Annapolis families call for drivers to slow down on National Walk to School Day

Elementary school kids held signs along a street in Annapolis Wednesday morning, pleading with drivers to slow down. 

On National Walk to School Day, families in the Germantown-Homewood neighborhood brought attention to what they call a dangerous stretch of road. 

For these families, it was a call for safer streets. 

"We can't have it happen again. We don't want our children getting hit on their way to school," said Erin McCopp, President of the Germantown-Homewood Community Association. 

Past pedestrian-involved crashes

McCopp was referring to an incident that happened in April. Annapolis police said an 11-year-old boy was hit by a car while using the crosswalk in front of the library on his way to school. 

The child survived, but parents like Aaron McCrady said the incident was a wake-up call that the community cannot afford to ignore. 

"We've had four incidents – two pedestrian deaths, two additional pedestrians struck — within the last four years on this stretch of road," McCrady said. "It's an issue that's front and center for a lot of residents."

Families who live in the Germantown-Homewood neighborhood said the stretch of West Street is designed for speed, not safety – a serious concern because kids cross in the area every day.

Crosswalks removed 

According to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), the State Highway Administration (SHA) removed three crosswalks in the neighborhood and consolidated them to one new controlled crosswalk with a beacon at the library in 2020. 

Neighbors want the crosswalks restored. 

"We just want them back and we want improvements so that our kids and our elderly neighbors can cross the street safely," said McCopp. 

Neighbors call for change 

West Street is a state road. Neighbors said MDOT has made adjustments to the signal timing at the library crosswalk, but they claim that's not enough. 

They want to see real changes that would force drivers to slow down "to at least 25," according to McCopp. 

"Ideally, during school hours, it should be lower than 25," McCopp added. 

The families hope that events like the one held on Wednesday will pressure state leaders to act. 

"We're trying to make our community safe so that our children can navigate their neighborhood and have a safe passage to school," McCrady said. 

"The State Highway Administration's District 5 office has been meeting with the community since the spring to address safety concerns on the corridor between South Homewood Avenue and Glen Avenue," MDOT said in a statement. 

According to SHA, they have made a number of changes on the roadway, including: 

• Installing new speed limit signs
• Replacing and upgrading signs
• Adjusting the time sequence on the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB)