County Improves Safety For Middle School Children

Header--Montgomery County, Maryland. Press Releases

eb/argyle.pr 99-444

Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530
Scott Wainwright, 240-777-2190

For Immediate Release (December 22, 1999)

COUNTY IMPROVES SAFETY FOR
MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today joined School Board President Patricia B. O'Neill, Argyle Middle School Principal Dr. Judith Docca, Argyle Middle School PTSA Board Member Marci Szymanski, and Argyle Middle School 7th Grader Noel Kendall to install flashing signs that establish a designated school zone for Argyle Middle School and warn drivers to obey the speed limit. A traffic study for Bel Pre Road completed this fall found that 85 percent of the drivers were travelling an average of 13 mph above the 35 mph speed limit.

"We are proud of the County's responsiveness to community and neighborhood needs," said Duncan. "When notified by the schools of safety concerns, it is our policy to immediately initiate a traffic study that will tell us what measures are required to improve safety. The protection of our children comes first, and in addition to installing the new signs, we are working aggressively with the Police to make sure drivers slow down when approaching the middle school."

Effective October 1, 1999, Maryland law provides for the doubling of fines for speeding in a designated school zone. The flashing signs installed for Argyle Middle School reflect this designation, and read, "School - Speed Limit 25 When Flashing" and "Fines Doubled/When Flashing." The signs are located at the intersection of Bel Pre Road and Rippling Brook Drive for eastbound traffic and west of the intersection of Bel Pre Road and Layhill Road for westbound traffic.

The County is adopting use of solar technology for school warning signs as an environmentally responsible way to provide low-cost and low maintenance flashers. Solar technology generates the power used to operate the flashing warning lights. Two batteries store enough energy to supply the lights with power for up to 28 days. No back-up power source is required. Solar-powered warning signals are particularly applicable for school zones that only need activation during limited times of the day. A timer on the lights is preset to turn the flashing lights on when children are arriving or leaving school.

Students who walk to and from school use the available sidewalks along Bel Pre Road. A marked crosswalk with a pedestrian refuge island is located on Bel Pre Road between North Gate Drive and Rippling Brook Drive. In addition, two marked crosswalks with pedestrian signals are located at the intersection of Bel Pre Road and Parker Farm Road. According to Montgomery County Public Schools, about 250 students walk to school, and more than 100 students must cross Bel Pre Road to reach the school.

For more information, call Scott Wainwright at 240-777-2190.

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