash just over two years ago. It was the largest turnout yet since community leaders began holding meetings to discuss how to improve safety at both the vehicular intersection with Braeburn Parkway and the crosswalk at Pyle Road along River.

The crowd was not fully satisfied with SHA's two-component plan: make the temporary turn restrictions permanent with concrete curbs at Braeburn, and add a pedestrian-activated traffic signal to the crosswalk at Pyle Road. However, there was a strong sentiment that the pursuit of something better shouldn't prevent obtaining the benefits of the SHA project as soon as possible.

Ultimately, after a series of votes, attendees fully endorsed the SHA plan for the Pyle crosswalk signal. They voted down a straight endorsement of the SHA's Braeburn part of the project. Instead, by near-acclimation, the crowd voted for an "enhanced" version of that, which would still have the proposed concrete curbs, but also the designation of that stretch of River as a "school zone," which would permit the use of speed cameras there.

A full traffic signal at Braeburn has been sought by Bannockburn residents for decades, but that idea has lost favor in recent months, with the realization that such a signal might generate more cut-through traffic in Bannockburn. SHA is expected to begin construction of their project later this year.

SHA unveils River Road/Braeburn Pkwy. project at public meeting

The Maryland State Highway Administration uveiled a project designed to improve safety at a Bethesda intersection where 3 members of a Walt Whitman High School family died in 2016 last night, in a public meeting in the school's cafeteria. It will be constructed along River Road at its intersection with Braeburn Parkway, and at a crosswalk just east of there, which aligns with Pyle Road.

There were no surprises at the meeting; if you read my report yesterday, you had all of the information and diagrams shown last night for permanent concrete curb turning lanes at Braeburn Parkway, and a pedestrian-activated traffic signal at the crosswalk. SHA says that, if they go forward with the proposal, the final design could be completed this summer. Construction would begin this fall, and conclude by next summer.

Sneak peek at SHA plan for River Rd./Braeburn Pkwy./Pyle Rd. intersection in Bethesda

SHA to unveil plan

at meeting tonight,

community to hold

their own meeting

April 23, 2018

The Maryland State Highway Administration will hold a meeting tonight, March 29, 2018 at 7:00 PM in the cafeteria at Walt Whitman High School, to unveil a new project proposal to address safety concerns at the intersection of River Road and Braeburn Parkway/Pyle Road. A fatal accident that killed 3 members of a Whitman family brought extra urgency to longtime concerns from surrounding residents and students about the safety of vehicle turns by Whitman students, and students crossing at a crosswalk just east of the intersection.

These preview images show the project that is expected to be revealed tonight by SHA; the meeting will be in an open house format, with displays around the room, and SHA staff to answer questions.

In the plan, the temporary bollards that control turns at the intersection now will be replaced by permanent concrete curbs. Left turns will remain permitted in both directions from River Road. SHA will also make safety improvements at the crosswalk, including a traffic signal that will be activated by pedestrians when crossing. This signal will stop traffic when activated. A similar signal works quite well at Westbard Avenue and Westbard Circle in Bethesda.

It sounds like a good solution in that congested traffic will not be repeatedly held up by a constant light cycle turning red, and pedestrians will have a safe crossing. Flashing warning signs will alert drivers coming up the hill in both directions to prepare to stop at the crosswalk.

While questions and one-on-one feedback will be allowed tonight, community members who have led the safety efforts after the tragic 2016 crash want to make a more formal and organized response to the SHA proposal. They will also compare SHA's plan to the full Pyle Road intersection "Cadillac option" favored by residents at two previous meetings. A community meeting to discuss, and likely vote on, such a response will be held on Monday, April 23, 2018 at 7:00 PM in the auditorium at Whitman.

SHA proposes new project for River Road intersection where 3 died

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan

The Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration are proposing a new traffic safety project for the intersection of River Road and Braeburn Parkway/Pyle Road in Bethesda. Ironically, it was exactly a year ago today that the Whitman and Bannockburn communities met at Walt Whitman High School, to again implore the state to take action.

