The Walk Sign Is On: Surveying Silver Spring Crosswalks

By Esther French

How well do pedestrians in Silver Spring follow the signals at intersections? This video was taken at multiple intersections in downtown Silver Spring on Thursday, catching some of the lunch crowd venturing out from their office buildings.

At Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, a car waited patiently to make a right-hand turn, as two pedestrians crossed the road, even though there was a don't-walk signal.

At Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road, pedestrians crossed the intersection in an orderly fashion, although one pedestrian decided not to use the crosswalk.

At a busy crosswalk on East-West Highway, at the entrance to the Blair Park Shopping Center, multiple pedestrians began crossing the road before the signal changed to the walk sign.

As one pedestrian crossed Colesville Road at the intersection with East-West Highway, staying in the crosswalk with the walk sign on, a car was making a right-hand turn sharply on his heels.

Outside the Silver Spring Transit Center, at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Colesville Road, pedestrians crossed Wayne without waiting for the walk signal, even as cars were making turns. Most pedestrians, though, stayed on the sidewalk until the walk signal came on.

Which Silver Spring intersections are the trickiest for pedestrians to safely cross? Where are pedestrians most likely to ignore the traffic signals? Tell us in the comments.