"...a previously unreported traffic incident has come to light. Now, a third student has been injured near school grounds..."

 

After-school pedestrian safety under scrutiny after death and multiple child injuries

Since the October 2025 death of 11-year-old sixth-grader Summer Lim, near Earle B. Wood Middle School in Rockville, a previously unreported traffic incident has come to light. Now, a third student has been injured near school grounds. Are two new stop signs enough to keep our children safe? MCM News asked a traffic safety expert to provide insights...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/after-school-safety-its-complicated/

Traffic Study for the new Woodward High School on Old Georgetown Road

 Parents' Coalition has obtained the traffic study that was completed for the new Woodward High School, now being constructed on the east side of Old Georgetown Road. The study was completed in 2020. The data are from before the operation of the expanded Luxmanor Elementary School and the Tilden Middle School/Rock Terrace co-located schools and so are out of date. One of the conclusions nevertheless is that the intersection of Tuckerman Lane and Old Georgetown Road will fail, i.e., will be 'unacceptable' during "...the morning peak hour..." (page 19 of the report). Read the study here.

Woodward High School Traffic Study-3 by freestategal on Scribd

Traffic troubles in Montgomery County as more parents drive kids to school

 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Police say it’s a perfect storm. A new school year, a bus driver shortage and more parents driving their kids due to COVID-19 has caused a traffic nightmare around some Montgomery County schools...

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/traffic-troubles-in-montgomery-county-as-more-parents-drive-kids-to-school

Montgomery Co. Planning Dept Report: Congested Roads

http://www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/agenda/2017/documents/2017MobilityAssessmentStaffReport.pdf

Proposed School Boundary Area for McKenney Hills Elem. School Site

Here is the Proposed School Boundary Area for the McKenney Hills Elementary School/DCC#29 site that was used to calculate the Traffic Study posted here.


This is the type of information that can be found in the Exhibits to a Traffic Study for new school construction. 


Do parents and community members get to see this information before a new school construction project is approved by the Board of Education or the Montgomery County Planning Board? Only if they ask for it. 
Proposed Boundary for McKenney Hills School

326 Trips Past Your House Soon? Would You Want to Know?

If a new school building was coming to your neighborhood would you want to know what kind of traffic the new building would generate? What if the new building was going to be 3 times the size of the previous school building?  


Would you want to know that in the morning there could be 326 trips past your home when the new school opens? 


A Traffic Study analyzes the possible increases in traffic surrounding a new public school and is part of the MNCPPC planning process for school construction projects. If you live in Montgomery County you should know that the MCPS meetings with the Community, and the Board of Education vote to approve school construction can all take place BEFORE the release of the Traffic Study. 


There is no guarantee in the MCPS or County planning processes that neighbors to a school under construction will be shown the Traffic Study prior to the approval of the construction. 


If you live in the McKenney Hills neighborhood, or around the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road in Silver Spring, here is what is coming to your area with the new school at the McKenney Hills School site.  See the March 3, 2010 Traffic Study below.


But it's just about too late for you to comment! The Board of Education approved the school on February 17, 2010 (the month before the Traffic Study was completed),  and the Montgomery County Planning Board will review the project in 4 days on October 28, 2010.

McKenney Hills Traffic Study

Happy 20th Anniversary to the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990

This week is the 20th Anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that ensures that our children and those of us with disabilities have the same access and rights to programs and services as every other citizen in the land. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. President George H.W. Bush signed the act into law on July 26, 1990.

According to Wikipedia, Title II of the Law prohibits disability discrimination by all public entities at the local and state level. This includes of course, schools; playgrounds; stadiums; parks where our children play; libraries; community centers; in fact, all county government facilities. The law covers access to all programs and services. The law also covers public transportation.

And, the law covers the traffic signalization at the streets our children must cross to get to school, and to walk in our county. Interestingly, Montgomery County does not comply with the law regarding traffic signalization. Traffic lights in the county are currently set at a standard of a pedestrian crossing a street at four feet per second. However, ADA standards are 3 to 3.5 feet per second. When your blogger recently asked when the county was planning to comply with the law (which, of course is now 20 years old), Montgomery County Department of Transportation (DOT) staff told me studies would have to be completed before that could happen.

As a reminder, County Executive Ike Leggett is in charge of the DOT, which falls under the county executive’s purview. To remind Mr. Leggett that Montgomery County should follow the law of the land, please email him here. Ask him when Montgomery County is planning to comply with the ADA. Tell him to stop discriminating against people with disabilities.