At the December 19 Greenbelt Homes, Inc. (GHI) board meeting, the City of Greenbelt Traffic Calming Study was again on the agenda. A general tone, although not unanimous, was that the board was not in favor of the proposals in the Traffic Calming Study. It was on the agenda of the December 5 meeting but was only briefly touched on due to the lateness of the meeting (see article in the December 12 issue). At this meeting, there were many more comments from the board, and it was decided that Board President Stefan Brodd would draft a general response to the city. Individual board members and other GHI members were also encouraged to send their thoughts to the city.
Board Member Chuck Hess indicated that GHI cannot afford to lose parking spaces. Board Member Nancy Boyd concurred saying that many courts do not have sufficient spaces and rely on street parking.
Board Vice President Debbie McKinley felt strongly that the details provided in the report do not seem to be backed up with data. She mentioned that the University of Maryland buses, for example, were not included in some counts of vehicles. Moving some bus stops and spaces might require changes to storm drains and catch basins which might not be accounted for in financial estimates. Also, the study was conducted over only a three-day period which might not be representative.
Board Member Ed James commented that the original issue for the study was to slow down vehicles. Then the city seemed to add on other topics. GHI member Paul Kapfer stated that the study seemed like a project looking for a problem. GHI member Phil Larkin disagreed about the need for additional parking spaces. He thinks that 30 percent of garages that are slated for “car housing only” are really being used for storage. He would like to see management check on garage usage.
GHI Audit Committee Member Stephen Holland indicated that Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) bus changes are going into effect in the new year and will affect the city. One issue in the plan discusses moving bus stops and he felt that the proposed moves might not take into account the WMATA changes. He wants to ensure that the city takes into account both the calming study and the WMATA changes.
There were a number of comments on the area of Ridge Road between GHI offices and Greenbelt Elementary. It was stated that some neighbors refer to the street as Ridge Road Raceway. There was a comment about vehicles going fast coming up to the school. Another thought was that the speed limit might be decreased near the intersection of Ridge Road and Hamilton Place. Also mentioned was the number of GHI work and other vehicles that use the intersection, as well as curves in the road near there.
The entire draft Traffic Calming Report can be found at greenbeltmd.gov/government/planning-community-development/publications/traffic-calming-study. Members are encouraged to read the study and drive the locations. GHI will be sending a letter from the board, but individual members are encouraged to submit comments to GHI and/or the city by early January.