Representatives from Montgomery County, the National Park Service, and Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s office joined CJ residents in a discussion of neighborhood traffic issues at the Feb. 24 Cabin John Citizens Association meeting.
According to CJCA President Burr Gray, the talk focused on the following three traffic concerns:
- morning cut-thru commuter traffic on Tomlinson Ave. and Arden Rd.
- westbound evening traffic that gets stuck on the one-lane bridge after the traffic
light has changed - better access to the Cabin John Gardens during the morning and evening rush hours
As a result of the discussion, the County will consider the following:
- making the lettering bigger on the “No Left Turn” sign at Seven Locks Rd. and Tomlinson Ave.
- videotaping the license plates of the cars making the illegal left turns to figure out where the cars are coming from
- continuing their analysis (any expediting of the analysis would be appreciated) of Arden Road-related requests from CJCA as well as including a review of traffic flow at
the Seven Locks/MacArthur Blvd intersection - looking at the stoplight on the one-lane bridge to see if any tinkering with
timing could keep people going west in the evening from getting stuck on the bridge after
the light changes - conducting a study/long term look at the MacArthur Blvd three-way Stop sign to
see how to improve traffic flow.
The National Park Service, with possible help from the County, will be looking at how make safer access from Cabin John Gardens onto the Clara Barton Parkway access road. This might involve better markings to keep cars from blocking access into the two sections of the gardens and plastic piping to protect pedestrians walking out of the Gardens.
The meeting attendees voted to request that the park service close down the entrance from the Clara Barton Parkway to Cabin John during the morning rush hour, and close the exit from Cabin John to the parkway in the evening rush hour. (The effect of such change would likely affect VA commuters disproportionately.) While this outcome may seem unlikely prior to any study of the issue, it reflects the frustration by members of the community regarding the many cars that cut through the Cabin John in an effort to avoid traffic on the Beltway. It is not clear yet whether the National Park Service will conduct a study of the issue.