Three members of a Whitman family were killed in a collision at the intersection on February 27, 2016. The driver who struck their vehicle was inexplicably going 115 MPH, and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter. At last check, SHA was still conducting a $25,000 engineering study on the intersection. Now it appears the Hogan administration is ready to act.

A public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, March 29, 2018 at 7:00 PM (snow date: Thursday, April 5, 2018 at 7:00 PM) in the cafeteria at Whitman, located at 7100 Whittier Boulevard. No details about the proposed project have been made public by the SHA, and I could find no information about it on the Projects page of the SHA website.

According to an SHA announcement, the March 29 meeting will not be a public hearing, and there will be no formal presentation. Instead, displays around the room will show renderings of the "roadway design improvements" being proposed. Community members who attended meetings at Whitman since the accident have overwhelmingly favored adding a traffic signal, ideally at a new intersection just south of the existing one, where a crosswalk is today. An accident at that crosswalk last March was demonstrative of the dangers the unsignaled crossing poses to pedestrians and drivers.

Attendees of the meeting will be able to tour the displays at their own pace, and ask questions of SHA representatives. No RSVP is necessary.

Whitman student found dead near Bannockburn Swimming Club

A Walt Whitman High School student was found dead today near the Bannockburn Swimming Club. Montgomery County police say Navid Nicholas Sepehri, 17, was discovered during a search today after going missing Saturday night, in a wooded area off of the 6500 block of Laverock Lane.

According to a message posted to a neighborhood listserv while Sepehri was missing, he was last seen at the 7-Eleven in Glen Echo around 11:30 PM Saturday. Whitman principal Alan Goodwin has confirmed Sepehri passed away in an email to parents. "We ask that you remember and celebrate his love of art and commitment to others," Goodwin wrote.

Sepehri is the second Whitman student to die in as many weeks. Anyone with information about this case is urged to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.

Progress at River Rd.-Braeburn Pkwy. intersection as Monday crash shows Whitman crosswalk danger

Maryland State Highway Administration workers have made significant progress toward completion of an interim flashing signal solution for the dangerous intersection of River Road and Braeburn Parkway near Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda. Additional poles have been erected, and already the "Braeburn Parkway" street sign is attached to a new signal arm over River Road at the intersection. The backplate of an eventual message sign is installed, as well.

At the crosswalk just east of the intersection, which nearby residents consider just as dangerous as the intersection itself, a street light has been erected. The project is supposed to be completed by the end of March, so they have about 13 hours left. Three people died in an accident at this intersection last year, when their turning Chevrolet Volt was hit by a westbound driver who had been traveling 115 MPH approaching the crossing.

On Monday, I saw the aftermath of the type of accident residents have reported at the crosswalk in the past. Approaching the top of the hill from Goldsboro Road, I saw a three-car crash had occurred in the left lane. A white Mercedes Benz was stopped just short of the crosswalk, and each of the two cars behind it had hit the rear of the vehicle in front of it. It looked as though the driver of the Mercedes had tried to stop for a pedestrian trying to cross River Road.

Just wanted to pass this report along as we await the results of the SHA study for a realigned River Road-Pyle Road intersection.

Whitman community meets again to show support for safety improvements at River Road intersection

Signal poles MD SHA has simply
left on the side of River Road
since last August, a situation
Whitman HS principal Alan Goodwin
last night called, "ridiculous"

A community meeting held at Walt Whitman High School last night showed that public support for safety improvements at the intersection where 3 members of a Whitman family died last year hasn't just persisted, but has grown. While 54 residents attended a June 7, 2016 meeting on the same topic, more than 90 showed up last night - nearly double the turnout a year after the fatal crash on River Road at Braeburn Parkway.

Emotions are still raw in the Whitman community, and some feel the Maryland State Highway Administration has been dragging its feet in implementing interim and permanent safety changes at the intersection. Referencing his candid remarks at a memorial service for the Buarque de Macedo family, Whitman Principal Alan Goodwin recalled, "I said I was sad, but I was mad. And I still am. They still haven't done anything."

"I said I was sad,

but I was mad.

