UPDATE - 3:24 PM: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation now also has a crew at the scene to replace the damaged pole and crossing signals. They are coordinating with Pepco.
An SUV left the road in a collision around noon today at the intersection of Bethesda Avenue and Woodmont Avenue in the Bethesda Row area. It crashed into a utility pole, causing damage to Pepco equipment. A bike crossing signal was toppled, and the Bethesda Urban Partnership information kiosk was sent flying, scattering visitor brochures over the sidewalk and Purple Line construction entrance.
Pepco is on-scene to make repairs to their equipment. Airbags deployed on the SUV, but Montgomery County police say there are no injuries to report from the crash at this time. Police advise avoiding the intersection for now, as Bethesda Avenue is closed between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenue for cleanup and accident investigation.
Pepco is on-scene to make repairs to their equipment. Airbags deployed on the SUV, but Montgomery County police say there are no injuries to report from the crash at this time. Police advise avoiding the intersection for now, as Bethesda Avenue is closed between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenue for cleanup and accident investigation.
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| Bike crossing signal toppled |
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| Brochures scattered around the damaged Bethesda Urban Partnership kiosk |
14 comments:
Sucks that taxpayers have to pick up the tab and our insurance rates keep going up from these incompetent idiots, but at least no people or trees were hurt this time.
Don't be so quick to judge, 1:31--one of those drivers might have had some sort of medical emergency.
Thank you, Robert, for leaving the SUV's license plate out of the photos.
If you're "at risk", or "have a history of difficulties" you shouldn't be behind the wheel in this day & age. I'd be very surprised if the cause of this was a myocardial infarction on an otherwise 100% healthy individual... Speed, error, inattentive, bad judgement, distracted or simply another non-driver is most likely the culprit. If you can prove otherwise later here on this forum, I will amend my statement, otherwise read between the lines.
Two takeaways: that convoluted labyrinth does nothing (but create edgetraps and dangerous and abrupt level changes), and 2, separated bike lanes (big enough for pedestrians) make good sense.
Extra points for using "myocardial infarction," 6:54, but you're still just speculating ("I'd be very surprised"; "most likely").
It's not incumbent on 2:32 to prove anything, to you or anyone else; and not of any particular moment to anyone whether you "amend your statement" or not.
@ 10:41pm, if you think that uncomplicated intersection is a "convoluted labyrinth" then I hope with all my might you never drive a vehicle in cities like Boston where it's all curves, or never go through a construction zone.
The driver involved in this incident clearly hit the curb at a perpendicular angle - not some just-barely clip caused by a tricky turn in confusing circumstances as you suggested. There clearly was something else at play that was independent of what are some very straightforward bike lanes and curbs. To suggest they does "nothing" other than confuse drivers is also a puzzling statement considering their very nature is protection of cyclists and pedestrians.
Does the car not cross into other 'lanes' regardless of cause? We already have our share of 'ghost bikes' Do you need me to enumerate them? What should pedestrians get as a memorial?
9:21, I'm betting you've really never seen that weird convoluted mess.
A driver did all these things. Not an SUV. We need better reporting on traffic incidents that stops depersonalizing the people responsible. A driver did this.
@9:51 - You'd find driving down Lombard Street in San Francisco convoluted given the number of switchbacks you'd be forced to make. Advice, take Uber.
7:00: I generally do adhere to the new standard of "driver" in headlines and articles, but the police had not provided any details, while referring to a "collision" as the reason for the SUV having jumped the curb. I felt it was unfair to the driver of the SUV to state that they were responsible for the vehicle leaving the roadway, if another vehicle had forced them in that direction. If this is confirmed as a one-vehicle crash, then I would concur with the "driver" terminology, unless a medical episode was to blame.
Robert, thanks for this blog and thanks for your journalistic integrity, it's pretty rare nowadays.
Hard enough to deploy airbags Einstein
And fast enough to deploy airbags.
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