PUT ON YOUR crash helmet if you head along Falls Road at its intersection with Chestnut Avenue. Chances are, you'll really need it.
This is perhaps the most perilous stretch of roadway in Baltimore, a sharp S-curve made more dangerous by the placement of historic brick mills at the road's edge. Dave Grimm, who works in the area, has counted 57 accidents there this year.
On a rainy day, the place becomes a demolition derby -- as it did last week when showers hit.
In 24 hours, four accidents occurred along the stretch, including one in which a vehicle hit the curb and flipped over a 15-foot embankment, injuring the driver and a passenger.
Another wreck involved an out-of-control Pepsi truck that left hundreds of cola cans littering the street. Another ended with a car slamming a utility poll and setting off an explosion from an electrical transformer.
"It's silly the amount of wrecks here," said Matt Babiarz, a woodworker in one of the mills. "When it rains, sometimes it's one wreck an hour."
Babiarz said he saw an 80-year-old man attempt to drive the stretch last spring while reading at the wheel. His car jumped the embankment and landed headlights first onto Babiarz's driveway, ripping down a 10-foot, chain-link fence in the process.
You'd think city bureaucrats would catch on to the dilemma in Hampden, hon. Calls to the Department of Public Works after many accidents have gone unheeded.
"I called them in April, and got a nice song and dance," said Doug Carroll, the frustrated owner of one of the mills, who has shelled out thousands to shield his property. "They said they were not willing to go out and look at it. That's the kind of unresponsiveness that I and everyone else has come to expect from the city."
Carroll said his calls to DPWtransportation engineering supervisor Richard Baker were ignored -- and said that has led to more accidents and costly property damage at the site.
Baker told Intrepid on Friday that he did not recall speaking with Carroll and was unaware of any problem at Chestnut and Falls. "I got to look at my records," he said.
But help could be on the way. DPW spokesman Kurt L. Kocher pledged that engineers would be sent to the site to explore ways to fix the problem. Possible solutions include speed humps, a flashing red light or a special road surface aimed at halting skids.
Until changes are made, though, all should drive defensively around the 2900 block of Falls -- especially when it rains. Driver beware. And stay tuned.
Signals to act in harmony after synchronization
The State Highway Administration expects to begin synchronizing traffic signals along its major routes through Carroll and Frederick counties next spring.
For instance, better flow is needed in Eldersburg, where motorists on Route 26 cope with eight lights in a 1-mile stretch, including lights between Monroe Avenue and Johnsville Road that will be adjusted for morning and evening rush hours.
"Synchronizing will make traffic flow better between signals," said SHA spokesman Dave Buck. "It could also cut down the number of accidents."
Contracts for the work, which includes installation of new equipment at each signal, will be advertised this month and awarded by mid-March.
Center's entrance causes White Marsh backups
Baltimore County bargain hunters should take it slow in White Marsh along Campbell Boulevard.
The shopping magnet has outgrown common sense when it comes to driving -- and the results can be seen in the broken red taillights that sparkle from the road.
The main problem stems from Nottingham Square, a strip mall near White Marsh Mall, and the lack of a turning lane into one of the center's entrances. As drivers attempt to turn in, they cause a backup at times all the way to Honeygo Boulevard -- and there are fender benders galore.
County traffic engineer Darrell Wiles agreed last week to investigate the two-lane trouble. Look for a possible tweaking of the problem -- but not before Santa arrives.
Intrepid's advice: Give yourself an early holiday gift and stay in the right lane if you must turn onto Campbell -- if you can make the turn, that is.
Shortcuts
The Associates of Loch Raven Village and the Loch Raven Business Association plan to turn out at a Wednesday public hearing before Baltimore County's zoning commissioner to oppose 7,500 square feet of additional retail space at Ravenwood Shopping Center at Loch Raven Boulevard and Taylor Avenue. Such additions could make the site a traffic Hell, as opposed to its current state of traffic Purgatory. Motor Vehicle Administration bureaucrats are bursting with pride over their new Access Maryland vehicle registration self-serve machine at the headquarters in Glen Burnie. The machine dispenses a registration card and stickers similar to how an automated teller machine works.
Pub Date: 12/14/98