The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reported between April 2024 and February 2025, it received complaints concerning the operation of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (“the Program”).
The Program is administered by the Traffic Calming Unit (“the Unit”), which is part of the Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning Division (“the Division”) within the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT).
Some of the complaints include:
County funds were wasted when a raised crosswalk that was set to be installed in front of an elementary school but it was installed at the wrong location on Compass Road in Middle River.
Funds were also wasted when a raised crosswalk was installed on a Maryland state-owned road, near Overlea High School on Kenwood Avenue. The county never had permission from the state and the raised crosswalk was removed.
More waste of county funds was reported when a raised intersection was unnecessarily installed in Bowleys Quarters at the intersection of Susquehanna Avenue and Chester Road.
Another issue of waste was from speed humps as some were installed on roads that did not qualify for traffic calming measures under the program.
Nine speed humps were installed on Wampler Road in Middle River but there must be a petition signed by the community.
According to the OIG, the project did not receive the required number of signatures from that community and all nine speed devices were later removed.
More speed humps were installed on Schroeder Avenue in Perry Hall off Belair Road.
Since Schroeder Avenue is a dead end street, it was not permitted for the installation of traffic calming devices and the two speed humps were also removed.
There were three other unauthorized traffic calming devices installed throughout the county but the report didn’t specify the location.
All of the unauthorized installation and removal of the speed humps is a reported waste of $77,517.89
According to the OIG, there was a lack of oversight of the Unit, and specifically, of the Engineering Program Manager (“the Program Manager”) who headed the Unit.
For the full findings from the Office of the Inspector General, read their report
