Five Pedestrian, Bicyclist Deaths: What Must Be Done?

A 23-year-old man died after a car struck his bicycle in downtown Silver Spring Sunday, the latest casualty in a series of collisions that have unsettled Montgomery County residents.

Since Jan. 22, four pedestrians — and now a cyclist — have died in Silver Spring and Aspen Hill. Three were killed while crossing the road, another while she stood on the sidewalk. 

At least two others were injured. One did not appear to have major injuries, but another went to the hospital in serious condition.

Ken Silverman, an analyst for Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro, has created a map showing the locations of five of these collisions.

Silverman says that Montgomery County police should "aggressively ticket drivers who speed or fail to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks, and should focus these efforts in the areas of the county where there have been an unusual number of pedestrian accidents."

Wheaton blogger Avocado agrees: "We need some speed limit enforcement on Georgia at least from Silver Spring downtown north through Aspen Hill. Drivers should also be pulled over and cited by police for not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks."

One Patch commenter wrote the following: "Pedestrians almost always choose the shortest routes to their destination. This is well-known. It's time to stop trying to re-engineer human behavior and start re-engineering our streets so that pedestrians can use them safely." 

After three pedestrians were fatally hit by cars in Montgomery County in just three weeks in January and February, Patch asked readers for their thoughts on safety.

Anne B responded with this comment: "Drivers need to slow down and be aware of pedestrians, but pedestrians should take the extra minute or two to walk to a designated crosswalk where there is a traffic light. And the county needs to do more to improve crosswalks for pedestrians, especially in areas like Aspen Hill and Wheaton which are often overlooked as the more affluent areas get safety improvements."

What do you think? How can Montgomery County improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety? Tell us in the comments.