Mid-Block Crosswalks Provide Shortest Distance Between Two Points

When one talks about congestion that clogs up thoroughfares like Wisconsin Avenue, they're not only talking about cars.

Pedestrians are also trying to make it from point A to point B, and sometimes that means crossing a heavily travelled street in the middle of a block.  In downtown Bethesda, there are four "mid-block" crosswalks – crosswalks located in between intersections with traffic signals – that some say can be tricky and sometimes dangerous to navigate.

"You have to make them stop. They won't stop on their own," said Potomac resident Pirya Gupta, trying to cross busy Wisconsin Avenue at a mid-block crosswalk near Stanford Street. Gupta, who works in downtown Bethesda, said she sometimes finds herself in the middle of the street before drivers will stop for her. This can be a common predicament for pedestrians, especially at the  mid-block Sanford Street crosswalk which is often used by pedestrians crossing between the popular Trader Joe's and the shops across Wisconsin Avenue.

"My opinion is that [mid-block crosswalks] are tough to cross especially on six lane highways," said Ken Hartman, director of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. The crosswalk at Stanford Street, located near Trader Joe's, is especially tricky, he said. "…You can get two lanes of cars to stop for you and then there is that driver coming up in the third lane who doesn't see you who can present a potential problem."

Drivers are required to stop for pedestrians in a marked crosswalk even if it's not at an intersection, according to Sgt. Roy Russell of Montgomery County Police's second district traffic squad. The fine for those who don't stop is $80.

But mid-block crosswalks may leave pedestrians with a false sense of security, according to Emil Wolanin, chief of Traffic Engineering and Operations for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation.

"[Pedestrians] think drivers will stop, but not all drivers do stop," said Wolanin. "Not all [drivers] understand and obey the requirements of the law."

In downtown Bethesda, the mid-block crosswalks are located at Old Georgetown Road and Cordell Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue and Stanford Street, Woodmont Avenue and Norfolk Avenue, and Wisconsin Avenue and Commerce Lane, Hartman said.

The Maryland State Highway Administration Bicycle and Pedestrian Design Guidelines say that mid-block crosswalks can be safe, as long as traffic signals are timed to produce a reliable gap in traffic. Without them, pedestrians may otherwise not use a crosswalk to cross a street, the guidelines read.

However, drivers may not expect to find crosswalks outside of intersections, according to Charlie Gischlar, an SHA spokesman. "That's why we have things we can employ to alert drivers to mid-block crosswalks like signs that say 'Pedestrian Crossing Ahead' or things of that nature," he said.

Engineers at the Maryland State Highway Administration, the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation decide whether a crosswalk will be installed and where it should be located. SHA is responsible for state roads including Wisconsin Avenue, while the Montgomery County Department of Transportation is responsible for county roads. Engineering studies, along with community safety concerns, factor into deciding where to place crosswalks, Wolanin said.

"Obviously, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line," said Wolanin, describing why mid-block crosswalks are installed. "Pedestrians may not go out of their way to go to a traffic signal or stop sign that may be some distance away. At the same time, it may be necessary to direct pedestrians to do that because it may not be safe or we may not be able to create a safe mid-block crossing where they prefer to cross."

Much of the time a mid-block crosswalk is installed where pedestrians are crossing a street, Wolanin said -- in other words, pedestrians are choosing the location of a crosswalk with their own feet.

The Maryland State Highway Administration also undertakes engineering studies before determining whether to install a crosswalk, Gischlar said.

State Highway Administration engineers and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation follow the Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities, established about 20 years ago. Those guidelines discourage the use of mid-block crosswalks except when there is no other way to encourage pedestrians to walk to a nearby intersection crosswalk.  However, some elements can factor in to making mid-block crosswalks safer, the guidelines read -- including the number of lanes, whether or not there is a median strip dividing the highway, speed limit, crossing distance, the distance in which a driver can see and react to a pedestrian, and how much time a pedestrian needs to cross.

Gischlar, Hartman and Wolanin agreed that pedestrians should not take anything for granted when using a crosswalk whether it is one at an intersection or in the middle of a block. And when it comes to making way for pedestrians in crosswalks, drivers need to understand what their responsibilities are and follow traffic laws, they said.