2-26-2024 4:23am

PROVIDENCE RD &

Roundabouts and Raised Crosswalks Alone Won’t Slow Traffic

When 24-year-old Eliza Grover was tragically killed by a drunk driver along Providence Road in Towson, Maryland, people were outraged by the driver's irresponsibility. Social media comments, news articles, and locals alike condemned the driver's recklessness as they mourned the death of a beloved college student. But when neighbors talked to the media about the street Grover had been killed on, they questioned what could be done to the design of the road to ensure another devastating crash would not occur—whether a driver was operating a vehicle under the influence or not.

"What can we do about this road and the traffic? What can be done?" resident Ralph Reitenbach said to a news reporter the day after Grover’s crash.

“We’re concerned about the rush people are in and the unsafe conditions it seems living on this street presents and walking our children to school presents,” Alison Raskin told WBAL news.

Over the last decade, multiple people have been hit and seriously injured or killed along Providence Road. Just within the week of Grover’s death, one other person had been struck and injured. And despite locals expressing a need for a design that effectively slows traffic, they’ve been given a series of half-measures that haven’t stopped crashes. Instead of truly changing the design of the street to affect driver behavior, the county has implemented designs that still appear to prioritize traffic speed.

“We live right across from the elementary school. And we've had numerous injuries and deaths occur right in front of the school. You can blame it on the drivers, potentially. But it's really the way the road functions in a neighborhood,” said Reitenbach.

When Grover was hit, FINISH READING HERE