Whom to talk to about this? State highway, Tom Hucker, Hans Reimer,
District 20 delegation to the state legislature.
On Sun, Oct 17, 2021 at 11:04 PM Anne Burson <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
These arguments probably ought to take place with actual countyMilford H. Sprecher
decision-makers rather than amongst ourselves. That said, I just want to
clarify my point. Forcing traffic to back up along Piney Branch even more
than it already was is not a solution that anyone likes. I'm not convinced
that a stop light would be better than a stop sign in that regard, and it
would still make pedestrians wait. A flashing crosswalk would only be used
when needed, allowing traffic to essentially go back to being like it was
pre-pandemic. If you don't want to touch the button, that's your choice.
(And there's always elbows, gloves, and knuckles you can use.) If you
don't want to beg, think of it as a demand instead. But making every car
stop, even when there are no pedestrians or cross traffic is unfair and
causes frustration.
Again, the real question is, who do we talk to about our concerns?
Respectfully,
Anne
On Sunday, October 17, 2021, 05:56:52 PM EDT, laserblast <
dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
No one in this COVID0era wants to touch "beg buttons" -- that is why SHA
and McDOT turned most all of these off during the pandemic at the urging of
public safety folks -- let's not go backwards on this now.
Further, the few beg buttons we do still have "on" in our area are like
the "close" buttons in elevators = basically nonfunctional and there to
distract/make you feel better during your wait. So everyone trying to cross
at an intersection is now trained to ignore them as essentially useless.
That is a dangerous thing when some beg buttons are tied to allow crossing,
but most all are not.
- Kathy
-----Original Message-----
From: Edward Drozd <edwardmdrozd@xxxxxxxxx>
To: north-takoma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, Oct 16, 2021 1:39 pm
Subject: [north-takoma] Re: New stop sign causing traffic jams
It's been called a "beg button" because, if the pedestrian does not press
it, they do not get a signal that stops traffic for them to cross.
If pedestrians have the right of way at a crosswalk, why do they need to
press a button to get a signal that protects them?
Even without that 4-way stop, in the "before times" northbound traffic on
Piney Branch Road would back up a lot in the afternoon rush. I'm sure there
could be timing on a regular traffic signal that would not cause much of an
inconvenience to drivers.
I drive through that intersection, as I imagine many on this listserv do.
But I think a small inconvenience to drivers (yes, a regular traffic light
is a small inconvenience if the green for Piney Branch is 60-75 or so
seconds long) is worth an improvement in convenience and safety for drivers.
--
