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Council asks staff to review stop-sign policy and study safety at Stony Brook/Superior after resident complaints
Summary
After repeated resident complaints about speeding and near-misses, Bowie councilmembers asked staff to review the city's traffic-calming policy and to study the Stony Brook Drive and Superior Road intersection. Council directed public-works staff to return with engineering analysis and said striping work will resume in March.
Councilmembers on Feb. 3 discussed neighborhood traffic-calming options and asked staff to review the city's stop-sign and traffic-management policy in light of recurring speeding complaints.
Councilman Esteb said the council is "grasping for anything we can do to show residents that we're listening and to try and solve the problem, even minimally," noting residents often feel traffic-safety tools other than speed humps (for example, stop signs, striping, temporary measures) are preferable. Council members identified a set of priority locations, including the three-way intersection of Stony Brook Drive and Superior Road, where residents reported repeated dangerous incidents and property damage.
City Manager and public-works staff asked traffic-engineering director Dr. Hahn to perform a study of the Stony Brook/Superior intersection and to return with the engineering analysis. Staff also told the council that striping work, constrained by cold weather, will resume in March (painting and pavement markings typically proceed when temperatures are reliably above about 55'F).
Members indicated two parallel aims: (1) evaluate whether city policy thresholds should be adjusted to better reflect Bowie's local context and (2) respond quickly in high-risk locations where residents report accidents, near-misses or vehicle encroachment into yards. Councilman Brady emphasized that a careful engineering study helps the city avoid legal liability and recommended any policy change be documented with objective criteria.
Ending: Staff agreed to bring back a policy-review memo and study results for the Stony Brook/Superior location; councilmembers asked for the broader striping status report in March so the dais can prioritize future traffic-calming interventions.
