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Road Design
We suggest the State and County Highway Administration
study newly widened as well as existing roads and correct any dangerous
conditions created by landowners placing objects too close to the roadway. (For
example: steel objects, reflectors, ornamental fences, or trees). ’07
We recommend that the State Highway Administration and
county roads departments consult the Maryland Department of Agriculture when
designing islands or the placement of road signs and mailboxes so that they do
not prohibit or make difficult the passage of farm machinery. (For example,
signs or mailboxes should not be placed directly opposite each other on both
sides of the road. Staggering signs and mailboxes on either side of a roadway
provides more room for the passage of very large equipment.) We suggest that
batteries of mailboxes be used where possible and placed off of the main road in
new developments. ‘08
We urge the State Highway Administration to improve
access for farm equipment at the signalized intersections on Maryland highways.
’06
We urge the Department of Transportation to review the
use of traffic circles on state highways to identify problems involved with
moving farm equipment around the circles and through the intersection and to
establish guidelines to solve the problems. '02
We believe that land involved in highway interchanges
should be properly designed and landscaped so that it is free of sight
obstructions, attractive and easily maintained. We encourage the state to plant
buffers on state property, including state highways on/off ramps and median
strips and maintain them following the same requirements placed on CREP areas.
’05
No curbing should be placed on rural roads with less
than 13 feet from the centerline to the curb.’07
Road Construction
An efficient highway system is of extreme importance to
the economy of the state. We urge that a highway system, including adequate
bridges, be built and maintained, to provide for the movement of goods and
produce throughout the state. However, due to the high cost of highway
construction, we recommend, where feasible, that existing roads and bridges be
upgraded and improved instead of building new roads along different routes.’07
We encourage the State Highway Administration to
install painted islands rather than concrete islands at intersections wherever
feasible. ’07
We urge that revenues from the highway fuel taxes be
used for highway construction and maintenance only. '03
We believe that the state's share of the overall
operation and maintenance cost of the mass transit systems should be limited to
25%, with 75% coming from the users and the local jurisdiction served by the
system. ‘05
We urge the counties and state to enforce the law
requiring anyone working along our roads to provide safety devices and personnel
to insure safe travel, as does the State Highway Department. ’07
We encourage the State Highway Administration to
proceed with urgently needed road construction projects. ‘08
We recommend that the State Highway Administration
begin construction on a project within five (5) years after they acquire the
land. Furthermore, we believe the owner of the land acquired should have the
opportunity to use the land until the construction of the project has been
initiated. ‘08
We are opposed to an increase in the State Fuel Tax.
’06
Road Maintenance
The increasing hazard of tree limbs hanging in the
roadway or on the edge makes it difficult to transport wide farm machinery. We
recommend that trees and limbs be cut back a minimum of five (5) feet from the
road edge and to a height of 16 feet on the shoulder, with reflective material
placed on guide wires and poles that are surrounded or at the very edge of the
pavement.’05
We strongly urge the State Highway Administration to
reinstate its policy of mowing the roadside rights-of-way and medians to ensure
public safety and to enhance scenic views. ’05
The government should increase the level of maintenance
to insure safe passage of vehicles. '04
We urge the state and local government and utility
companies to undertake a public education program to teach citizens that trees
do not live forever and there is a need to inspect, harvest and remove older,
hazardous and diseased trees. '04
We recommend that the State Highway Administration send
advance notification to adjacent landowners whenever plantings are scheduled
along the SHA right-of-way. ’05
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