Police Ticket Dozens of Drivers in 'Pedestrian Stings'

Pedestrians in bright yellow t-shirts had about a 30 percent chance of crossing Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda Thursday without a close call from a passing car, according to Jimmy Chen, an intern with Montgomery County police. Chen was one of several plainclothes members of the department attempting to cross the street in a pedestrian "sting." 

Members of the department's traffic division are working to respond to an increase in complaints that drivers in some high-traffic areas aren't properly yielding to pedestrians, said Capt. Thomas Didone, head of the division. 

Over the next few days, uniformed officers will stand by and watch for drivers that blow past marked intersections with waiting or crossing pedestrians in key areas, like Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville, Silver Spring and Wheaton. 

In the first sting, at Aspen Hill's Veirs Mill Road and Turkey Branch Parkway intersection, 72 citations were issued for failing to stop for a pedestrian crossing the roadway in a crosswalk, police said. 

Bethesda's four-hour sting yielded 56 citations for the same offense. 

A speed camera is supposed to slow traffic on Democracy Boulevard, between Old Georgetown Road and Fernwood Road. The speed limit is also lowered because of nearby Walter Johnson High. Still, at Thursday's sting, it appeared to be difficult for the interns to cross. 

Austin Loman, a senior at the high school, had to wait several minutes to cross the street Thursday. He said he's learned to deal with the traffic.

"I walk to school every day, so eventually I've gotten kind of comfortable with it, but there is always a risk," Loman said. "It's such a busy road [and] there's no really defined moment when the cars are stopped. You have to just navigate through, which makes it kind of tricky."

Pedestrian safety is an increasing challenge in Montgomery County. Six pedestrians have died this year after being hit by vehicles, Montgomery County Patch websites have reported. A total of 18 incidents have been reported since January 2013.