Several road improvements recommended by a resident task force could be implemented along South Rolling Road in Catonsville as early as this summer, a representative from the State Highway Administration said Wednesday night.

One proposal, to add sidewalks along the east side of the route, would require community support and finding money to pay for the project. At the same time, several less expensive options could be in place before students return to school in the fall, said Erin Kuhn, assistant district engineer for traffic at the SHA.

She spoke at a June 15 public meeting at Hillcrest Elementary School, on Frederick Road.

Those improvements include:

• Adding a high-visibility faux "brick" crosswalk at Rolling Road's intersection with Park Drive.

• Upgrading the road's existing intersections at Newburg and Bloomsbury Avenues, also with a brick-like surface.

• Painting edge lines along the route between Bloomsbury and Newburg avenues to make the road appear narrower with the goal of slowing down motorists.

Approximately 40 people attended the meeting, including state Sen. Ed Kasemeyer, who represents District 12, which includes Catonsville and Arbutus, as well as a portion of Howard County; District 12A Dels. James Malone and Steven DeBoy; and 1st District County Councilman Tom Quirk.

Most of the public's comments about the short-term improvements were favorable.

"I'm really pleased that we came up with some relatively low-cost, high-effect, high-visibility things that, hopefully, will make things safer immediately," said task force member Lois Brechemin, who lives on South Rolling Road.

"And they're also things that if they don't have as much effect as we want, we can go back and add to," she said. "You can always go back and do more, but you can't take away what you've done."

Brechemin said she hoped the community would support additional sidewalks.

"I'll probably lose my parking," she said. "It's still, overall, I think, the best thing to do."

South Rolling Road resident Bogdan Sagatov said he was concerned about the loss of a parking space and part of his front yard to accommodate the new sidewalk.

He also expressed concerns about the retaining walls that would be up to 18 inches high and line the sidewalk in some areas, including in front of his house.

"It seems like they could achieve the sidewalk needs by widening and improving the sidewalk on the other side of the street" he said, noting that there is already a sidewalk there. "I think it would be a lot cheaper and much more doable," he said.

The task force also recommended adding sidewalks along the eastern side of the route between Chelton and Newburg avenues, while maintaining the existing ditches that line some parts of the road.

Kuhn said, however, that there would need to be significant community support before the SHA would look for a way to fund that option. She recommended that residents contact the SHA and elected officials to express their opinions about the proposal.

South Rolling Road resident Marty Haggerty said the proposed improvements would be "great," but was worried about the time and money they would take to implement.

"We can have immediate change in people's behavior with a speed camera," he said. "At the lowest cost."

Lt. Robert McCullough, a spokesman for Baltimore County police, said in April that South Rolling Road is among the sites under consideration by Police Chief Jim Johnson for a possible camera.

The Baltimore County Council approved a proposal in February to lift a cap allowing only 15 cameras countywide.

It is up to the police department to decide where additional cameras will be placed.

The SHA formed the task force in January to address concerns after a series of crashes along the busy route, which provides access from western Catonsville to Catonsville High School, the Community College of Baltimore County's Catonsville campus, the western branch of the Y of Central Maryland and Interstate 95.

About 250 people attended an initial public meeting in September, during which the highway administration distributed surveys about possible road improvements and announced that it would form the task force.