Another Pedestrian Fatality! More Stings Please.

Georgia Avenue in crosswalk at this crash site, 8/24/13.

Yet another person has been run over and killed in Wheaton.  Yesterday around 2pm a woman from DC was struck while crossing Georgia Avenue in a crosswalk just south of H Mart.  Today she died of her injuries in a hospital.

So sad and tragic.

As Patch reports, with a map of the accidents, "Twenty-two pedestrians and one bicyclist have been hit by cars in Montgomery County this year. See the map of incidents here." And here's some of my coverage from last winter.

Georgia Ave at the crash site, 8/24/13.

Perhaps this new tragic death means that the effect has warn off from the Pedestrian Traffic Stings I wrote about last April and May.  Last winter there was a series of accidents when car drivers ran over people walking.  As Patch reported, 12 collisions in the first 10 weeks of 2013.  As reported in the Examiner in June:

"Fatal pedestrian collisions in Montgomery County have almost doubled in the first six months of 2013 from all of 2012, despite the county spending millions of dollars to promote pedestrian safety.  County statistics show 11 pedestrians have died since the beginning of this year, a number officials say is concerning since pedestrian fatalities for 2012 totaled six."

I think a lot of the county money must have been spent on those pedestrian safety advertisements in bus shelters and on buses.  I think those ads are unpleasant to look at, scary, and may be discouraging people from getting outside of their cars.  Maybe the images of tire marks on peoples' faces who otherwise seem unharmed make drivers think that getting run over won't hurt.  These people don't appear hurt at all, just unhappy.

One of the ads on a Wheaton bus shelter.

MoCo should have more ticketing stings to calm
drivers and forget these ads -- the stings generated a lot of publicity so even those who weren't ticketed heard about them and learned lessons.  Drivers who just saw the stings covered on the news had to have thought twice the next day about blowing through a crosswalk when they were driving!

Vegetable Gardening in Wheaton

Wheaton is a perfect place for veggie gardening.  Many homes have big yards (unlike Washington and many neighborhoods closer in) and the treecover isn't complete so there is plenty of sunshine for the garden (unlike Takoma Park, for instance).

I think backyard gardens are common, although I'm not sure as I can't see into many people's backyards.  Myself and two neighbors whose yards I can see into from my own all have veggie gardens.

Fresh figs from the tree in our Wheaton yard, August 18, 2013.

Brookside Gardens has resources for gardeners -- in addition to a demonstration vegetable garden to view, they have "Master Gardeners" who hang out in the nature center library and answer questions about gardening.  The program is called Master Gardener Plant Clinics and these people are there year round on the weekend and two weekdays April through October.  Another great local resource is Rooting DC -- although it requires traveling into the District on a winter day, this annual free day of gardening talks and workshops is stellar.

Our Wheaton backyard has grown a prolific amount of yellow squash this year and last.  Around this time there are squash bugs and a sort of rot that happens, but we have still gotten tons of squash fruit from May through August.

In addition to yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes, we have a lot of great herbs this year!  Basil, oregano, mint, chives, sage, and cilantro that we're letting go to seed so it can be harvested as coriander.

An example of what can easily be cooked with veggies from the garden and some noodles from H Mart, July 19.

Basil, arugula, chard, green beans, tomato, squash on July 19, 2013 -- all from our Wheaton vegetable garden.

Fresh garden chives, basil, tomato, squash on July 21, just before being scrambled with eggs.

Summer Days in Wheaton

Here are some pictures of my bike ride to the metro station yesterday -- our first fall-like weather day of the year! It was 64 F degrees at 9:00am!

The hottest part of this summer was in July this year when it was in the 100s, then the last few weeks have been bearable in the 80s and 90s.  Yesterday and today and the next several days feel so much cooler in comparison.

August 14, 2013 in Wheaton, MD.

August 14, 2013 in Wheaton, MD.

Free concerts in Wheaton Friday, July 12, and 3 other Fridays through late August

Photo credit http://wheatonmd.org website.

Today on the Wheaton MD Facebook page I saw that there will be a free summer concert series in the Wheaton Triangle!  This sort of fun activity is exactly what Wheaton needs.  The location is a nice grassy space just across the street from the Wheaton Metro station and next to a large parking lot.

The Nighthawks kick-off the TGIF concert series this Friday, July 12 at 6:30PM. What a great way to start the weekend! Come on out and enjoy the show! http://wheatonmd.org/events/item/tgif-summer-concert-the-nighthawks

A little bit more research turned up this Patch write-up:

What: Wheaton "TGIF" Summer Concert Series
When and Where: Every second and fourth Friday, through August, from 6:30-8 p.m., in the Wheaton Triangle.
Deets: What to look forward to in July and August: jazz, reggae, Motown, and more. (Read more about who's playing when.)

