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Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett today will discuss plans to make Fairland Road safer after a pedestrian was killed and another was seriously injured on the road in September.
Leggett and Art Holmes, director of the county Department of Transportation, will speak about pedestrian safety at the public meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring.
Anise Key Brown, director of the center, said county officials will discuss residents' concerns and safety recommendations along Fairland Road.
"It's not a generic pedestrian safety speech," Brown said. "We want to get input from the community."
Mary Depenbrock, a member of the Fairland Estates Homeowners Association, said she wants a speed camera along Fairland Road. She also called for traffic circles near the road's bus stops.
"You take your life in your hands when you cross Fairland Road," Depenbrock said.
Last week, Leggett and Police Chief J. Thomas Manger announced plans to increase enforcement of pedestrian-related issues at a press conference held outside Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. The event also emphasized the county's participation in StreetSmart, a region-wide transportation safety program coordinated by the National Capital Region Transportation Board.
According to the StreetSmart Web site, 84 pedestrians and bicyclists are killed in the region every year.
Brown said plans for today's discussion were made after a Sept. 10 meeting between county officials and members of the Fairland Estates Homeowners Association. The meeting took place the same week 29-year-old Flavia D'Cunha of Silver Spring was killed as she attempted to cross near the intersection of Fairland and Randolph roads and 22-year-old Alexandra Antzoulatos of Aspen Hill was found seriously injured in the same area. Antzoulatos was later released from the hospital after being listed in critical condition.
According to a news release from Montgomery County Police, Antzoulatos had been socializing with friends in restaurants and bars in Silver Spring until 1:30 a.m. Police responded to a call at about 3:30 a.m. after she was found near the intersection of Fairland and Randolph roads. Police have not determined if a vehicle struck her.
The case remains under investigation, Officer Melanie Brenner, a county police spokeswoman said Thursday.
Anyone with additional information about the Fairland Road incidents can call police at 301-840-2435.
