Updated: Sunday, April 20 at 5:03 p.m.
City leaders in College Park, Md. are calling for permanent changes to the intersection where cars have struck four pedestrians over the last year, including GW senior Carlos Pacanins, who was killed crossing the street there last week.
Police and local lawmakers are urging long-term solutions such as extra lightning, signs and security at the four-lane intersection at Baltimore Avenue and Knox Road after four people have been struck by cars at the street corner since July 2013.
The College Park City Council and Mayor Andrew Fellows sent a letter last week to the state highway administration, proposing to lower the speed limit by 5 mph to 25 mph, add flashing signals at the crosswalk and install better lighting.
Since the April 11 incident that killed Pacanins, the city has stationed officers on street corners, installed temporary lights and placed large signs calling it a pedestrian safety zone.
Officers and local leaders also launched a public awareness campaign, passing out fliers about pedestrian safety to people walking on the street.
The city could install fences along the road or speed bumps, University of Maryland’s police department spokesman Marc Limansky said. He said cars often drive faster than the 30-mph speed limit, and the area can become even more congested when bars close.
Limansky said he could only recall two deaths in his 20 years patrolling the area, which he said was “very lucky given the number of people that cross the street there.”
Prince George’s County Police Cpl. Jason Smith said Thursday and Friday nights are particularly dangerous at the intersection.
“It is the type of area that would be prone to problems,” Smith said.
Pacanins was the second person killed in an accident there, a popular nightlife area for University of Maryland students. UMD student Cory Hubbard died from an accident in January. On Saturday, a pedestrian was hit by a car around 12:30 a.m. after leaving a nearby restaurant.
Eric Olson, a Prince George’s County Council member, said he would support lowering the speed limit, but said police already try to control traffic by blocking off one lane when the bars close and groups of pedestrians try to cross.
Pacanins was likely under the influence of alcohol when he was hit trying to cross the road while the ‘Don’t walk’ sign was flashing, investigators say.
Cpl. Maria McKinney, a spokeswoman for the Prince George’s County Police Department, said the office has “vehemently” argued that the intersection is not more dangerous than other areas, though it does see more pedestrian traffic because of its proximity to UMD.
“It is not busier than any other intersection that we have in the county,” she said.
The post was updated Sunday, April 20 at 4:53 p.m. to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Eric Olson is a council member on the College Park City Council. He is a council member on the Prince George’s County Council. We regret this error.
