Bel Air's "quick-build" project at the intersection of Main, Bond and Gordon Street, with its temporary safety improvements meant to slow down traffic and improve pedestrian safety, came to an end in December 2024.
The speed cushions that were installed on the Main Street approaches to and from the triangular intersection known as the "flatiron" have been removed, but the flexible posts closing the left-turn lane from Main to East Gordon will remain closed pending state approval.
Resolution 1243-24, the Town's formal request to the Maryland Department of Transportation to keep the turn lane closed, was approved unanimously during the Board of Town Commissioners meeting on December 16.
"I think that this is a good change, and that this will make that intersection significantly safer at, really, minimal impact to motorists," Commissioner Jake Taylor said.
The Town collaborated with MDOT and the nonprofit Smart Growth America, through SGA's Complete Streets Leadership Academy, on the quick-build project, which began in August. Smart Growth America and the state transportation department also worked with the City of Hagerstown and Howard County on similar projects meant to improve pedestrian safety in their communities.
Bel Air's participation in the Complete Streets Leadership Academy, for which it received $22,000 in grant funding, came out of a separate initiative between the Town, the state and a consultant to improve pedestrian safety in Bel Air -- the Safe Streets for All program. Nine intersections known for driver and pedestrian safety concerns were studied as a part of the SS4A initiative, and the Town hosted a public forum at the Bel Air Armory in February 2024.
The flatiron intersection of Main, Bond and Gordon was among nine studied for Safe Streets. It was selected for the Complete Streets program in part because Bel Air Elementary School students and their parents cross there while walking to and from school.
Mayor Paula Etting cited concerns about student safety and the confluence of vehicles traveling in different directions at the top of the triangle where the three streets meet in her endorsement of the resolution.
"it is a terribly confusing location for cars and pedestrians, and if they should meet there it would not be a good situation," she said. "We have a lot of people going back and forth to school there, and it’s a great idea to correct [the intersection]."
State transportation officials have the final say on whether the Town can keep the turn lane closed. Town Administrator Edward Hopkins and Planning Director Kevin Small noted that the MDOT has been supportive of Bel Air during its participation in the Complete Streets initiative – Small said the state has been “our cheerleader.”
The Town also can keep the speed cushions and use them in another part of Bel Air if they are needed to slow down traffic and improve pedestrian safety, according to Small.
“This spring [of 2025], we’ll probably identify another intersection to try to improve and identify a grant that will help us do that,” Small said.
The Complete Streets project also was a topic of discussion during a Town Commissioners’ work session in late November. Small gave the Commissioners an update as state officials were removing the speed cushions as the holiday season got underway.
“Based on the feedback that I’ve received from the public, I did not see much pushback on the elimination of that left-hand turn,” he said.
Other Town officials, such as Etting, Hopkins and Taylor, said they had seen or heard few complaints about eliminating the left turn, that most people expressed frustrations about the speed humps.
“Eliminating the opportunity for what could really be a bad crash, or even just a pedestrian incident, I think it’s well worth eliminating the turn,” Taylor said.
Small also cited interviews his staff did with pedestrians that indicate more Bel Air Elementary students and parents were crossing at the flatiron thanks to the speed controls, and that police observed fewer drivers speeding along Main Street in that area.
“More people are feeling comfortable about crossing there,” he said.
Commissioner Mary Chance suggested that Town and state officials look at the intersection of Main Street and Lee Street by the Bel Air Armory for the next round of safety improvements. She expressed concerns about drivers speeding as pedestrians cross the street and noted that some people do not cross Main in the marked crosswalk as the “sight distance is better.”
Main Street curves to the left approaching Lee Street, making it difficult for pedestrians to see oncoming traffic if they are crossing to the east.
“The sight distance there is terrible,” Small acknowledged.
The planning director said Bel Air and state officials prioritized the intersections at North Main and Gordon and South Main and Kenmore Avenue, near Bel Air High School, for safety improvements as students cross at both places. Officials can focus on other intersections if the Commissioners prefer, however.
“A lot of these intersections have their own unique challenges,” he said.
Contact Media and Public Relations Specialist David Anderson at 410-838-7181 or danderson@belairmd.org.