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SITE DESCRIPTION:
This intersection which lies in Ward 5 has a very high volume of vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist traffic. On the north corner is a strip mall plaza. On the west corner there is a triangular median and a gas station. On the east corner there is a parking lot with several stores. The south corner has a triangular median and a wooded area.


Queens Chapel Road has four lanes northbound, two of which are left and right turning lanes. Queens Chapel Road has four lanes south bound, two of which are left and right turning lanes.

Hamilton St has two lanes going northbound and an additional left turning lane on the southeast side. Hamilton St has four lanes on the north side, heading south, two of which are left and right turning lanes. Hamilton St becomes basically two lanes with a third, merge lane on the south side. The road then bottlenecks into one lane after the Safeway.

There is no crosswalk on the south side of Hamilton St crossing over Queens Chapel Road and pedestrians are in danger of being hit by the traffic funnled off of the fast moving right hand merge lane of Queens Chapel Road. The southbound Queens Chapel Road vehicle traffic is especially dense and fast moving during rush hour, all the way to Ager Road. Pedestrian traffic is high along Queens Chapel Road due to the shopping center near Ager Road and sidewalks are not present on the south side of the road until the bridge near Ager Road.

The crossing signal on the south corner is on the triangular median which means pedestrians and cyclists must cross the merge lane (merges onto Hamilton St) with no assurance that traffic will yield for them. There appears to be room for bike lanes along this thoroughfare. There is no barrier between the parking spaces along the north side of Hamilton St and the fast moving traffic.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Increase amount of time to cross Queens Chapel: it currently only allows 6 or 7 seconds before the flashing red sign appears.
• Align countdown crossing signal nearest Queens Chapel Town Center with crosswalks: The crossing signal nearest Queens Chapel Town Center is out of one's reasonable line of sight when crossing over Hamiton and Queens Chapel.
• Create a crosswalk over Hamilton St. nearest the Fashion One store: There is currently no crosswalk and pedestrians often jaywalk on this very high-traffic street, putting themselves at risk.
• Fix the countdown crossing signal nearest Fashion One store:The "stop" signal is out of service.
• Widen sidewalk and add "safety" posts/barriers and crossing signal to merge lane from Queens Chapel onto Hamilton. widen sidewalk, add barrier and crossing signal.
  

there is no crosswalk crossing Hamilton.

crossing signal not in line of sight crossing Hamilton.

widen sidewalk, add crossing signal and "safety" posts/barriers crossing Queens Chapel where it merges with Hamilton.

Not enough time to cross Queens Chapel.

HISTORY:
According to Chris Currie, the City has a history of complaining to SHA about safety issues on Md 500 (Queens Chapel Rd) that went back a number of years -- probably at least a decade. Mayor Bob Armentrout wrote a couple of letters in the very early years of this century following pedestrian injuries/fatalities. There were attempts to install new stoplights (I think at Nicholson St.) and complaints about short crossing times at the Hamilton St. intersection.

At the end of the Glendening Administration, County Councilman Peter Shapiro secured some SHA Neighborhood Conservation funds to do a study of Md 500 safety issues and prospective improvements. The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) was hired to conduct a community charette, held in Hyattsville, which involved site visits of participants to different hotspots along Queens Chapel Rd, including at Hamilton St., and ideas for changes were brainstormed. PPS then put together recommendations for improvements from Mt. Rainier through Hyattsville, including the narrowing of the road in Hyattsville from six to four lanes. However, the project money ran out and no additional money was allocated afterward.

When SHA came through a couple years later to repave Md. 500 (2004?), they decided to implement some of the PPS/SHA plan -- particularly the road narrowing. However, the Neighorhood Conservation Program had not been funded since the end of the Glendening Administration, so there was no money to do the expensive stuff -- like put in actual medians (hence the painted lines in the middle of the highway). The road became four lanes at that time, and bike lanes were also installed.

JURISDICTIONS:
Queens Chapel Rd. (Rte. 500) - Maryland State Highway Administration, "SHA"
Hamilton St. going east from Queens Chapel Rd. (Rte. 208 - between 38th Ave. and Queens Chapel) - Maryland State Highway Administration, "SHA" (Rte 208 going west is a county road.)
Wards - This intersection lies in Hyattsville Ward 5

ACCIDENTS:

According to Maryland State Highway Administration, from 2001 to 2005, within 0.2 mile of intersection:

• 2001 - no police reported pedestrian or bike accidents
• 2002 - no police reported pedestrian or bike accidents
• 2003- 1 Injury accident = 1 total accident
• 2004- no police reported pedestrian or bike accidents
• 2005- no police reported pedestrian or bike accidents
• 
  

However, information from Bill Matheny at SHA indicates that the corridor on Queens Chapel between Hamilton and Chillum is a problem area:

• 2001 - no police reported pedestrian or bike accidents
• 2002 - 5 Injury accidents = 5 total accidents
• 2003 - 2 Injury accidents = 2 total accidents
• 2004- no police reported pedestrian or bike accidents
• 2005- 4 Injury accidents = 4 total accidents

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