Thanks, George et al, for these informative reports and observations. George, I'm really sorry about all the?damage you're getting.?

I agree with the seriousness of these issues. I would like to see investigation of opening Laurel Avenue to two-way traffic on the north side. What you're reporting also bolsters my strong opposition to allowing commercial patrons to look for parking along Westmoreland. More circling traffic would be generated with more hazards, volume, and chaos.?

City staff have said that requests to restrict access to streets (e.g. making them one-way, or prohibiting entry during certain times) would require a traffic study. If WACO-area residents would like consideration of a traffic study, that would be (to my understanding) something that would be a request brought forward anytime before mid-fall of this year, for consideration?in the next year's budget.?

Perhaps it is possible, however, to explore whether any turn restriction signs could be helpful, since it's my understanding that these signs don't require traffic studies. Regarding that Walnut-Westmoreland intersection, I would?like to see whether it's possible to move the stop line forward to improve visibility and discourage the "stops" that turn over time into "stop-and-creeps," then "drifts-without-stops," and then even "blow-throughs."

Roger

On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 2:24?PM Rick Weiss via <rickweiss99=[email protected]> wrote:

Carol’s mention of the stop sign at Elm and Pine (which, yes — people routinely roll through, barely slowing down) reminds me to ask: is that proposed TPPD electric motorcycle still on the budget? Because that seemed awfully unnecessary for our already over-sized and over-funded PD and sounded to me a lot more like a “fun to have” than a “must have”.?

I’m of the belief that if we are going to have such a big force for our medium-small community then I want to SEE them, sitting in their cars in places like Elm and Pine and handing out hundreds of warnings and then tickets for all the cars (and food delivery motorcycles) that are blowing through our streets knowing they’ll never have to worry about enforcement of stop signs, parking restrictions, obnoxiously modified exhaust systems, and other “minor” violations (like any lingering use of gas leaf blowers once the summer ban kicks in). Small things like this that make a real difference in quality of life (and that remind people in this trump era that there is such a thing as “rule of law” in our town) are the everyday ways to gain community support for a police dept. that wants more resources.?

Rick on Pine

On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:56?AM, CAROL CLAYTON via <carolclayton=[email protected]> wrote:

?

I fully agree there is a terrible traffic problem in our neighborhood, however, making Walnut and Westmoreland one way will throw even more traffic onto Elm/Pine.? I see people blow through that stop sign at Elm and Pine all the time, and then speed up Pine.? I understand that "it's been good for business" to make an outdoor dining spot.? It's been horrible for residential areas however.? If they want to keep the outdoor area, why not adopt Byrne's idea of making another lane by removing part of the median?? It would take away 5 parking spots, but it would keep the traffic where it belongs-on the main road through town.??

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:44?AM Marlana Valdez via <valdez53=[email protected]> wrote:

I have my grandkids over here on Walnut and try to keep them out of the front yard because of the non stop traffic.?

I would be in favor of making walnut and westmoreland one way streets running in the opposite directions.?

The overwhelming amount of traffic dying rush hour in the evening terrifies me. Marlana on walnut

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:39?AM George Kohl via <geokohl12=[email protected]> wrote:

I am in the process of filing my third insurance claim for three separate instances of cars or trucks traveling down Westmoreland hitting my parked car in front of 7000 Westmoreland. ??

The increased traffic volume, in both directions, on a street too narrow for a marked center lane has led to these three incidents in the last two years.?

In one case a truck took off my side view mirror.? A neighbor saw it but the truck kept on going.

In the second case, shortly after the side view mirror was replaced, someone else hit the side mirror of the car again and didn't stop. ? And this week, a car going down the hill swiped the ?front end of my parked car as she tried to navigate by ?a car coming up the hill with a delivery truck double parked at a neighbor's house.

I'm not sure if our location in the middle of the block or the fact that there are driveways on both sides of our property which folks use to try to avoid oncoming traffic?are the fault or not.?

None the less, what's clear to me is that as traffic volumes have grown, the street is too narrow to contain it. ?

As far as solutions go, there's the longstanding conversation to make the street one way. ? The street is too narrow to carry its current load. ?

Perhaps, we need the orange safety cones just as utility workers place around parked cars and give drivers more visual help to avoid parked cars. Perhaps a can of red spray paint to mark a safety zone is the cheapest solution.? Perhaps, our Public Works Dept can?provide some other viable answer??

While this is not a crusade for me, it's?certainly aggravating, and costing?me time and money. So far I'm adding it to my tax bill and the cost of the pleasant city amenities.? But I'll add it to the building chorus of traffic issues for which we don't have an?adequate plan..

--

George Kohl

Mobile: 301-318-0258

--

Roger Schlegel

City?Council Member,?Ward Three?

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912
Email:?RogerS@...
Phone:?240-997-3041

Please note that all City emails can potentially be public.

On Apr 21, 2025, at 2:28?PM, Therese Gibson via groups.io <theresegibson53@...> wrote:

My understanding is that the city’s new traffic coordinator is already on the job. I wonder if we could have a WACO neighborhood meeting with her?

Therese Gibson

On Apr 21, 2025, at 2:24?PM, Rick Weiss via groups.io <rickweiss99@...> wrote:

Carol’s mention of the stop sign at Elm and Pine (which, yes — people routinely roll through, barely slowing down) reminds me to ask: is that proposed TPPD electric motorcycle still on the budget? Because that seemed awfully unnecessary for our already over-sized and over-funded PD and sounded to me a lot more like a “fun to have” than a “must have”.?

I’m of the belief that if we are going to have such a big force for our medium-small community then I want to SEE them, sitting in their cars in places like Elm and Pine and handing out hundreds of warnings and then tickets for all the cars (and food delivery motorcycles) that are blowing through our streets knowing they’ll never have to worry about enforcement of stop signs, parking restrictions, obnoxiously modified exhaust systems, and other “minor” violations (like any lingering use of gas leaf blowers once the summer ban kicks in). Small things like this that make a real difference in quality of life (and that remind people in this trump era that there is such a thing as “rule of law” in our town) are the everyday ways to gain community support for a police dept. that wants more resources.?

Rick on Pine

On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:56?AM, CAROL CLAYTON via groups.io <carolclayton@...> wrote:

?

I fully agree there is a terrible traffic problem in our neighborhood, however, making Walnut and Westmoreland one way will throw even more traffic onto Elm/Pine.? I see people blow through that stop sign at Elm and Pine all the time, and then speed up Pine.? I understand that "it's been good for business" to make an outdoor dining spot.? It's been horrible for residential areas however.? If they want to keep the outdoor area, why not adopt Byrne's idea of making another lane by removing part of the median?? It would take away 5 parking spots, but it would keep the traffic where it belongs-on the main road through town.??

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:44?AM Marlana Valdez via??<valdez53=[email protected]> wrote:

I have my grandkids over here on Walnut and try to keep them out of the front yard because of the non stop traffic.?

I would be in favor of making walnut and westmoreland one way streets running in the opposite directions.?

The overwhelming amount of traffic dying rush hour in the evening terrifies me. Marlana on walnut

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:39?AM George Kohl via??<geokohl12=[email protected]> wrote:

I am in the process of filing my third insurance claim for three separate instances of cars or trucks traveling down Westmoreland hitting my parked car in front of 7000 Westmoreland. ??

The increased traffic volume, in both directions, on a street too narrow for a marked center lane has led to these three incidents in the last two years.?

In one case a truck took off my side view mirror.? A neighbor saw it but the truck kept on going.

In the second case, shortly after the side view mirror was replaced, someone else hit the side mirror of the car again and didn't stop. ? And this week, a car going down the hill swiped the ?front end of my parked car as she tried to navigate by ?a car coming up the hill with a delivery truck double parked at a neighbor's house.

I'm not sure if our location in the middle of the block or the fact that there are driveways on both sides of our property which folks use to try to avoid oncoming traffic?are the fault or not.?

None the less, what's clear to me is that as traffic volumes have grown, the street is too narrow to contain it. ?

As far as solutions go, there's the longstanding conversation to make the street one way. ? The street is too narrow to carry its current load. ?

Perhaps, we need the orange safety cones just as utility workers place around parked cars and give drivers more visual help to avoid parked cars. Perhaps a can of red spray paint to mark a safety zone is the cheapest solution.? Perhaps, our Public Works Dept can?provide some other viable answer??

While this is not a crusade for me, it's?certainly aggravating, and costing?me time and money. So far I'm adding it to my tax bill and the cost of the pleasant city amenities.? But I'll add it to the building chorus of traffic issues for which we don't have an?adequate plan..

--?

George Kohl

Mobile: 301-318-0258

On Apr 21, 2025, at 2:24?PM, Rick Weiss via groups.io <rickweiss99@...> wrote:

Carol’s mention of the stop sign at Elm and Pine (which, yes — people routinely roll through, barely slowing down) reminds me to ask: is that proposed TPPD electric motorcycle still on the budget? Because that seemed awfully unnecessary for our already over-sized and over-funded PD and sounded to me a lot more like a “fun to have” than a “must have”.?

I’m of the belief that if we are going to have such a big force for our medium-small community then I want to SEE them, sitting in their cars in places like Elm and Pine and handing out hundreds of warnings and then tickets for all the cars (and food delivery motorcycles) that are blowing through our streets knowing they’ll never have to worry about enforcement of stop signs, parking restrictions, obnoxiously modified exhaust systems, and other “minor” violations (like any lingering use of gas leaf blowers once the summer ban kicks in). Small things like this that make a real difference in quality of life (and that remind people in this trump era that there is such a thing as “rule of law” in our town) are the everyday ways to gain community support for a police dept. that wants more resources.?

Rick on Pine

On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:56?AM, CAROL CLAYTON via groups.io <carolclayton@...> wrote:

?

I fully agree there is a terrible traffic problem in our neighborhood, however, making Walnut and Westmoreland one way will throw even more traffic onto Elm/Pine.? I see people blow through that stop sign at Elm and Pine all the time, and then speed up Pine.? I understand that "it's been good for business" to make an outdoor dining spot.? It's been horrible for residential areas however.? If they want to keep the outdoor area, why not adopt Byrne's idea of making another lane by removing part of the median?? It would take away 5 parking spots, but it would keep the traffic where it belongs-on the main road through town.??

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:44?AM Marlana Valdez via??<valdez53=[email protected]> wrote:

I have my grandkids over here on Walnut and try to keep them out of the front yard because of the non stop traffic.?

I would be in favor of making walnut and westmoreland one way streets running in the opposite directions.?

The overwhelming amount of traffic dying rush hour in the evening terrifies me. Marlana on walnut

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:39?AM George Kohl via??<geokohl12=[email protected]> wrote:

I am in the process of filing my third insurance claim for three separate instances of cars or trucks traveling down Westmoreland hitting my parked car in front of 7000 Westmoreland. ??

The increased traffic volume, in both directions, on a street too narrow for a marked center lane has led to these three incidents in the last two years.?

In one case a truck took off my side view mirror.? A neighbor saw it but the truck kept on going.

In the second case, shortly after the side view mirror was replaced, someone else hit the side mirror of the car again and didn't stop. ? And this week, a car going down the hill swiped the ?front end of my parked car as she tried to navigate by ?a car coming up the hill with a delivery truck double parked at a neighbor's house.

I'm not sure if our location in the middle of the block or the fact that there are driveways on both sides of our property which folks use to try to avoid oncoming traffic?are the fault or not.?

None the less, what's clear to me is that as traffic volumes have grown, the street is too narrow to contain it. ?

As far as solutions go, there's the longstanding conversation to make the street one way. ? The street is too narrow to carry its current load. ?

Perhaps, we need the orange safety cones just as utility workers place around parked cars and give drivers more visual help to avoid parked cars. Perhaps a can of red spray paint to mark a safety zone is the cheapest solution.? Perhaps, our Public Works Dept can?provide some other viable answer??

While this is not a crusade for me, it's?certainly aggravating, and costing?me time and money. So far I'm adding it to my tax bill and the cost of the pleasant city amenities.? But I'll add it to the building chorus of traffic issues for which we don't have an?adequate plan..

--?

George Kohl

Mobile: 301-318-0258

On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:56?AM, CAROL CLAYTON via groups.io <carolclayton@...> wrote:

?

I fully agree there is a terrible traffic problem in our neighborhood, however, making Walnut and Westmoreland one way will throw even more traffic onto Elm/Pine.? I see people blow through that stop sign at Elm and Pine all the time, and then speed up Pine.? I understand that "it's been good for business" to make an outdoor dining spot.? It's been horrible for residential areas however.? If they want to keep the outdoor area, why not adopt Byrne's idea of making another lane by removing part of the median?? It would take away 5 parking spots, but it would keep the traffic where it belongs-on the main road through town.??

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:44?AM Marlana Valdez via <valdez53=[email protected]> wrote:

I have my grandkids over here on Walnut and try to keep them out of the front yard because of the non stop traffic.?

I would be in favor of making walnut and westmoreland one way streets running in the opposite directions.?

The overwhelming amount of traffic dying rush hour in the evening terrifies me. Marlana on walnut

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:39?AM George Kohl via <geokohl12=[email protected]> wrote:

I am in the process of filing my third insurance claim for three separate instances of cars or trucks traveling down Westmoreland hitting my parked car in front of 7000 Westmoreland. ??

The increased traffic volume, in both directions, on a street too narrow for a marked center lane has led to these three incidents in the last two years.?

