The 85th percentile for setting speeds should NOT be used in a residential district or anywhere people will be found on foot or bicycle. I agree the streets of Maple Lawn should be designed for traffic calming and the parkways should be narrowed to one lane in each direction, traffic circles also need to be reduced to single lanes. There is no need for this many lanes in or through a residential neighborhood. Why not reduce the lanes or lane widths by replacing them with protected bike lanes? https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7739/17646481539_f04a9b931e_z.jpg

Also see for reference: http://www.copenhagenize.com/2012/11/the-85th-percentile-folly.html

Rebecca G assigned this issue to DPW HWYS Traffic

While this is especially true during the day, you can hear the cars and motorcycles with loud exhaust systems on WEEKEND NIGHTS racing down Maple Lawn Blvd and Tawes Street (back way through community from Johns Hopkins Road by Chick-Fil-A) to get to and from Looney's Pub. You can hear them coming from Route 29, then sure enough... they're racing through the residential districts. Considering we walk with small children between the residential districts and the commercial districts during the day and there are folks out running in the evenings, we have to be hyper vigilant because it is a free-for-all when it comes to cross walks and drivers sharing the road with other legal road users.

Also, what's the deal with some of the intersections (Tawes Street and Trappe Street for example) being a 4-way intersection requiring a stop for only 2 directions, without notification to those with the stop sign that other directions of travel do not have a stop sign and have the right-of-way? Has anyone looked at the FHWA's manual for uniform traffic control devices (MUTCD)? The traffic control in the Maple Lawn community has some serious safety issues and someone is going to get hurt if this continues to go without remedy.

This has been a concern for many residents in the neighborhood. I live off Maplelawn Boulevard and see people doing at least 45 to 60 miles an hour going up that stretch and it is anytime of the day. It especially concerns me with the kids being back in school and more of them being out in the mornings and the afternoons. This has been reported and discussed numerous times. We really need to do something about it and it needs to be addressed.

Thank you for submitting your request to the Howard County Department of Public Works\Traffic Engineering. Our staff will investigate this issue and respond.

Thank you for acknowledging our concerns with the design and safety of our streets. I agree with the points made in previous comments. I would like to add that between the hours of 4:30 and 6:30, speeding is at a peak when local employers release employees. It can be a struggle between driver and pedestrian at the crosswalks near the clubhouse. I use a wheelchair, and even then, some drivers have no regard for the law, and have driven through the crosswalk while I was already in it.

I'd like to suggest that at one of our family days, the police, fire department, and HOA have a safety presentation. I would be willing to help with such a program. Thank you.

People use excessive speed through Maple Lawn at all hours. The danger is real. Please address this as soon as possible.

The speeding down Price Manor (leading up to the Chick-Fil-A is a major safety concern. People drive at excessive speeds everyday and it is an accident waiting to happen. This issue could easily be solved with speed bumps which would make our community much safer.

Thank you for working to make Maple Lawn a safer place. I would love to see intersections with 4 way stops due to extremely poor visibility. More stop signs will also help with speeding. Please drive down Liberty, starting in Midtown, and see the lack of visibility when you get to Iager. It is especially bad on weekends when builders have their signs up. Thanks for listening.

Neighborhood speeding is a persistent problem that the Traffic Division has seen throughout Howard County. The Community Speed Control Program requires that Traffic Division collect speed and volume counts, community participation in the design of speeding countermeasures and consensus (2/3 approval from every residence) from the entire community to approve the plan. Retrofitting existing residential streets to reduce vehicular speeds is an option when persistent problems exist in a residential area. Each community’s problems need to be reviewed individually by the Department and a solution needs to be custom designed to fit the particular situation.

To qualify for speed humps, the roadway in question must be, among other qualifications, a Local Road or Minor Collector, and have residential frontage. Maple Lawn Blvd is classified as a Major Collector in the Transportation Plan 2030. The Zoning is MXD – Mixed Use, not Residential. Maple Lawn Blvd does not qualify for speed humps at this time.

I will review accident records and sight distance at intersections to see if warrants for Multi-way stop signs are met.

The county is developing county-wide bike lane plans. http://bikehoward.com/bike-howard-bicycle-network/ Maple Lawn Blvd is listed for “Mid-Term” improvements. Please contact Yan Zhang from this office for more information. 410-313-2430.

Thank you for reporting your issue/request to the Howard County Department of Public Works. This issue has been addressed and will be closed in Tell HoCo. If you require more information, please contact Department of Public Works Highways office 410-313-2430.