And I still am. They still

haven't done anything"

- Whitman principal

Alan Goodwin

An interim move, installing warning flashers and signage near the intersection, was started by SHA suddenly in late August - and just as quickly, abandoned. "Poles lying in the road since [August]...It's ridiculous," said Goodwin. That interim project mysteriously appeared to restart in recent weeks, with SHA workers spotted surveying the site. Richard Boltuck, the Bannockburn resident who has led the community effort to make the intersection safer, credited Delegate Marc Korman for getting that project moving again.

I have to say that Korman, the only elected official to attend the meeting in person last night, is also the only elected official representing Bethesda to have earned consideration of reelection in 2018. He is regularly in attendance at important community meetings, while other elected officials are either absent or send a staff member. In contrast, I literally have never seen anyone else from the District 16 delegation at a public meeting I've attended since the last election. Councilmember Roger Berliner is usually absent, as well. He and Senator Chris Van Hollen did have staff members representing them at last night's event.

Boltuck was able to report progress on several fronts. The warning flasher project is now expected to be completed by the end of March, four months behind schedule. Second, he has been told an SHA concept study on the community's preferred option - a signaled intersection connecting River Road to Pyle Road on either side where today there is just a crosswalk - will be completed in the next few days. The results will then be reviewed by SHA engineer Anyesha Mookherjee.

Half-installed signal
pole for warning flashers
on side of westbound
River Road

After Mookherjee's analysis is incorporated into the final version of the study, it will be made public in early May, Boltuck said. If the study shows the reconfigured intersection is warranted and viable, Boltuck said, there would be some right-of-way issues to be resolved between the state and any affected property owners. Then an engineering design phase would be necessary before actual construction could take place. While SHA has repeatedly determined the current intersection doesn't warrant a traffic signal, Boltuck said an SHA engineer recently called the River-Pyle realigned intersection "an elegant idea."

Boltuck said his optimism was also boosted by the large turnout at the meeting last night, which was held partly to again remind SHA of the community support for changes. "It's reassuring to see that we have this level of support a year after" the accident, he told attendees at the outset of the evening.

One resident suggested dropping the "Cadillac option" under study now, in favor of putting all political pressure behind adding a traffic signal to the existing intersection, saying an SHA worker at the site had scoffed at the idea that the more expensive plan would ever be approved. Boltuck said that would be counterproductive at this stage, until SHA makes public its determination on the $25,000 study nearing completion.

Should the SHA dismiss the River-Pyle intersection concept, then the community will have to decide on its next move, Boltuck said. He stressed that he and his fellow volunteers would not arbitrarily choose an option, but would come back to the community for a public vote like the one that was held last June.

Three other options the SHA has already told Boltuck are "non-starters," are reducing the speed limit, speed cameras, and declaring that block of River Road a "school zone." Many people have also suggested simply closing off either the rear entrance of Whitman, or the median at the intersection itself. Goodwin dismissed the former idea, saying the school opposes that not only because they don't have the authority to do it, "but also because we don't want to."

Goodwin emphasized unity over division, however. "While we may not all agree on what needs to be done about the intersection, I think we have 100% agreement that something has to be done." He said the current intersection is poorly designed, and that "nobody knows how to navigate it." Goodwin suggested skeptics watch traffic at the intersection in the morning for some "serious entertainment," as students, commuters and school buses frantically interact there.

The popular principal is still emotional about the loss in his school community. "You can tell just by my voice that I feel tense about it," Goodwin said after starting the meeting with a moment of silence for the victims. He exhorted attendees to stay energized in their efforts: "Walk away, please, with your emotions riled up."

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.

River Rd. traffic signal advocates: warning flashers aren't enough for Bethesda intersection where 3 died

The Maryland State Highway Administration made its first public statements Monday on the signals it has begun installing at the intersection of River Road and Braeburn Parkway/Pyle Road in Bethesda. No announcement was made, and no community representatives or politicians were informed, before I broke the story here on this blog Sunday (although I am receiving no credit from other media outlets for the scoop; they apparently became aware of it via ESP, a la Obi Wan Kenobi). Advocates who have asked for a full signalized intersection, potentially relocating it to the current pedestrian path that crosses River at Pyle Road, are disappointed they were not informed prior to the SHA action. Three people died when their car was struck while turning left at the intersection in February.

