I'm not a great writer and I have no political ambitions. I'm just a guy who walks up-and-down Fenton Steet almost everyday. I've been doing it for years.
To me, Fenton Street is one of the most important streets in Silver Spring, or in Montgomery County, for that matter.
This blog is intended to explain why, and to show the neglect this important street is suffering from. I'm going to walk down-and-up Fenton - as I always do - and show you the important stuff, and the problems.
I am focusing on infrastructure and public facilities, and current practices of government on Fenton Street. I'm intentionally avoiding focusing on private individuals or property.and will make all attempts to avoid images that identify individuals. If I inadvertently take photos of individuals I will immediately delete them.
That being said, it is important to understand something about the video I take. My worst fear is that I will be struck at an intersection, and someone will think that it was my fault. As a blind person, I am careful and deliberate about crossing the street. There have been many close calls over the years, and I expect there will be many more. If it happens that I am eventually struck, There will almost always be proof of what actually happened laying around close-by. I carry one or more of four digital cameras with me when I am out. Cheap. Nothing fancy. Discreet. Pocket cameras. As a routine, I only record video while crossing an intersection. I take scenic photos often, because I have macular degeneration, and I still have sight to see digital images if I use a large screen and accessibility options. I have been taken photos of my neighborhood for over a decade. These photos are how I see the detail in my world. More of it, anyway...
So, let's begin in the middle. For starters, I submit this video taken New Year's Eve, as my wife and I walked down Fenton to Sushi Gin for dinner. A bus driver sweeps the curb with his side-view mirror. Fortunately, he gave us a honk to warn us. Seemed a bit reckless, to me. I stand-out on this curb because there are two utility poles blocking the view from drivers taking a right onto Wayne Aveneu. From experience I know that when they see you clearly they are less likely to try and run you over. Maybe not so true, for the bus driver, anyway.
To me, Fenton Street is one of the most important streets in Silver Spring, or in Montgomery County, for that matter.
This blog is intended to explain why, and to show the neglect this important street is suffering from. I'm going to walk down-and-up Fenton - as I always do - and show you the important stuff, and the problems.
That being said, it is important to understand something about the video I take. My worst fear is that I will be struck at an intersection, and someone will think that it was my fault. As a blind person, I am careful and deliberate about crossing the street. There have been many close calls over the years, and I expect there will be many more. If it happens that I am eventually struck, There will almost always be proof of what actually happened laying around close-by. I carry one or more of four digital cameras with me when I am out. Cheap. Nothing fancy. Discreet. Pocket cameras. As a routine, I only record video while crossing an intersection. I take scenic photos often, because I have macular degeneration, and I still have sight to see digital images if I use a large screen and accessibility options. I have been taken photos of my neighborhood for over a decade. These photos are how I see the detail in my world. More of it, anyway...
So, let's begin in the middle. For starters, I submit this video taken New Year's Eve, as my wife and I walked down Fenton to Sushi Gin for dinner. A bus driver sweeps the curb with his side-view mirror. Fortunately, he gave us a honk to warn us. Seemed a bit reckless, to me. I stand-out on this curb because there are two utility poles blocking the view from drivers taking a right onto Wayne Aveneu. From experience I know that when they see you clearly they are less likely to try and run you over. Maybe not so true, for the bus driver, anyway.
To me, it seemed that the driver was trying to beat the light. He had another vehicle in his blind spot, and wasn't sure if he had enough room to move over to avoid sweeping the curb. So he honked. It must have seemed to him easier for us to step back than to either slow down or move over a little. The mind of a driver trying to squeeze every little bit out of his right-of-way time.
It made us both feel a little bit like characters in that driver's video game.
Hopefully, all this will start to make more sense as we go along. I beg your indulgence with my poor editing skills.
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