Public's Input Sought In Safer Streets Project Underway In Bel Air, Aberdeen

BEL AIR, MD — The town of Bel Air has teamed up with the city of Aberdeen and city of Havre de Grace to use a $175,000 federal grant to study how the three municipalities can make their streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, mass transit users and people with disabilities.

The Harford County communities are working with a consultant to conduct the studies that will include public input, an analysis of traffic and pedestrian counts, crash data and reviews of intersections that are considered problematic or unsafe.

Bel Air residents can give their input during a public workshop on Monday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bel Air Armory at 37 N. Main Street. A workshop will be held in Aberdeen Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Aberdeen City Council Chambers, 60 N. Parke Street. People also are encouraged to provide feedback through a survey.

Officials are wanting to improve pedestrian safety in town with a "zero deaths approach."

"Bel Air has been fortunate to have few fatal crashes involving pedestrians in recent years – some fatalities that have happened include a 78-year-old woman struck by a pickup truck while crossing South Bond Street at Courtland Street in November of 2017, as well as a 29-year-old man who was hit while crossing Route 24 at MacPhail Road in December of 2023," said Bel Air Planning Director Kevin Small during a Jan. 30 work session with town commissioners.

Nine intersections in Bel Air have been identified for study. They include:

• Office Street and Courtland Street at South Bond Street near the Circuit Court and District Court buildings
• Kenmore Road at South Main Street near Bel Air High School
• Ellendale Street at North Main Street near the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail entrance
• Moores Mill Road at North Hickory Avenue by the Del Plaza shopping center
• Pennsylvania Avenue at North Hickory near the Bel Air Library and the municipal parking garage
• Lee Way and North Hickory near Bel Air Elementary School, Saint Margaret Parish and Shamrock Park
• East Lee Street and Main Street near the Armory
• Gordon Street at the confluence of Bond and Main Streets near the Shop Rite supermarket and many other businesses
• MacPhail Road at South Main Street near Homestead Wakefield Elementary School

The planning phase of the pedestrian safety improvement project is expected to last through June, Small said. He plans to apply to the USDOT by July for additional grant funds to implement recommendations in the consultant’s report and safety fixes that the commissioners set as their priorities.