Another Howard Co. Road Could Have a Traffic Calming Device Set Up

WOODSTOCK, MD — Dorchester Way is the next stretch of road under consideration for a traffic calming device. The community can weigh in on the county's plans for that road at a meeting planned for Wednesday.

The open house will start at 5 p.m. in the media center at Waverly Elementary School where attendees will hear the traffic calming plans for that stretch of road. Proposed strategies come from the Howard County Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy, which is designed to combat excessive vehicle speeds along roads.

The Howard County Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy was updated in 2024 and covers roads that are owned and maintained by Howard County government. Traffic calming measures generally have features associated with horizontal deflection, vertical deflection or geometrical modification, including speed humps, intersection bumps and traffic circles, according to the county's policy.

The following factors are taken into consideration when looking at a stretch of road that could benefit from a traffic calming measure, such as:

• Traffic volume
• Speed
• Crash history
• Street characteristics
• Proximity to people generators
• Equity emphasis area