I second this concern and request

DPW HWYS Shelley F assigned this issue to DPW HWYS Traffic

A search of 5 years of crashes showed 1 angle crash on High Ridge Road at Church Lane Rd.

For a hump project to begin, a traffic study needs to show Operating speeds equal to or greater than 35MPH and average daily traffic volume of 1200 vehicles per day.

This issue should be escalated and prioritized. Many children walk along this road every day

Per the “one crash” comment— does this mean it takes something terrible to happen before action will be done? I sure hope not. I personally have come within inches of getting hit multiple times, with my children trying to walk to the one section that has sidewalks so my kids can ride/walk safely. I always make them go in a stroller until we get to sidewalks. Many children, families, and pets walk in this neighborhood for exercise, to the playground, and to attend school on high Ridge.

I understand that there are guidelines for speed bumps, but it only takes one car out of 1,200 to hit a child. Who will have to sacrifice their family in order for this to be taken seriously?

To add to what everyone else has stated, speeding in this area is so out of control that my family along with several others are too scared to even walk down High Ridge to take advantage of the Arts Center. Now that my children are too big for strollers I do not feel safe allowing them to walk beside me on the road let alone ride their bikes. I’ve had far too many close calls where I’ve had to scream at my kids to run into someone’s yard or suddenly pull them off the road as a car comes around the bend or barreling down the hill to avoid us getting hit. I feel strongly that the only reason there haven’t been more accidents is because the people who live here are too terrified to be on the road. I’d also like to know whether the multiple mailboxes run over on High Ridge are accounted for this 5 year search.

Only crashes reported in the "State of Maryland Vehicle Crash Report" system were included in the 5-year study.

The crashes represented in this system are of a very narrow scope and should not be used to deny implementing speed bumps in this area. It only takes one crash to kill a kid.

Just install 2 speed bumps...

I did file a non witness police report when a car drove into incoming traffic(tire marks on the road) took out our mailbox, drove through our front yard and scraped up a tree. I suppose it doesn’t count as a crash if they don’t stop? If they hit a person next time won’t that be considered a hit and run? Again, which kid will pay the price? This neighborhood has changed so much in the last 5 years. There are so many young children and our roads are not safe.

The officer should have classified that as a hit and run and done an ACRS which is a full accident report. This would show up in the reporting system

I have personally had to jump off the road and push my stroller into the grass to avoid getting hit by cars on multiple occasions. I know many other families have done the same-- some so many times they now no longer walk their children to the playground. Just because there are not enough official, documented accidents, this is a very dangerous street. I hope it doesn't take a "documented" injury or death to allow speed bumps.

August 2016

I agree that speed humps are necessary. And I think the excessive speed should be justification enough, not the quantity of cars. The other thing to consider is that while I love the art center, it does bring in a lot of traffic and people cut through the neighborhood... just something else to consider. I live on a corner lot and can watch the cars speed on the straightaway at Rosemar without any hesitation even when they see pedestrians!! Please help us make our neighborhood safer.

Speed/Volume study ordered.

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

I reported via the “dead animal” option but did want to add here as well- a deer was hit and left in my yard last night. Very sad to see a dead animal, but grateful it wasn’t a person!

You would think that on the first day of school people would drive cautiously. Unfortunately, that was not the case. While some people did slow down when they saw my family waiting for the bus, most did not. They sped right by, distracted ON THEIR PHONES.

This is a serious problem throughout the entire neighborhood.It would not take long for a police officer to pull someone over for speeding through our neighborhood.
I live on Church Lane and there is constant speeding from 30,40,50 and sometimes 60mph as well as cutting through our neighborhood.
The speed limit for most of this neighborhood is 25mph.

So there is that issue with speeding

The next issue related to speeding is how much traffic cuts through the neighborhood.

I have had cars follow me all the way from the neighborhood after getting off of 40 that just just use our neighborhood as a race track and cut through.
I know because I get off of 40 onto to Tyson and they follow me all the way through the neighborhood down to Rogers.
It often ends in them passing me on the opposite side of the road because they don't like that I'm doing 15 in my own neighborhood.
It should not take someone dying from carelessness for this to become an important issue.
We appreciate your help with this.

SPEED STUDY RESULTS
8519 High Ridge Road - 9/11 to 9/12/2019

East Bound
Avg Speed = 24 MPH
Operating Speed (85th%ile) = 31 MPH
#Exceeding 35MPH = 11 per Day
Traffic Volume = 366 Veh per Day

West Bound
Avg Speed = 24 MPH
Operating Speed (85th%ile) = 33 MPH
#Exceeding 35MPH = 116 per Day
Traffic Volume = 734 Veh per Day

Total Traffic Volume = 1100 Veh per Day

What was the top speed?

116 vehicles per day exceeding the speed limit by 10+ MPH is outrageous

High Ridge Road does not meet the minimums required to start a speed hump project.

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