Government

Prince George’s Councilwoman Readies Initiative to Change Driving Habits

WASHINGTON INFORMER — A Prince George’s County council member will announce Friday a new motorist safety initiative in the wake of several fatal crashes along one of the state’s most dangerous roads.

Published

5 years ago

March 30, 2019

Oakland Post

By William J. Ford

A Prince George’s County council member will announce Friday a new motorist safety initiative in the wake of several fatal crashes along one of the state’s most dangerous roads.

Councilwoman Monique Anderson-Walker (D-District 8) of Fort Washington will make the announcement at Oxon Hill High School for “#DrivingItHome,” which aims to dramatically decrease the number of accidents and traffic violations, particularly along Route 210 — also known as Indian Head Highway —in southern Prince George’s.

Since July, several fatal crashes occurred along the 20-mile stretch of highway, and police have issued more than 10,000 citations and traffic stops and investigated nearly 1,200 traffic accidents in the past three years, including 70 traffic-related arrests last year.

The goal for the councilwoman’s initiative will be to change drivers’ habits based on six principles: seatbelt use, texting while driving, driver distractions, drunk driving, highway speed, and aggressive driving.

“We just want to make sure that we bring up this younger group in a culture of understanding that driving is an awesome responsibility,” Anderson-Walker said. “When you get behind the wheel, you are not just impacting your life, but others in your car and people on the street around you.”

Presenting the #DrivingItHome campaign also seeks to encourage young people on driver safety and constantly repeat good habits on the road.

According to AAA, speeding accounts for 13 percent of crashes and 33 percent of all fatalities nationwide.

To avoid a suspension of a driver’s license, fines and injuries, the nonprofit organization composed of motor clubs suggests parents and guardians construct a “driving agreement” that can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2unBOxi. The recommendations include:

• checkpoints on when a teen drove at night, with peers, weather and road types.
• check in with a parent every time behind the wheel.
• obey all traffic signs and laws.
• don’t take unnecessary risks while driving tired, angry, or inclement weather.

“This driving campaign isn’t just about 210. This is about driving in general,” Anderson-Walker said. “We want people to have the right mindset when getting behind the wheel.”

Although the county police patrol the highway, Route 210 is a state road and approvals for speed cameras and other infrastructure must go before the Maryland General Assembly and other state agencies.

The House of Delegates passed legislation Monday for the county to install no more than three cameras, formerly called speed monitoring systems, along the highway.

Before they are installed, the county must publish a notice on its website and newspaper of general circulation and indicate its use within a school zone. Businesses, trees and some residences are near the highway.

The bill also requests the State Highway Administration and county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation to examine Route 210 on solutions to combat motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities. A report should be provided to the governor and General Assembly by May 31, 2021.

A hearing on the bill will take place March 28 before the Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Del. Kris Valderrama (D-District 26) of Fort Washington sponsored legislation last year to install a camera that faces southbound at Route 210 and Old Fort Road near the Livingston Square shopping center in Fort Washington.

“There was enough support to show this is a very serious issue and no one was going to back down,” she said. “We put in the work, but we’re done, yet.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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Bay Area

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.