Sidewalk in Bethesda to keep kids and adults safe.

[Anonymous]

This is a dedicated thread to the topic in title for all of those
who feel the gravity of the issue and for lack of better palatiform started
posting in the sympathy forum. Please post all the relevant thoughts here
instead. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

We live off Wilson Lane close to Bethesda Elementary and fought to requested real sidewalks leading up to the side entrance. The "sidewalk" is not elevated, and therefore cars drive up on it to get in the right lane before the Old G/Arlington/Wilson intersection.

Still no properly elevated sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

I mentioned this issue on another thread. I live on a busy street but my kids are ultimately much safer because we have proper sidewalks. The county should make sidewalks a priority, especially around schools. For example, a few years ago MCPS spent millions to construct Silver Creek Middle School, but most of the neighborhood around the school has no sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

How do we even know sidewalks had anything to do with this? It sounds from the Bethesda Beat article like the bus hit her while it was turning right. Unless the driver was steering the bus into someone's yard, there wouldn't be sidewalks in the intersection anyway, right? I would guess she ended up in the bus's blind spot.

[Anonymous]

Since we are talking prevention, how about insisting on implementing new technology
on the school buses that would allow the bus driver to see all sides of the bus
while leaving or approaching the bus stop. It makes me sad that they don't have it
since it is available on every modern SUV.

If it cost few more bucks, every parent would be happy to contribute to retrofit
the buses with the technology. Nothing cost as much as a lost life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do we even know sidewalks had anything to do with this? It sounds from the Bethesda Beat article like the bus hit her while it was turning right. Unless the driver was steering the bus into someone's yard, there wouldn't be sidewalks in the intersection anyway, right? I would guess she ended up in the bus's blind spot.

We don't know if sidewalks had anything to do with this particular death.

But we do know that the roads don't have sidewalks and that sidewalks make the roads safer for people who are walking.

[Anonymous]

Lots of places don't have sidewalks. Why should Bethesda be different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since we are talking prevention, how about insisting on implementing new technology
on the school buses that would allow the bus driver to see all sides of the bus
while leaving or approaching the bus stop. It makes me sad that they don't have it
since it is available on every modern SUV.

If it cost few more bucks, every parent would be happy to contribute to retrofit
the buses with the technology. Nothing cost as much as a lost life.

They have it. 14 cameras on every bus. Inside and out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of places don't have sidewalks. Why should Bethesda be different?

All of them need sidewalks. The ones that aren't in Bethesda, and the ones that are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a dedicated thread to the topic in title for all of those
who feel the gravity of the issue and for lack of better palatiform started
posting in the sympathy forum. Please post all the relevant thoughts here
instead. Thank you.

Do you go around self-categorizing other threads, too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since we are talking prevention, how about insisting on implementing new technology
on the school buses that would allow the bus driver to see all sides of the bus
while leaving or approaching the bus stop. It makes me sad that they don't have it
since it is available on every modern SUV.

If it cost few more bucks, every parent would be happy to contribute to retrofit
the buses with the technology. Nothing cost as much as a lost life.

They have it. 14 cameras on every bus. Inside and out.

Seriously? On each and every bus? Maybe just some? Something went so terribly wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a dedicated thread to the topic in title for all of those
who feel the gravity of the issue and for lack of better palatiform started
posting in the sympathy forum. Please post all the relevant thoughts here
instead. Thank you.

Do you go around self-categorizing other threads, too?

No. Do you go around and impose your attitude on people in mourning for lack of better things to do?

[Anonymous]

Maybe some other measures could be taken. Maybe the driver should get out at every stop to make sure the
students got out safely before taking off?

Maybe MCPS should employ parent volunteers to ride on the bus one parent per bus each way
to help navigate the safety of the children outside at each stop? Parents could be vetted
etc. Would ride in fornt next to bus driver and help to monitor the situation and safety.


Maybe the buses should follow the rule of taking off the buss stop at rate of one mile per hour for the frirst
few feet ?

Maybe some move sensors could be installed?

Maybe the same technology; that is on German cars that make the car stop to avoid collision with
pedestrian could be used..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of places don't have sidewalks. Why should Bethesda be different?

All of them need sidewalks. The ones that aren't in Bethesda, and the ones that are.

Good luck trying. Our neighborhood has tried many times as it’s mostly a walker school and are always told no. We were lucky after two years of fighting with the county to get a street light.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a dedicated thread to the topic in title for all of those
who feel the gravity of the issue and for lack of better palatiform started
posting in the sympathy forum. Please post all the relevant thoughts here
instead. Thank you.

Do you go around self-categorizing other threads, too?

No. Do you go around and impose your attitude on people in mourning for lack of better things to do?

Suggestion: create a space for your purpose, rather than declaring an existing space to be for a purpose that it was not originally designated. Otherwise, it is a Karen move. Like declaring “This part of the park is now for yoga. Go play frisbee with your dog over there.”