The people of Mayfield Woods, a neighborhood in Howard County, are fed up.
In 11 years, four different student pedestrians walking to or from Mayfield Woods Middle School have been struck by cars.
“One day, someone?s kid is going to die,” said Elkridge resident Mark Brohwan.
In the latest incident on Sept. 19, a car traveling eastbound on Mayfield Avenue hit an 11-year-old boy. The road, which leads into the school, is a popular throughway between Route 100 and Route 108.
Thursday night, residents crammed a town hall meeting, sponsored by Howard County Councilman Calvin Ball, to address traffic safety. Two police officers, the county?s chief traffic engineer, and school Principal Susan Griffith vetted complaints from parents.
“We are tired of not being listened to,” said Stacey Morgan, an Elkridge resident, “We are talking about our children here. We need something now.”
Elkridge residents said Howard County promised to ease traffic on Mayfield Avenue 11 years ago, when the first accident occurred, but that the few traffic chokers they installed along the road has not done enough.
They demanded stricter speeding enforcement, more police officers, speed humps, traps, radar detection, stop signs, and flashing lights along both Mayfield Avenue and Red Barn Way ? two of the roads students travel though to get to the middle school.
“As long as they are getting hurt, we haven?t done enough,” said Terri Matthews, an Elkridge resident whose son was hit by a car about a year ago in a painted crosswalk.
Mark Deluca, chief of the traffic engineering division for Howard County, said installing speed humps along Mayfield Avenue would slow the traffic about 3 mph on the road. Though the posted speed limit on Mayfield Avenue is 30 mph, Deluca said the majority of traffic travels between about 38 mph and 39 mph.
He also said the county could install better signage along the road to acknowledge pedestrians crossing.