In one case a truck took off my side view mirror.? A neighbor saw it but the truck kept on going.

In the second case, shortly after the side view mirror was replaced, someone else hit the side mirror of the car again and didn't stop. ? And this week, a car going down the hill swiped the ?front end of my parked car as she tried to navigate by ?a car coming up the hill with a delivery truck double parked at a neighbor's house.

I'm not sure if our location in the middle of the block or the fact that there are driveways on both sides of our property which folks use to try to avoid oncoming traffic?are the fault or not.?

None the less, what's clear to me is that as traffic volumes have grown, the street is too narrow to contain it. ?

As far as solutions go, there's the longstanding conversation to make the street one way. ? The street is too narrow to carry its current load. ?

Perhaps, we need the orange safety cones just as utility workers place around parked cars and give drivers more visual help to avoid parked cars. Perhaps a can of red spray paint to mark a safety zone is the cheapest solution.? Perhaps, our Public Works Dept can?provide some other viable answer??

While this is not a crusade for me, it's?certainly aggravating, and costing?me time and money. So far I'm adding it to my tax bill and the cost of the pleasant city amenities.? But I'll add it to the building chorus of traffic issues for which we don't have an?adequate plan..

--

George Kohl

Mobile: 301-318-0258

On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:55?AM, CAROL CLAYTON via groups.io <carolclayton@...> wrote:

I fully agree there is a terrible traffic problem in our neighborhood, however, making Walnut and Westmoreland one way will throw even more traffic onto Elm/Pine.? I see people blow through that stop sign at Elm and Pine all the time, and then speed up Pine.? I understand that "it's been good for business" to make an outdoor dining spot.? It's been horrible for residential areas however.? If they want to keep the outdoor area, why not adopt Byrne's idea of making another lane by removing part of the median?? It would take away 5 parking spots, but it would keep the traffic where it belongs-on the main road through town.??

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:44?AM Marlana Valdez via??<valdez53=[email protected]> wrote:

I have my grandkids over here on Walnut and try to keep them out of the front yard because of the non stop traffic.?

I would be in favor of making walnut and westmoreland one way streets running in the opposite directions.?

The overwhelming amount of traffic dying rush hour in the evening terrifies me. Marlana on walnut

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:39?AM George Kohl via??<geokohl12=[email protected]> wrote:

I am in the process of filing my third insurance claim for three separate instances of cars or trucks traveling down Westmoreland hitting my parked car in front of 7000 Westmoreland. ??

The increased traffic volume, in both directions, on a street too narrow for a marked center lane has led to these three incidents in the last two years.?

In one case a truck took off my side view mirror.? A neighbor saw it but the truck kept on going.

In the second case, shortly after the side view mirror was replaced, someone else hit the side mirror of the car again and didn't stop. ? And this week, a car going down the hill swiped the ?front end of my parked car as she tried to navigate by ?a car coming up the hill with a delivery truck double parked at a neighbor's house.

I'm not sure if our location in the middle of the block or the fact that there are driveways on both sides of our property which folks use to try to avoid oncoming traffic?are the fault or not.?

None the less, what's clear to me is that as traffic volumes have grown, the street is too narrow to contain it. ?

As far as solutions go, there's the longstanding conversation to make the street one way. ? The street is too narrow to carry its current load. ?

Perhaps, we need the orange safety cones just as utility workers place around parked cars and give drivers more visual help to avoid parked cars. Perhaps a can of red spray paint to mark a safety zone is the cheapest solution.? Perhaps, our Public Works Dept can?provide some other viable answer??

While this is not a crusade for me, it's?certainly aggravating, and costing?me time and money. So far I'm adding it to my tax bill and the cost of the pleasant city amenities.? But I'll add it to the building chorus of traffic issues for which we don't have an?adequate plan..

--?

George Kohl

Mobile: 301-318-0258

On Apr 18, 2025, at 12:37?PM, Charlotte Schoeneman <cs@...> wrote:

Terrible this was perpetrated on this young woman by our own police department.?

Maybe it’s a good opportunity to reconsider the utility and value of having our own police force.?

Best

Charlotte?

Charlotte Schoeneman?
T 301.270.1801
C 240.350.1482

On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 11:50?AM Therese Gibson via??<theresegibson53=[email protected]> wrote:

Court document.?

On Apr 18, 2025, at 1:27?AM, Jean and Cavan Capps via??<jean_capps=[email protected]> wrote:

WTOP radio reported today that a former TP police dispatcher was awarded $1 million for sexual harassment from a police sergeant. The sergeant was demoted, but is still employed in the department! Anybody know more about this?

Jean Capps?