Preparing for the new District Court operations
Update as of January 19, 2010
This document compiles ideas, follow up items and tentative plans to prepare for the opening of the new District Court. It includes information from the following meetings with neighbors, other interested residents and City staff:
October 1, 2009 Chris Henry, Emad Elshafei, Daniel Seo, Rob Orndorff, Steve Mader, Brian Paul, Shannon Loomis, Rocio Estrada, Jenny Kimball
October 7, 2009 Steve Mulholland, Christie Carrico, Carol and Jack Shabe, Steve Van Grack, Mark Pierzchala, Jenny Kimball
December 3, 2009 Chris Henry, Emad Elshafei, Daniel Seo, Jerry Daus, Lew Dronenberg, Shannon Loomis, Rocio Estrada, Jenny Kimball
1. Getting Court Users to the Appropriate Parking in Town Center
Court employees and other users who have been to District Court before will take the same route and park the same place they always have. First time court users, especially people not familiar with Rockville, will need instructions.
Routes -
The majority of cars will probably come to Town Center via Rockville Pike, Viers Mill Road or I-270. Signage will direct them to Town Square parking garages. You suggested that we Mapquest the District Court from all directions. We have those results to share with you.
We discussed directing all I-270 traffic coming to Town Center to the Falls Rd exit and straight down Maryland Ave to the Town Square garages. I discussed that option with the City’s Transportation staff. They noted that the two primary routes from I-270 to Town Center are accessed from 1) the Falls Rd exit and down Maryland Avenue and 2) the West Montgomery exit. Both routes go through residential areas. Offering both the Maryland Ave. and West Montgomery routes to Town Center users means the impact on traffic and infrastructure is shared. Offering both routes seems a more equitable approach than directing all cars on Maryland Ave.
Signs -
Staff examined the existing signs directing drivers on I-270 to Rockville Town Center. They include:
· Southbound before Exit 9 – signs indicating that Rockville and Town Center are at exits are 8, 6, and 5
· Southbound approaching Exit 6 West Montgomery/Darnestown Road – sign approaching Exit 6 says Rockville Town Center. A second sign for Exit 6B also says Rockville Town Center.
· Southbound Exit 5 Falls Road – All the directional exit signs approaching Exit 5 say Falls Road and Rockville Town Center. Another smaller brown sign posted on the exit ramp says Rockville Town Center.
· Northbound Exit 5 Falls Road – Directional signs say Falls Road and Rockville Town Center
· Northbound Exit 6 – West Montgomery/Darnestown Road – sign approaching Exit 6 says Rockville Town Center. A second sign for Exit 6A also says Rockville Town Center.
That should be sufficient to direct District Court users off the highway. Once they exit I-270 we can provide more detailed signage to direct cars to the parking garages intended for users of Town Square, District Court, Circuit Court, etc. Transportation staff is working on that now. I’ll share the proposed location of the signs and text on the signs as soon as I have it. Another advantage of focusing on these signs is that they are under our control, as opposed to signage on I-270 that is under the purview of the State Highway Administration.
The Traffic & Transportation Division is also preparing signage for drivers on all the primary roads approaching Town Center – including at a minimum Rockville Pike, Viers Mill Road, West Montgomery Ave, Maryland Ave.
2. Pedestrian signage in Town Center/Square
Staff is also preparing signs to assist pedestrians making their way around Town Center, including from the parking garages to the new District Court. We anticipate using existing Town Center sign poles as much as possible, with the addition of a Town Center map that lists of points of interest and “you are here” dots. Staff has a draft pedestrian map to be posted around Town Center to share with you, and a map of the proposed locations.
We will also look into posting the map with points of interest near parking pay stations in the Town Square garages to assist drivers in getting to their destination after parking. We’re also requesting that WMATA update the map they have inside the Rockville station and will explore placement of additional signs as pedestrians leave the station and head toward Town Center.
We are coordinating with Montgomery County on the design and placement of the pedestrian signs/maps to ensure that the County’s points of interest are identified and the placement of County and City signs is coordinated. We have also coordinated with the County to place signs at the entrances to the old courthouse to direct visitors to the new location when it opens.