My reporting that the signal poles installed so far were at a distance appropriate for warning flashers has now been confirmed by the SHA. The signals will consist of flashing warning lights and signage that will be triggered by cars queuing up to turn onto Braeburn Parkway from either the westbound or eastbound side of River. In addition, cars on Braeburn will no longer be able to turn left onto River Road. The cost of the project is estimated at $300,000, according to the SHA.

Advocates for a full traffic signal at the intersection said this is a stopgap measure, and that they hope to continue dialogue with the SHA on a more comprehensive solution. Opponents of a signal, some of which have commented on my original post, say the tragic accident was caused by an isolated incident - the extremely reckless driving of the individual who struck the Whitman-bound Bethesda family, while traveling up to 115 MPH in the westbound lanes before the impact, at which time police say he had braked to 75 MPH. Residents of Bannockburn have been calling for a signal there for decades, but the SHA has heretofore said engineering studies did not justify a signal or other lights, including the type it is now installing.

In an email message to residents of Bannockburn, resident Richard Boltuck wrote that he and other advocates had been in the process of scheduling a next meeting with SHA representatives, when the installation of the lights began without notice this past weekend. The SHA plans now being executed "fall far short of meeting the objectives the community set for itself at the May 24th community meeting, and are in fact half-measures that do not resolve the inherent safety issues with the design of the Braeburn Pkwy. intersection, or the dangers faced by pedestrians in the nearby, unprotected, crosswalk," Boltuck wrote.

However, Boltuck added that he is hearing indirectly from sources that the SHA is not considering this the end of upgrades at the intersection, and will continue dialogue with the community. "The community delegation remains ready to continue meeting with SHA to discuss the more significant improvements needed to achieve as much safety as possible," he wrote.

Interestingly, the SHA website was down all weekend, and part of Monday. The signal installation project still does not appear on the SHA's project map, nor on the official list of SHA projects in Montgomery County, despite apparently receiving $300,000 in funding. And the press release that was issued yesterday is posted nowhere on the website that I can find for review by the public.

MD SHA installing lights at River Rd. intersection where 3 died in Bethesda crash

Updated 6:53 AM August 29: SHA crews worked over the night Saturday, but work on the signals ceased on Sunday; lanes were open again; 3 traffic signal poles that resemble the 2 already installed are now laid out on the grassy median just before the intersection on the westbound side of River Road

The Maryland State Highway Administration is installing traffic lights around the River Road/Pyle Road/Braeburn Parkway intersection where 3 were killed in a horrific crash in February this year. But they haven't announced what they are doing publicly. Instead, a sizable crew has simply shown up at the site this weekend, closed lanes, and begun to install some type of signals. It appears they are aiming to install them in time for the new school year, and are essentially working around the clock to get it done. Many Walt Whitman High School students turn at this intersection to reach the school, just as that Whitman family did the night their vehicle was struck.

So far, two gleaming metal posts identical to those supporting signals at Wilson Lane have been planted. These are some distance from the intersection, and appear to be for warning lights, as opposed to full traffic signals. Workers are digging extensively between the pedestrian crossing east of the intersection and the new pole on the left side of the westbound lanes. The other pole is on the right side of the eastbound lanes, between Orkney Parkway and Braeburn Parkway.

It's interesting that traffic signals of any kind - full, warning or otherwise - were not among the SHA's most recent list of proposals released this Spring. So this is a considerable backtrack by SHA, and comes after a secondary study period this summer.

More intriguing, is that the project neither appears on the SHA projects list, nor has been announced via press release. The only indirect reference by the State of Maryland that even hints this is happening, is on the CHART road closure list. But all that page says by way of explanation for the lane closures this weekend is "signal work - interconnect."

WMATA has temporarily closed the bus stop at Pyle Road for the T2 (Stop number 2001325). A temporary bus stop has been placed 100' down the road. But the agency attributes the closure only to "construction."

A review of social media accounts of elected officials who have championed a traffic signal finds no announcements, either.

Stay tuned for further updates on this "secret" project.

