Resident raises safety concerns over Main Street speed cushions; council notes enforcement and MDOT trial changes

During public comment at the Nov. 3 Sharpsburg Mayor and Council meeting, resident Jennifer Silbert of 215 E. Main Street thanked officials for traffic-calming efforts but told the council that the installation of the speed cushions has created new safety concerns. Silbert said some drivers are traveling in the opposite lane to avoid the cushions and that she had posted video of the behavior on social media and shared it with members of the Mayor and Council, Delegate Wivell, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Sheriff Albert.

Silbert asked the council to post a statement on the town's social media clarifying penalties for motorists who drive around the devices. The meeting record indicates Sheriff Albert delegated direct enforcement coverage to monitor the situation, and MDOT reported it will install two additional speed cushions—one beside each existing device in the opposite lanes—to complete the trial-period safety study.

Councilmember Joseph Kudla earlier suggested exploring a hardwired power option for the existing solar/battery-powered speed devices after a proposed solar upgrade became unavailable; the council did not take a separate vote on a power upgrade during this meeting. Town staff or MDOT will carry out the additional installations and enforcement monitoring as described in the meeting record.

Next steps: the council has received resident video evidence and asked public-safety partners to monitor the trial; any follow-up enforcement actions or further engineering changes would be reported at a future council meeting.