3. Pedestrian safety at Maryland Ave and Jefferson St
Suggestions that we discussed to improve safety at this intersection included:
- Install a left turn signal from northbound Maryland onto Jefferson
Traffic and Transportation Division staff is examining the impact on the intersection of adding a left turn signal. Every new turning movement added to an intersection will increase the wait time for cars at all other points of the intersection. Since there are other traffic signals nearby, the delay from adding a turn signal could create more congestion in the area. Staff will examine ways to adjust the timing of other nearby signals to accommodate a new left turn signal. The State Highway Administration owns this signal. Any change will need to be approved by SHA.
- Reduce the speed limit on Jefferson in the area of the intersection
- Install flashing beacons or other signage to notify drivers of the heavy pedestrian area
- Reconfigure the road to create a downtown/pedestrian environment
Since Jefferson Street/Route 28 is a State road, SHA approval is also needed to change the speed limit, install flashing beacons or reconfigure the road. This area may be another opportunity to partner with Montgomery County to seek SHA approval. The County has property on two corners of the intersection so will also benefit from pedestrian safety improvements. The County and City together would have more influence on SHA. I’ll discuss this with the County at our upcoming meeting.
4. South Washington Street traffic
Staff and neighbors have discussed some approaches to help ensure that West Montgomery Avenue does not experience additional traffic when the court opens. One option is to install a bump out that prohibits right turns from eastbound W. Jefferson onto southbound South Washington. The Christ Episcopal School does not support that option because parents use that turning movement to access the school for student drop off and pick up.
Another option is to make South Washington one way northbound between Maryland and Vinson. Reducing that portion of the road to one direction could potentially reduce the number of cars passing by the residential properties. Forcing cars to take Vinson Street instead could create bottle necks at the intersection of Vinson and Maryland – turning off Vinson and onto Maryland is already difficult at some times during the day. One way on South Washington would also require CES parents to leave the school via S Wash to Jefferson or Vinson to MD. It eliminates the option of turning right out of CES onto S Washington, then to Maryland Ave. Need to see if CES is agreeable to that.
Another option is to leave the area as is with the addition of signs directing drivers to the parking garages in Town Center. We would observe the impacts of the new court location, then assess the best response. Recognizing that any change will have a negative impact of some sort, we will have more information after the opening of the Court on which to base decisions.
5. South Washington Street parking
It was suggested that we remove all the existing parking meters and prohibit parking Monday through Friday on So Washington Street. The goal was to provide more space for cars. Right now, with cars parked at the meters, there’s very little space for two way traffic. There were concerns about congestion and safety, particularly during CES drop off and pick up.
A problem with removing the meters and posting no parking signs Monday – Friday is that the County Police cars that park there 90% of the time will park there anyway. They don’t need to abide by the no parking signs. The Police Chief has requested that the County Police not use all those spaces in the past to no avail.
An advantage of the parking lane is the reduction of speeds. Removing the lane of parked cars could also lead to higher speeds on the street since a more open road encourages drivers to increase their speed. Narrowing of a road with parking lanes typically slows car speeds.
6. Vinson Street traffic
A private school outside of Rockville sends a bus to Vinson Street and Maryland Ave for morning pick up and afternoon drop off. Parents bringing students to the bus stop increase traffic at that intersection. We have suggested the school consider moving the bus stop to a different location to reduce congestion in that area. They are open to that option and will get back to us.
7. City Hall and Christ Episcopal parking lots
City is exploring controlled access to our parking lots, reconfiguring the location of visitor parking, and designating specific entry and exit locations for employee parking. The draft plan will be shared at the next meeting.
Staff suggested that Christ Episcopal secure a towing company and increase signage in the school lot indicating that cars will be towed. The expense and inconvenience of getting towed once usually changes driver behavior. That plan would also require a parking tag for cars that belong in the lots to identify cars that don’t belong and should be towed.
8. Permit Parking
Nearby streets with open parking will likely be inviting to court users. The Leland Street residents requested and are in the process of securing permit parking from the City. We approached the Courthouse Walk neighborhood suggesting that they consider requesting permit parking too. There was interest expressed in permit parking for Washington Street between Maryland and Argyle but we have not received a formal request yet.
9. Drop off location and handicap parking
City will seek permission from SHA to install “No Stopping or Standing” signs on Jefferson in front of the District Court. Still no conclusions on handicapped parking.