Traffic signal proponents not giving up 3 months after River Road accident that killed 3 (Photos)

Fifty-four residents met in the auditorium at Walt Whitman High School last night, to discuss options for improving safety at an intersection where three died in a February 26 crash. Many were residents of the Bannockburn community, as well as Whitman students and parents. They were joined by Whitman principal Alan Goodwin, Delegate Marc Korman (D-District 16), and representatives from the offices of Congressman Chris Van Hollen and County Councilmember George Leventhal.

Goodwin began the meeting by reflecting on the fact that one of those killed, Thomas Michael Buarque De Macedo, was a senior who should have been crossing the stage at Whitman's graduation ceremony today. He said that with many tragedies, time passes, and people forget, "and we don't want that to happen." Goodwin asked the audience to participate in a moment of silence to remember Thomas, as well as his parents, Michael Buarque De Macedo and Alessandra M. Buarque De Macedo.

Thomas' sister Helena made a "miraculous" physical recovery, Goodwin said, and returned to school after spring break.

Walt Whitman HS
Principal Alan Goodwin
asks for a moment of
silence for the victims
of February's fatal crash

The intersection where the crash took place, River Road at Braeburn Parkway, has been considered unsafe by residents for decades. Some residents had called for a traffic signal there in the past, but were told by the Maryland State Highway Administration that the intersection did not meet the criteria for one.

What measures the SHA has taken to improve safety there, primarily adding paint, have been "inadequate," Goodwin said.

Redoubling their efforts, Bannockburn recently met with SHA engineer Anyesha Mookherjee on April 11, Bannockburn Civic Association Vice President Richard Boltuck said. Mookherjee's intital review concluded once again that the intersection does not meet the criteria for a traffic signal.

Mookherjee has drawn up some non-signal options, which range from closing the intersection at the median altogether, to various turn restrictions that would be regulated by concrete curb dividers in the middle of the intersection.

Boltuck said many want a traffic signal as a fifth option. There is even what Boltuck describes as the "Cadillac option," which would move the entire intersection east to the location of the crosswalk that connects the two pieces of Pyle Road via River Road. Several residents at the meeting said price should be no object.

Map of the area in
question courtesy
Google Maps

Whatever the solution, it needs to be one with wide community support, Boltuck said, which was his reasoning in calling last night's meeting.

A petition started by Whitman junior Melody Lee asking for a traffic signal now has over 4000 signatures. But Mookherjee told signal supporters that a standard traffic light would not have prevented the February collision, unless it had a limited green arrow to prevent left turns against westbound traffic.

Boltuck and Goodwin said closing the intersection altogether is not an option. Boltuck said the SHA has determined that 1/3 of Whitman-related auto traffic reaches or leaves the campus via the River-Braeburn intersection. Goodwin said Whittier Boulevard is already congested around the times the school starts and lets out, as well as during evening activites. Moving all Whitman traffic to Whittier would be "an impractical way to go," Goodwin argued.

The other option would be to route the Braeburn traffic to Whittier via Wilson Lane, Boltuck said.

Total closure was also opposed by some Bannockburn residents in attendance, who say they make turns there to get in and out of their neighborhood, as well as to reach the Capital Beltway. Beth Rogers, a 25-year Bannockburn resident, said she relies on the intersection for 95% of her trips in and out of the neighborhood. "It's important to be able to get out of my neighborhood," Rogers said. "I think we need a light." She said the estimated $6 million dollar cost shouldn't stop the community from asking for one. "We have the leverage now," she said.

With no success in getting a light strictly based on traffic engineering standards, several in attendance said they were counting on political influence to supercede engineering criteria. One resident said he had become friends with former County Councilman Steve Silverman years ago, and lobbied him for a dedicated turn signal at River and Whittier. At the time, around eight years ago, he too was rebuffed by the SHA. But shortly after that, he said, crews suddenly arrived at the intersection one day and installed the new signal.

"It's not magic," he told attendees. "If the right strings are pulled, it can happen very quickly."

"Nobody has more legitimacy...than the group of people in this room right now," Boltuck said. "We have the advantage of legitimacy. At the same time, we have the disadvantage of a lack of consensus."

