Hyattsville residents are least satisfied with city traffic flow

The 2018 Hyattsville Resident Satisfaction survey results showed that residents are least satisfied with flow of traffic, street maintenance and effectiveness of economic development in their city. City council members discussed these initial results in a city council Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2018. However, plans to actually improve traffic flow continue to move slowly.

Hyattsville city surveys are conducted once every three years. Hyattsville started conducting the 2018 survey in April on a per-household basis. A total of 587 valid survey responses were received.

Results were disproportionate to city demographics. 45% of respondents had incomes of $100,000 or more and 52% of respondents were White.

“Looking at this data, you can tell it is not very representative of the city,” said Isabelle Cañete-Medina, managing principal of Cañete-Medina, an outside consulting firm from Chicago that conducted the survey. “Despite our best efforts, this is what we received and we will have to analyze it as such.”

However, when weighting the survey for household income, the results differed by less than 1%, according to Canete-Medina.

Cañete-Medina analyzed the data using resident satisfaction and residence importance to improve, coming up with a list of priorities for the city. The top three were: Overall flow of traffic on major streets, overall maintenance of city streets and sidewalks and overall effectiveness of economic development.

Hyattsville is currently prioritizing improving traffic flow, but it is unclear if progress is being made. In 2017, Hyattsville partnered with the Toole Design group to improve city transportation. In May 2018, the Toole Design group and Departments of Public Works and Zoning and Planning released results of their transportation study, called the Hyattsville Transportation Plan. The plan includes “goals, policies, and strategies to shape public and private transportation initiatives for the next decade.”

The top priority project out of 51 projects outlined in the plan was the Hamilton Street Complete Street Design and Construction. Hamilton Street has been identified as a traffic area that “has long stretches without sidewalks, no bicycle accommodations, and has an overly wide design that encourages speeding and unsafe driving behavior,” according to the Toole Design group. Although Hamilton Street runs through a residential neighborhood, it is a state highway that sits between Queens Chapel Road, Downtown Hyattsville and Magruder Park with significant traffic during rush hour.

However, Hamilton Street is state property, and therefore change needs to be coordinated with the state of Maryland before making further progress. Most major roads are also state property, and coordination with the state takes time.

This transportation study was finalized in a previous city council meeting on Oct. 1, 2018. The plan is currently posted on the Speak Up HVL! website and the Toole Design Group plans to meet again with the city council on Nov. 5 to discuss adoption.

Councilmember Wright voiced concerns with the “large dollar signs attached” to the plans. “Just cause it’s in here, doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen,” said Katie Gerber, community planner at Toole. Currently, residents are encouraged to post comments and critiques of the plan on Speak Up HVL! to improve traffic flow and transportation.