This is the first I've heard of this series so I wanted to post about it here. I assume it is free but couldn't find that word written in any of these webpages. It will be outdoors in a park-like setting, so it must be free.  From the concert series schedule website:

Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Kick-off your weekend with great music in downtown Wheaton!

Enjoy live music from top musicians in the DC area the 2nd and 4th Fridays July through August from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

Bring a blanket, chair and your family and friends -- And don't forget to grab a bite to eat from one of our great local restaurants before or after the show! 

This year's lineup features:

July 12   The Nighthawks (Blues, Roots Rock)

July 26   Soul Crackers (Motown)

August 9   Sam 'O & JFC Band (Reggae)

August 23  School of Rock "Back to School" Teen Event

Sidewalk on Georiga Avenue in front of New Wheaton Rescue Squad Station

This post has been on my mind for months, and a recent Patch post about possible construction delays has prompted me to write it. Regardless of the construction delay, the sidewalk in front of the in-progress construction site should be fixed for the safety and mental health of residents.

According to the WaPo, "The $14 million fire station at Georgia Avenue and Arcola Avenue in Wheaton, [is] about 75 percent complete" and its completion "will likely be delayed" because the general contractor Milestone Construction is going out of business.

I have been eagerly waiting for the streetscape in front of the new building to be finished. The old sidewalk there now is skinny and way too close to Georgia Ave. Plus, to make it even less comfortable to walk there, during the spring the row of shade trees that used to border the sidewalk was cut down.

When construction is complete, I expect the sidewalk to be moved back even with the sidewalk in front of the Leesborough Townhome Development, and replacement trees planted between the new sidewalk and the road.

Here are photos I took of this sidewalk problem area on February 19, 2013 (it still looks the same, except without the pleasant bushes and sun-blocking trees around the construction area). 

The area where the two sidewalk configurations meet. Difficult to navigate on a bicycle.

The shade trees by the sidewalk and bus shelter that were cut down.

"Future Home of  Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad" sign and another view of the abrupt sidewalk transition.

The wider modern sidewalk just south of the construction at Leesborough Townhomes, with new shade trees.

This last photo is the current sidewalk at the recently built development just south of the rescue station construction.  This type of wider sidewalk is what the community expects when the construction is complete!  It should have this amount of space between the sidewalk and the road with trees in that space.

I have been hoping that this was self-evident, but wanted to write this post and share these pictures anyway in case this is not the plan.  This should be the plan!

Now that we know there may be a construction delay, and the old shade trees have already been destroyed and removed, can the sidewalk be fixed in advance of the construction being completed?  The fence can just be moved back and the sidewalk work finished.

Glad to avoid this major frustration for Silver Spring downtown residents

I would be very frustrated if I had to walk past the unfinished transit center every day. It's grass looks lush and green, but the whole area is completely fenced off to pedestrians while no work is being done on the building.

If I lived nearby and walked past that site daily to/from the metro, I would be tempted to knock down that fence. It doesn't seem fair to keep everyone out of what would be some nice public space if it were open.

As it is, I just stand and look at that plot of land sometimes from the metro platform when waiting for a Glenmont train after being booted off of a Silver Spring train (these two pictures show the area from the train platform).  It is a nice patch of bright green among the urban grey.

Silver Spring transit center lawn could be a new urban park.

If this area were open to pedestrians it would contain people sitting on blankets and enjoying the grass.

Wheaton Costco is Good for the Mall So Far!

Wheaton Costco, April 10, 2013. Credit Esther French.

I saw this encouraging article shared on Just Up The Pike's Facebook page: "Wheaton Costco adds life to shopping mall: Nearby businesses see added traffic, sales."

I can confirm this by personal experience. This past Sunday I went to see the new Costco and was shocked by the number of people in the store and by the number walking around inside the mall near the store's entrance! There were too many people for the space so everyone had to walk slowly and inch around the giant shopping carts strewn about.  The general mood was festive and energized.

The article states that "Customer traffic at the mall has generally increased following Costco’s arrival, said Ken Buckner, the mall’s marketing director, though he said he could not divulge the exact numbers" and 12 new leases were signed at the mall after the Costco lease was finalized.

Inside the Costco, I was pleasantly surprised by the skylights that appear in the ceiling.  They let in lots of sunlight on the sunny day I was there, making the inside of the store seem airy and bright.  The skylights are spaced evenly in between the normal electric lights on the ceiling.  This photo gives a hint of the natural light inside.

I was also intrigued by the extensive Kosher selections available.  Large signs indicated sections of Kosher foods -- I noticed them in the bakery, cheese, and frozen section, although there could also be more.  In looking into this I found this piece on the Wheaton Patch with background about how this came to be -- the story involves a Kemp Mill resident's years-long effort.