A new traffic circle installed at the intersection of Newport Mill Road, Denfeld Avenue, Wexford Drive and Anderson Road is causing consternation among Kensington residents and school bus drivers alike. Some drivers are unfamiliar with how to safely proceed around the narrow, single-lane circle. School bus drivers have it even worse, with some getting stuck for extended periods trying to navigate the tight circle.
The center island features a "truck apron" that is designed to allow large trucks like buses to travel around the circle, but Montgomery County apparently has not informed school bus drivers of that. At the same time, the apron is an acknowledgement that the traffic circle lane itself is not wide enough for buses to navigate.
Traffic circles are often installed to slow travel speeds, and discourage cut-through traffic in residential neighborhoods. This intersection is an unusual one, where more than two streets intersect.
Some residents of Rock Creek Palisades say the circle is a hazard for buses and emergency vehicles trying to respond to calls quickly. One resident posting on a local listserv wrote that a school bus driver had to disembark from his bus, and seek counsel from nearby pedestrians to help him make it around the circle. Other residents who grew up in countries where roundabouts are commonplace suggested that the circle will be an improvement over the prior conditions, once drivers get the hang of the new rules.
Image via Montgomery County Department of Transportation
"School bus drivers have it even worse, with some getting stuck for extended periods trying to navigate the tight circle."
ReplyDeleteWhat was the longest period of time that a school bus driver got "stuck" there?
That's crazy a bus driver wouldn't recognize or know how to use a truck apron. They need to return to a remedial CDL training class for sure. Weird that you'd blame "Montgomery County" for someone who doesn't know how pavement works, as if the county has some sort of direct line to uneducated drivers.
ReplyDeleteThey've provided curb aprons on the inside of the circle, but the curbs on the exit are tall, square, and already after only a few days show the signs of sidewalling tires. This project was proposed at the 2018 RCPCA meeting as something that would happen a minimum of 5-10 years in the future after thoughtful research and resident feedback. So, of course, 2 years on, stakes and cones appeared with no notice leaving residents to wonder what kind of nonsense they'd end up with.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it is poorly designed.
ReplyDeleteLearning