Comments on: Advisory board to county council: Nix new library’s footbridge

By: LuvMyHood

LuvMyHood — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:38:58 +0000

I have had some very close calls crossing at that intersection, especially in the rain. Saturdays can be rough; that really discourages folks who walk to Whole Foods and schleup groceries home.
There should be left-turn-only arrows in all directions there. Right-on-red should be prohibited. Those cheap & tacky but effective paddles that stick up and say something like “state law, stop for pedestrians” should be deployed in lots of places, including that intersection.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:29:05 +0000

This is mind-boggling to me that so much time and effort is being spent on something so completely unnecessary. The fact that this thing will cost nearly $1m should make that clear enough.

Out of any major intersection in downtown, that’s really the one that I hate crossing the least – why do people act like they’re an inch from death when crossing there? I do actually feel like I could die when crossing Colesville or Georgia, with their superhighway size, but Fenton and Wayne? The streets are 15 feet wide! People have said that it’s because they’re small, people try to cut through that intersection quick, but I think it’s hard to argue that people would pay less attention there than when they’re on one of our bigger roads.

By: Alan Bowser

Alan Bowser — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:07:19 +0000

Montgomery County needs to do both: improve the intersection at Fenton and Wayne and build a pedestrian bridge to the library. There will be no or very limited library patron parking on the site, so the Wayne Avenue garage provides ample and convenient parking, and with a bridge, safe access for those individuals who need it. On site underground parking would cost millions of dollars. Intersection improvements and a pedestrian bridge are not mutually exclusive. MontCo should push for both. It looks like the State of Maryland will ultimately be responsible for pedestrian safety/road improvements, if the Purple Line alignment for Bonifant and Wayne is approved.

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:15:08 +0000

I can’t help but feel that the foot bridge would be a lose-lose for pedestrians. The message it sends is, “We won’t make it easier for you pedestrians to walk across the intersection, but we will make it easier for you to walk from your parked car.”

Editor’s note: Well said! — JD (Mar 13, 2009)

By: Evan Glass

Evan Glass — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:18:14 +0000

The purpose of the letter approved by the SSCAB was not really to oppose the bridge, as much as it was to reinforce our belief that pedestrian safety and access to the library must be improved.

Here is a key paragraph from the letter:

“The need for a skywalk has largely been expressed because of the perceived safety concerns of any street-level pedestrian crossing on Wayne Avenue. Building a skywalk is not an acceptable way to address such apprehension. The decision to build a bridge to allay safety concerns for some residents is simply an admittance of failure for all pedestrians. What remedy will there be for those who do not drive to the library or who choose to combine their library trip with shopping or eating in downtown Silver Spring or Fenton Village? If the improvement of Wayne Avenue is to be made in advance of opening of the library- and improvements are definitely needed- then the results should be good enough for all residents to safely cross the street. If the public’s safety cannot be insured by improving street access, then we question the decision to relocate the library to this location. However, assuming that the library is to be constructed at the currently designated location, assuring safe pedestrian access must be a top priority regardless of a skywalk.”

One other key sentence: “We believe that a skywalk should be an option of last resort, not the first.”

Editor’s note: Thanks for clarifying that, Evan. By the way, Evan is a member of the citizens advisory board. — JD (Mar 13, 2009)

By: Woodsider

Woodsider — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:40:16 +0000

Not having a footbridge will save us taxpayers $700,000 in today’s dollars. That is money that could be much better spent on other, far more urgent/important projects.

By: Woodside Park Bob

Woodside Park Bob — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:18:16 +0000

It is hard to understand how NOT having a bridge into the library will help Fenton Village. The intersection at Fenton and Wayne is bad enough for pedestrians already, and adding the Purple Line to the mix will make it much worse. People wanting to go to Fenton Village, just like people going to the library, could park in the garage and use the bridge. The bridge would make going to Fenton Village easier. In fact, the only downside I see is that people going to Fenton Village might go through the library, get their parking validated, and abuse what I hope will still be free parking for library users.

By: Woodsider

Woodsider — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:05:14 +0000

Germantown and Rockville have spectacular new libraries that are closer than ours would be.

By: wombat

wombat — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:04:51 +0000

Why would people come all the way from Damascus and Poolesville to use this library? Seems like the distance is a greater obstacle than lack of a footbridge. I would guess that every single other library in the county is closer to them, and even if the special collection is so great, you can request to have material delivered to your local branch.

By: Woodsider

Woodsider — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:28:34 +0000

If you go to the web site (links above) for both the Silver Spring Advisory Board and the Urban District Advisory Committee, the most recent postings of Agenda/Minutes/Correspondence is from January/February, 2008. It’s been like this for a long, long time. Maybe a member of both will read this comment and explain or better, have the pages updated.