One resident suggested putting all of the options online in a survey, allowing the greater community to indicate which one they prefer, and thereby show what option has majority support. Rather than hold a meeting, he said, that would get wider participation "in a very formal way. Then we'll know what the community is behind."

Boltuck ultimately decided to take a vote among attendees. By a vast majority, the audience voted to support a traffic signal as the solution. In a second 50-4 vote, they expressed their preference to relocate the intersection east to Pyle Road, which many said would eliminate a second concern with students crossing River Road at an unsignalized crosswalk.

Boltuck said the next step would be to contact the SHA and Councilmember Roger Berliner, to inform them of the preferences of those who attended this meeting.

What's your opinion on whether a traffic signal is needed at this intersection?

SHA rendering of a
closed median at
River and Braeburn Parkway

MD SHA agrees to study now-deadly River Rd. intersection at Pyle Rd./Braeburn Pkwy. (Photos)

About thirty-six hours after three people died at the intersection of River Road and Pyle Road at Braeburn Parkway, the Maryland State Highway Administration agreed to reconsider making safety changes there. The intersection provides secondary access to Walt Whitman High School via an access road that links to Braeburn Parkway.

The SHA said Monday it would perform a thorough study to see if any changes are warranted to improve safety. Thousands in the Bethesda and Walt Whitman communities have signed a petition calling for a traffic signal. Other potential changes could include flashing signals, new turn restrictions, or sealing off the median to prevent cross-traffic turns altogether.

Existing turn restrictions
during school commuting hours

View from the access road
towards River Road

Petition and thoughts on how to make now-deadly River Road/Pyle Road intersection near Whitman safer

The tragic accident that cost three out of four members of a Bethesda family their lives on Saturday night has renewed calls for updating safety at the intersection where the crash happened. Many nearby residents and members of the Walt Whitman High School community have long complained about the potential dangers of the uncontrolled River Road intersection, where many students and others turn in front of 45 MPH traffic onto Pyle Road (or Braeburn Parkway).

Maryland's State Highway Administration was not commenting to media the day after the crash, but the agency has in the past dismissed calls to signalize the intersection. A Change.org petition has been launched to ask them to reconsider the possibility.

The intersection lies not far from another traffic signal, at River and Wilson Lane. During rush hours, cars headed towards the Beltway often back up to the Pyle Road intersection and further east. That can create additional hazards in itself, as drivers cross lanes where some cars may stop, but others continue to approach at speed if their lane has room ahead.

The SHA historically has been very judicious about adding signals, and they often have sound traffic engineering reasons to back up their decisions. If the new signal was correctly timed with the others along River, it potentially could be added without impacting traffic flow, which is already poor during rush hours (although with Montgomery County's poor record on syncing its traffic lights, maybe I'm being too optimistic).

If the SHA denies the request again, it's not the only solution. A second option would be to simply close off the existing turn option, by sealing off the median altogether. If there are emergency vehicle access requirements for Braeburn Parkway, for example, it may be possible to install a mountable median that can be crossed by emergency vehicles only.

The SHA could then examine adding additional left turn capacity from eastbound River to Whittier Boulevard, if more students would be funneled into that far safer turn to get to school.

Does anyone else have additional ideas on how safety could be improved at this River Road/Pyle Road intersection? Add your thoughts in the comment section below:

3 dead in horrific car accident near Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda; Whitman student among those killed

Updated 6:56 AM: Confirmed Helena, who is hospitalized in critical condition, is a sophomore at Whitman

Updated 6:05 AM: The deceased Whitman student's sister Helena, who is hospitalized in critical condition, was or is a Whitman student as well

Updated 5:59 AM:  I've confirmed the teenage fatality, Thomas Michael Buarque De Macedo, was a Walt Whitman High School student

Updated 5:51 AM: Accident victims identified, additional details from police

Updated 1:19 AM: Photos added

At least three people are dead after a horrific auto accident on River Road near Walt Whitman High School. Montgomery County Police have identified the three victims who died as Michael Buarque De Macedo, 52 years old, the driver; Alessandra M. Buarque De Macedo, 53 years old, a rear seat passenger; and Thomas Michael Buarque De Macedo, 18 years old, the front seat passenger.

