Poolesville board declines speed humps after traffic studies, eyes permanent speed signs

The Poolesville Parks Board reviewed multiple traffic speed studies at its Sept. 10 meeting and recommended non‑hump traffic calming for most contested streets, while asking staff to pursue additional signage and state review for key intersections.

Staff reported that a county speed study on Collier Circle and the Walters area showed average speeds of 18.2 mph on Collier Circle — well below the 25 mph posted limit — and only about 94 vehicle trips per day, a level staff said did not meet the town’s criteria for speed‑hump installation. "Therefore, staff recommends against speed bumps on Collier Circle," a staff member explained during the meeting.

Space Hill Road showed higher volumes and speeds: the study found an average speed of about 25.36 mph, an 85th‑percentile speed near 29.16 mph, and roughly 334 trips per day. Staff said that Poolesville’s speed‑hump policy generally requires the 85th‑percentile speed to exceed the posted limit by roughly 10 mph before humps are considered, and that the Space Hill results did not reach that margin. "Although the 85th percentile speed slightly exceeds the posted limit, it is not enough by policy to warrant speed bumps," staff said.

The board discussed the effect of permanent speed indicators and movable speed signs. Staff cited data showing the permanent sign on Spurer (the school area) produced an average speed of about 15 mph, well under the limit. Board members asked to include a permanent speed‑indicator sign in next year’s budget to create a visual deterrent. One commissioner said, "I think it's worth us trying to look at what we want to do," and another added they would make a motion to request the sign in the budget.

Results at higher‑volume corridors were more mixed. In the Fiser/Fischer corridor, staff reported roughly 3,800 trips per day with average speeds around 22–25 mph and isolated maximums recorded as high as 79 mph in a single sample; Spurer's monitoring showed mostly low speeds but noted an extreme outlier of 90 mph. Board members said those outliers underscore enforcement limits and the need for targeted countermeasures rather than town‑wide hump installations.

The board also reported it has asked the State Highway Administration to study intersections on routes 107 and 109 for potential flashing pedestrian beacons and to evaluate speed limits; the state expected to complete that study by the end of October. Staff said they would continue to evaluate non‑hump options such as additional signage, permanent speed displays and targeted enforcement.

The board did not adopt any speed‑hump installations at the meeting; instead members prioritized signage, further monitoring and working with SHA on intersection warrants and pedestrian beacons. The board asked staff to return with specific budget language for a permanent speed sign and with follow‑up findings from SHA’s study.