Pedestrian struck on N. Washington St. in Rockville

Montgomery County police are investigating a collision that left a Rockville woman hospitalized with life-threatening injuries yesterday. Dena Elise Balistocky, 57, of the 200 block of North Washington Street, was crossing the southbound lanes of North Washington in the area of Dawson Avenue around 5:25 PM Tuesday, when she was struck by a 2015 Toyota Corolla. The Corolla was driven by Chinthaka Chaturan Amalage Don of Gaithersburg.

Detectives are attempting to learn the circumstances of the collision, including Balistocky’s direction of travel, what the traffic signal indicated at the time of the collision, and whether Balistocky was in the area of the crosswalk.

Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.

New name, new management for longtime Rockville gas station (Photos)

The sign says it all: "Under new management." So does the sign that disappeared. The longtime Exxon station at 200 N. Washington Street in Rockville has a new name, after decades under its original. Hickman's Exxon is now Town Center Exxon.

The switch in ownership actually happened over the summer, but the official rebranding is only happening now. That may be because original owner John Hickman passed away on October 17. I like the retro font on the "town center" signs.

The original J.C. Hickman
sign, from Google Maps

Same wall, now with
"Town Center Exxon"
sign

SHOULD N. WASHINGTON STREET SLOW DOWN?

A change in Rockville policy could give the city's Public Works Director broader, but more defined, authority to determine parking and - in practice - throughput on roads in Business Districts. Some on the Montgomery County Council have sought similar power to slow down traffic, but in many cases those county roads are actually controlled by the State Highway Administration.

Part of an increasingly nationwide effort to reduce speeds, the objective is not always purely about public safety. For some, it is sincerely a safety or business development issue. A few proponents are part of the "war on cars," who seek to make driving as painful as possible, in the hopes of forcing drivers to "get out of their cars," and use public transit. Others include developers seeking to maximize development potential of properties along busy roads and highways, such as Rockville Pike. Plans for outdoor cafes on the curbside of roads where cars rush by have, understandably, sounded quite preposterous. Seeking to lower the embarrassment level for themselves, many have seized upon the idea of taking control of those roads, and forcing traffic to slow to 25 MPH (or even 10 MPH, in New York City). That concept is specifically being floated for state roads in the White Flint area, as well as for parts of Georgia Avenue, to name a few.

One Rockville street targeted by the potential new policy is N. Washington Street. Under the proposed policy, it could become a two-lane road with street parking. Should N. Washington Street become a 2-lane crawlspace like Maryland Avenue? A potential problem, which of course is the source of much traffic on N. Washington, is that it functions as a bypass or parallel route for MD 355.  It is also an alternative route to reaching parts of the town center area. Snarled capacity on N. Washington could have a direct and negative effect on 355 traffic.

Public Works Director Craig Simoneau told the Mayor and Council Monday evening that the new policy would actually better define his existing powers to make road classification and parking decisions. Mayor Bridget Newton expressed concern that these decisions not be removed from the discretion of the city's elected officials. Simoneau argued that he currently possesses more leeway on these matters, and that a new policy would clarify his authority.