Helena Buarque De Macedo, a rear seat passenger, was transported to a local trauma center with life threatening injuries. Thomas was a student at Whitman, according to several documents, including a list that indicates he was National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist in the current academic year. Helena's name appears on a Walt Whitman Honor Roll as a sophomore in the current academic year.

Police have not yet confirmed Helena's age, but Whitman principal Alan Goodwin last night stated that a Whitman student was in critical condition. Michael and Alessandra Buarque DeMacedo lived with their son Thomas and daughter Helena in the 7000 block of Loch Lomond Drive in Bethesda, police said.

Goodwin confirmed on his Twitter account last night that a "Whitman family" was in one of the vehicles.

The family was in a grey, 2016 Chevrolet Volt traveling east on River Road Saturday night at approximately 6:56 PM, when the driver attempted to make a left turn onto Pyle Road, police said. At that moment, a blue, 2016 BMW M235, driven by Ogulcan Atakoglu was traveling westbound on River Road. The vehicles collided. Atakoglu, 20, was also transported to a local trauma center with non-life-threatening injuries.

According to a source who spoke to a witness at the scene, the Volt heading eastbound toward the District was making a left turn onto Pyle Road, which leads to Walt Whitman. The vehicle was struck by the BMW before it could complete the turn. The eastbound vehicle ended up in a ditch, and the occupants were trapped, according to the witness.

The witness at the scene said the occupants of the eastbound vehicle may have been en route to a play at Whitman Saturday night.

The Whitman Drama website indicates that there was indeed a play, Noises Off, last evening at Whitman at 7:00 PM.

Police have not indicated who was at fault, but an investigation continues.

Initially, before officers arrived to direct traffic, drivers created their own turnaround using the pedestrian crossing of the River Road median just west of Pyle Road:

SCHOOL RAGE: RESIDENTS QUESTION HIGH-DENSITY WESTBARD PLAN, NEW ES SITES NOT LARGE ENOUGH (PHOTOS)

"This is crazy!"

UPDATED: 12:30 AM, November 16, 2014*

Friday brought one of the most contentious meetings of the Westbard Sector Plan charrette, and not surprisingly, the topic was schools. Current and future public school parents in the Wood Acres-Pyle-Whitman cluster acutely aware of existing overcrowding questioned how Montgomery County planners could recommend a high-density growth plan for Westbard in that context.

Concept 1 - all of the red
structures are new apartment
buildings

Planners released their first projections for total housing units, and students to be generated by the plan, at the meeting. Those numbers were met with skepticism. Under a full build-out of Concept 1, Westbard residents would find 2529 apartments dropped into their community. That would, under the current U.S. census bureau statistic of 2.58 persons per housing unit, bring 6525 new residents (and 4932 additional cars!) to the 153 acres that comprise the Westbard Sector. In other words, 43 people per acre, which is quite a change from the area's single-family-home suburban character.

The Planning Department projection calculated Friday predicts 306 new students, with 153 of them being elementary school students. Those numbers generated some grumbling among the crowd of residents at the meeting. If one has been on Westbard Avenue when the school buses stop there in the morning, you know there are quite a few students coming from those few buildings now. In fact, Park Bethesda alone has 59 students, and Westwood Tower adds 65. Unfortunately, the chart shown did not have the numbers for the Kenwood Place condominium, which is also in the Walt Whitman HS cluster.

Bruce Crispell of MCPS
on the hot seat Friday

MCPS' infamous forecaster Bruce Crispell made a late arrival to the meeting, but tried to generate some numbers more in line with what we've seen in the Westbard area. Crispell's calculator gave him a projection of 750 students, more than double what planners forecast - and equal to the size of the entire Wood Acres ES population, one resident noted. In the context of 6525 people coming under Concept 1, 750 still sounds a bit low.

Under Concept 2, the numbers are lower. From those 1386 units, planners forecast 199 students, with 97 of them being at the elementary level. Crispell's number was 425, again more than double, but still sounding a bit off the mark for 3576 new residents (bringing 2703 cars with them to the community, by the way).

