City to Discuss Traffic Safety

The Bowie City Council is slated to discuss its approach to traffic calming at Monday's council meeting following a summer of resident feedback on speeding issues.

At several recent council meetings, residents have attended from different corners of the city describing local speeding issues on neighborhood streets.

"It's getting out of control," one resident wrote to council members, "When we first moved here ten years ago, it wasn't this bad."

The city currently maintains municipal streets, typically the roads within neighborhoods. Roads bisecting neighborhoods and numbered roads are predominantly managed by the county and state, respectively.

Recent city traffic control measures have focused on speed cameras. Previously, state laws strictly limited the placement and management of traffic cameras, keeping them within school zones. The traffic cameras are usually visible, with fines starting at $25.00.

"Our speed program isn't designed to be overly punitive," Bowie's Police Chief has stated at past council meetings, "It's mainly to remind people to slow down in the school zones."

A change in state law in 2022 opened the process, making it easier for local governments to acquire and deploy cameras in more locations.

The city conducted a series of studies with a number of new speed cameras last winter, opting for a camera program that could be deployed this year in more locations. Deputy Chief Preston selected new locations based on resident feedback, frequent areas of complaint, and city council input. The cameras are expected to be deployed this year.

The city also maintains a traffic enforcement division within the Police Department, though the sheer size of the city has made fixed officers and targeted traffic enforcement a constant game of whack-a-mole.

"Officers will post up for traffic enforcement when we send complaints. They'll pull people over for a week, folks will slow down for a few days, and then speeds pick right back up after they leave," one resident described.

The size of the city is one challenge, coupled with the relatively small size of the Bowie Police Department. A typical Maryland town has 2.2 officers for every 1,000 residents. Bowie maintains 1.1 officers for every 1,000 residents, with a total officer cap at 65 and fewer than 55 in the department currently.

Recruitment has been a major topic of concern, with Chief Nesky describing regional police academy attendance down 90% at one point in recent years.

The city's emphasis on quality over quantity in its police department has also limited the number of accepted recruits, though police leaders have long said this is preferable to hiring officers who may not be up to the many demands of the job.

Most of the nation's 17,000 law enforcement agencies are struggling to hire from a shrinking talent pool. Coupled with frequent poaching by nearby federal agencies seeking local officers with a few years' experience, hopes of a department able to maintain a larger presence are dampening.

Bowie Police are turning more to technology to make up the difference, with the hope a steadily growing traffic camera program can help tackle areas of concern.

Also a part of the traffic management program are speed humps, striping, and flashing speed readers, though residents have often complained that rules restricting their use are too stringent.

Currently, city councilmembers can request speed studies conducted on any city-managed street. If findings indicate speed and safety data above a preset level, traffic calming measures can be deployed immediately. Most streets studied in recent years have not qualified for immediate traffic calming.

A petition process exists to override speed studies that don't meet automatic thresholds. Currently, 90 percent of residents on a given street, and 60 percent on connecting side streets, must sign official petitions to bring about traffic calming not warranted by speed study data.

Residents have recently argued this threshold is too burdensome. The City Council could revisit the policy and initiate changes at Monday's council meeting.

Residents with thoughts on the city's traffic safety are invited to attend the council meeting Monday, September 18 at 8pm at City Hall, or write the council before the meeting at cityclerk@cityofbowie.org.