Objective:

The objective of this petition is to create safer roadways by convincing Maryland State Highway Administration, District 3, that the intersection of Rockville Pike (MD-355) and Veirs Mill Road (MD-586) need proper signage indicating to drivers that they are going the WRONG WAY. 

Short story:

Please sign this petition if you agree that this intersection is confusing, could benefit from proper wrong way signs and that the roads need to be re-painted.

Informative story:

Rockville is a city located just outside of Washington, D.C. As of July 2017, it is home to 68,401 people (United States Census), making it one of the largest cities in Maryland and the DMV area. Of the 68,000+ people, 35.5% of this population are foreign-born persons (ibid.). The city of Rockville is fortunate to house so many Rockville natives, residents from other states and residents born in other countries. Its location is prime for Ambassadors, Diplomats, and Foreign Government Officials to call home, as it is in such close proximity to the embassies. Additionally, it provides an attractive option for our transient community in the DMV area.

What we need:

According to TAPCO, proper wrong way signs can reduce wrong-way events by 38%:

https://www.tapconet.com/solar-led-division/wrong-way-warning-detection-and-alert-system

If you've ever accidentally driven on the wrong side of the road, it is terrifying. Not only could you lose your life, but you are putting other lives in danger, too. By implementing a WRONG WAY sign at this intersection, it can be argued that drivers will understand that this lane is LEFT ONLY. If by doing this we save even one life, then it is worth it. While this intersection can look clear in photos during the day, it is important to remember it is harder to see at night, while it's raining, snowing, sleeting, and foggy. Additionally, there are WRONG WAY signs at other points of this intersection, but not on these two lanes. This intersection needs to be uniform in its signs. 

Who is on our side with a solution:

Marisa's Way is an organization based out of Parkland, Florida that works day and night to prevent wrong-way drivers in the state of Florida. Here is a message from their CEO, Gary Catronio, about the situation,

"This is a continuing problem on our roadways across this country. After studying problematic roads, intersection and exit ramps we found the Tapco early warning system was the best option. I have a real working sign I use in my assemblies and used to take to the FDOT both city and Highways. After our meetings we headed to Tallahassee to lobby on the capitol steps where in weeks to come we received a phone that the FDOT approved a $400,000 pilot program in south Florida and now in other areas of the state as well has turned around 42 out of 43 wrong way drivers."

Please click on the link to my Marisa's Way website and play the Tapco video:

http://www.marisasway.org/media--videos---page-2

Process to get a road sign at this intersection:

While it is the responsibility of drivers coming to this area to learn the law; Maryland State Highway Administration is responsible for proper road signs at this intersection. When a concerned resident requests a road sign, they submit a service request on this link:

http://marylandsha.force.com/customercare/request_for_service

Once you submit the request, Maryland SHA takes 45 days to conduct a study and reach a decision about whether or not they will grant the request.

Why we need a petition:

The first service request, SR-0369954, was submitted on December 4, 2018. The person who submitted this request follow up with the team leader, on December 11, 2018. He said that is was the first time it came across his desk and would speak to the engineers. On January 4, 2019, the person who submitted the request reached out to the District 3 office and was informed that the request had been forwarded to the wrong department and that the 45-day study would start on January 4, 2019, instead of December 4, 2018. On January 28, 2019, the person who submitted the request spoke to Robert Owolabi, again, and he informed her that it would be now be a 30-day study starting as of today (January 28, 2019). This is unacceptable. Every day that this office waits to conduct the study and put up a sign, our community risks another collision or worse, the loss of a life. 

Not only has this request been forward to the wrong department and continually pushed off; but after the study is conducted there is still a chance that Maryland SHA will decide that a sign is not necessary. However, it is my recommendation that a wrong way sign needs to be implemented into this intersection. By doing so, we can  prevent wrong-way drivers, accidents, and save as many lives as possible.

Call to action:

Please sign this petition so that Maryland State Highway Administration will see it and start to take action. Please feel free to reach out to District 3 at SHAD3TrafficTeam@sha.state.md.us or 301-513-7300 and express your concern. You may use SR-0369954 as a reference.