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Jul. 7, 2011
The Garrett County Roads Department wants to educate potential and existing property owners about the need for an entrance permit. Local residents Bill and Vicki Taylor have their hearts set on building a home on their Paradise Acres property, but a very big obstacle stands in their way: the Roads Department cannot issue them an entrance permit for a driveway onto Boy Scout Road.
“We had no clue we were getting into this mess,” Vicki told the county commissioners on Tuesday.
The couple met with them and other county officials, including Sheriff Rob Corley, in an attempt to resolve the issue.
“They’re trying to establish an entrance onto that property, which at this time does meet the county specifications for an entrance,” said general roads superintendent Jay Moyer, GC Roads Department. “And part of that is based on the speed limit of that road.”
Moyer added that his department’s primary goal is safety, which includes establishing speed limits and the criteria for entrances.
The Taylors requested that the Boy Scout Road speed limit be reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph to meet that criteria. But that may not help, as stopping speed sight distance is another big factor on the hilly road.
“Even with lowering the speed limit, we all feel uncomfortable with the fact that you can adjust the speed limit, but that will not, in a sense, make it any safer,” Moyer said. “People will drive what they feel comfortable driving.”
He suggested the Taylors hire a traffic engineer to do a traffic study to determine if indeed the limit is too high and should be lowered. He noted it would be expensive to do so – about $5,000. A second option would be for the county to secure funding and contract a traffic engineer to conduct the study.
Referring to a State Highway Administration pamphlet about the issue, Moyer reviewed how and why speed limits are set. The paper notes that basic limits are set by Maryland vehicle law; however, in many instances, these limits do not account for actual highway and traffic conditions that are important in the safe and efficient movement of traffic. Thus, the law provides that these limits can be raised or lowered based on the results of traffic engineering studies.
County engineer Dwight Emory explained that during a study a traffic engineer will take readings of vehicle speeds with a radar gun, use counters to record traffic volume, and record peak rush hour times. A study is conducted during a 12-hour period on a weekend and a 12-hour period on a weekday.
It also includes a review of the road’s environment, features, crash history, unusual conditions not readily apparent to drivers, and an analysis of the vehicle speeds to determine average and 85th percentile speeds. The percentile is the speed at or below which 85 percent of the motorists drive on given road when unaffected by slower traffic or poor weather.
Traffic engineers then make speed recommendations based upon their study results and the 85th percentile.
“Of course you could always end up with the opposite of what you’re looking for – even a recommendation to raise the speed limit,” Moyer said.
Emory noted that traveling too slowly can also be a safety issue at times.
Commissioner Bob Gatto, who recently toured the Taylors’ property, asked the couple if they knew of others who wanted the speed limit lowered or had visibility problems on Boy Scout Road.
Vicki noted that at least one neighbor indicated he was happy that the issues were being discussed with county officials.
“In addition to this study that has been suggested, we’ve paid over $8,000 closing costs on a construction loan that it’s going to be too late to use if we have to do that study,” Vicki said.
She added that when she and her husband signed off on the minor subdivision property they thought they were “good to go.” The Taylors are experienced real estate agents and thought they had looked at every possible issue, including water percolation testing and building permits, Vicki explained.
Without an entrance permit, Bill said, their $80,000 property is worthless. In lieu of a permit, the couple’s only other option is to contact their nearest neighbor and try to buy into using his driveway, Vicki said. But that entrance, she noted, is closer to the top of the hill and is even more dangerous than hers would be.
Moyer said that and other existing driveways on the road were probably established before current rules and regulations were enacted.
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