"Why are we building

more housing?"

Clearly, I think MCPS forecasters need to apply a new "Westbard" or "Whitman" factor to their prediction formula. The residential community that surrounds, and is served by, the commercial-retail Westbard area is one of the most desirable in America. Atop the list of Pros that make it so is the Whitman school cluster. When you ask yourself how much do people want to live here, just remember: 30 billionaires are actually willing to pay well over a million dollars, to live in a cramped townhouse in the middle of a contaminated industrial dump off of Little Falls Parkway.

Much has been made of the supposed lone student who has been generated by that unfinished townhome development being the norm for that type of housing. But remember, those homes are in the BCC district, not Whitman. Fair or not, most well-off parents moving here want Whitman. I think one can reasonably expect student generation rates to exceed those of virtually any other community in America.

Map of current schools in
the area; not shown are
several leased to private
schools by MCPS

The other problem? "We're already bursting at the seams," as one parent put it so well yesterday. Community members actually forecast the number of students that would eventually attend Wood Acres better than MCPS did, noted Springfield Civic Association President Phyllis Edelman. Another parent made the excellent point that the county and state can't even fund a new gym at Pyle Middle School, where students now take gym in a hallway - so how can they fund entire new schools? "This is crazy," she said, asking why developers aren't being asked to shoulder more of the burden they are creating.

"We don't want it."

Earlier in the morning, the new president of the Sumner Citizens Association - who moved here six months ago for the schools in the Whitman cluster, said "now I'm thinking, well, shoot, maybe I'm not going to get the benefit of this school system like I thought." Several parents expressed frank opinions that the quality of schools in the Whitman cluster is today being degraded by class size, lack of space and reduced amenities caused by overcrowding. 

One bright spot in both plan concepts is a new elementary school site near Westbard Avenue. There are two problems with that, however. As Rob Snow, a parent and officer with the Springfield Civic Association noted, "ignoring the impact on middle schools and high schools is silly." Crispell said there simply is no room left in the area for a new middle or high school.

"We bought for

Whitman and Pyle."

The other big problem? It turns out that neither proposed school site is big enough. Planners say they are going to pitch a new type of taller, "urban school" to MCPS. But there is no guarantee that MCPS will adopt that, meaning that the promised new school could go unbuilt. Even moving Ridgefield Road eastward won't expand that site large enough to meet the current 7.5 acre MCPS standard for elementary schools. It would seem that reality should be addressed now, and a larger site found before the plan is finalized in April 2015.

Planner Marc DeOcampo stressed that the concepts shown were hypothetical full build-outs, which are unlikely to occur, he said. However, if you apply the "Whitman" factor, my guess is that you'll see developers moving quickly in this area to build once the plan passes, than you would in Wheaton or Long Branch. One has to ask where the impetus for high-density urbanization of Westbard is coming from. Certainly not the residents. DeOcampo concurs, noting that "85-90% of the comments we've heard are, 'Keep it low density.'"

A final hybrid concept with some options will be presented this coming Tuesday night, November 18, at 7:00 PM at Westland Middle School. If you have concerns, this is the time to come out and express them.

* The article was updated to correct the estimated number of vehicles per unit that would be brought to Westbard under Concept 1 and Concept 2, based on the latest statistical data.

SMOOTHIE KING POSTS COMING SOON SIGN AT NEW BETHESDA LOCATION (PHOTOS)

Smoothie King has posted "Coming Soon" signage in a vacant storefront on Bethesda Avenue. The shop will move to the former Zen Tara Tea space at 4710 Bethesda Avenue. Its current Connor Building location will be demolished to make way for a Westin hotel and office complex.

I'm afraid Smoothie King's biggest moment in Bethesda history was not beverage-related. Rather, it was the infamous Smoothie King armed robbery, executed with aplomb by the now-legendary Whitman Five gang. As in Walt Whitman High School. Uno's Pizzeria. A Vera Bradley handbag. And an actual getaway car.

If you're new to Bethesda, it may be an entertaining story for you.

The existing Smoothie King
location at 7720 Wisconsin
Avenue in Bethesda