City Council Representative Odette Ramos shared this update about traffic calming to be installed in the neighborhood the week of October 31, 2022. If you have questions or feedback, please contact Councilwoman Ramos at Odette.ramos@baltimorecity.gov.

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From Councilwoman Odette Ramos:

The traffic calming for the D14 side of the neighborhood will be installed sometime this coming week.  I am unsure about the configuration for CM Torrence’s side and he can report back on this.

A few things to note here: 

1. This is traffic calming that needed to be done anyway.  One thing I learned from door knocking during the campaign was that addressing these traffic issues was important for residents, it is something that is important across my district.  These are being installed whether or not the Roland Water Tower road eventually is opened or closed because the improvements are needed either way.
2. The crosswalk suggested for Evans Chapel and Providence will be installed in the spring.  We were too late to get the design in for this time, but DOT [Dept. of Transportation] has committed to get it in the Spring.
3. I am working with Roland Park Place to address the parking issue on Roland. Apparently the people who are hired by the residents at RPP are parking in the street and the business would like to see more turnover since we are losing spaces there to create a turn lane.  We will report back on progress but they are committed to finding a solution.
4. Adjustments can be made to these patterns on Evans Chapel and 40^th.  The reason the City is using flexposts and paint is so that we actually see the how the traffic calming is working and can make adjustments.

Here is the message from DOT about this:

Discussions with residents last spring and summer and fall yielded the following points:

1. High-crash rate at Roland and 40^th
2. Dangerous sight distance issue at Evans Chapel and 40^th/41^st
3. Stop condition at Evans Chapel and Providence

The attached plan would provide left turn lanes for northbound and southbound traffic. The elimination of the peak-hour parking restriction on the 1000-block of W 40^th allows residents to not have to move their cars, and creates a right-turn-only lane on westbound 40^th and Roland. This single thru-lane would allow for improved daylighting at Evan’s Chapel. This daylighting and lane reduction will greatly increase the sight distance for cars turning from Evan’s Chapel. Flexpost bump-outs were provided wherever possible to increase pedestrian safety and reduce speeds. This design accommodates all current bus route turning movements through the intersection. Additionally, residents expressed concern with stop sign running at Evans Chapel and Providence. There will be new striping and additional signage to increase visibility to drivers.

I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks

Odette

Odette Ramos

Baltimore City Councilwoman District 14

Odette.ramos@baltimorecity.gov

Office: 410-396-4814

One additional note:  We had a walk through with DOT and two rounds of meetings with them in the Spring and Summer of last year for this design.  Again, we can make minor adjustments as we see how the patterns work.

Saturday 9/24/22

5:00 – 7:00pm

BYO chair/blanket and picnic

Flyer

We’d love to have you share your musical talents at the open mic! Email Cindy Swiss (stradviolin1@gmail.com) to sign up in advance, or you can sign up at the event. 

Organized by the Friends of the Roland Water Tower

The 8/5 musical performance is postponed one week

Due to the weather forecast, we have delayed the 8/5 musical performance one week.  Please come join your neighbors next Friday, August 12th, from 5-7 pm.  Luke M and Bobby B will be playing acoustic guitars and performing the Beatles , Tom Petty, Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and much more.  Bobby B is a frequent performer at Phillips Seafood in the Inner Harbor and Turf Valley in Ellicott City.  His website is www.bobbyb.biz. Hope to see you all there!
FLEA MARKET
Medfield is hosting a Flea Market at the Tower, Saturday August 13th, 9am-3pm, weather permitting. Books, clothes, house/kitchen stuff, furniture, electronics, art, DVDs, cassettes, vinyl, thingamajigs, doodads, knicknacks, bric-a-brac! Neighbors, please join in and bring your own if you have things to sell! Joe Macleod is organizing so if you want to have a table, email him at joe.macleod@gmail.com.  

For all events at the Tower, or just every day walks at the Tower, remember that there is no one to pick up after you.  Please leave the Tower park clean!

Have questions or thoughts, email rolandwatertower@rolandpark.org.

The final presentation of the future Roland Water Tower Park plans were presented on Sunday June 26th with more than 50 people in attendance. People were excited and energized to see the plans for a park for people of all ages and a vibrant space for community activities.

A multi-neighborhood team of volunteers worked for two years to coordinate community input and manage the process to come up with this plan. There have been multiple on-site meetings, surveys and presentations, and multiple reviews and approvals of the plans by city and state agencies.  

The final park design does not include a road through the park. The committee took almost a year listen to community concerns about traffice and to research if the road could be partially opened in the long-term. However, they found no reasonable path forward to fund a safe, well-maintained road. 

To ease traffic congestion now, the north side of the Roland Water Tower is open one way from Roland Avenue to Evans Chapel. This is a temporary measure until the park construction starts, to allow time for traffic improvements to be in place, and to accommodate the considerable utility construction underway in Hoes Heights and Heathbrook. Traffic signs have been installed and barriers are in place to keep pedestrians in the park safe from car traffic. 

Check out this great article about the park in the Baltimore Fishbowl.

Want to get involved in the next steps and events? You are welcome to join the Friends of the Roland Water Tower. Contact rolandwatertower@rolandpark.org for more information. 

You can view the drawings and presentation boards below.