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Hyattsville leaders press SHA to extend pedestrian safety study after local fatalities
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Summary
Local officials and residents urged the committee to expand Maryland State Highway Administration's Pedestrian Safety Action Plan along MD‑410 to include a half‑mile gap between Queens Chapel Road and Baltimore Avenue after multiple injury and fatal crashes; sponsors said SHA cited cost estimates and the committee discussed phased implementation.
Senator Alonzo Washington asked the committee to extend the State Highway Administration's Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) for MD‑410 to include the half‑mile segment between Queens Chapel Road and Baltimore Avenue. "If we're gonna do the work, let's do the complete work," the senator said, urging SHA to include the missing segment so residents can safely walk to transit and businesses.
Hyattsville Police Chief Jared Towers testified in support, citing poor lighting, inconsistent crossings, wide travel lanes and two fatalities in recent years on the corridor. "This corridor requires focused, intentional safety planning," he said. Council member Danny Schaible and local residents presented crash counts and normalized per‑mile injury and fatality rates to show the excluded segment's safety performance is comparable to the existing PSAP area.
Residents said children cannot safely walk to nearby school or library without additional crossings; one parent said current design forces elementary‑age children onto bus service. SHA had estimated a $5,000,000 cost for full implementation in committee discussion; sponsors and witnesses said phased design and lower‑cost countermeasures can address immediate safety gaps.
What happens next: Committee members expressed support for the expansion and asked SHA and sponsors to refine scope and phased cost estimates for staff review and possible amendment.
