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Stories of Georgia/Forest Glen |
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A Forest Estates resident told Crossing Georgia the following story: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 - This evening at about 5:20pm, a group of four
pedestrians was crossing the north side of Georgia Avenue at Forest Glen.
It was a bright sunny afternoon, not too hot, so many cars had their
windows open. The four of us started in a group, crossing in the crosswalk
with the pedestrian walk signal. After crossing the southbound lands, two
of us were ahead of the others as we crossed the northbound lanes. As we
crossed the last lane before the curb, the driver of a compact car making a
right turn from Forest Glen to head north on Georgia Avenue started to yell
at us of his window to hurry. It looked like he was going to try to drive
between the two of us crossing a little faster and those crossing a little
slower. We weren't that far apart - maybe ten feet. When it became obvious
to the driver he wasn't going to be able to cut between us, he honked his
horn and swore at us, and sped through his turn as soon as the lane closest
to the median was clear. I understand drivers' frustration with the heavy
traffic through the intersection. However, it was scary to be in that
exposed and threatened position as a pedestrian.
The incident was particularly unnerving because the day before at about
2:30pm I had been crossing Forest Glen on the west side of its intersection
with Georgia Avenue. I was in the crosswalk, crossing with the pedestrian
signal. A car turning left from northbound Georgia onto westbound Forest
Glen during the regular green light (not using the dedicated left turn
arrow available midday) almost hit me. He screeched to a stop, as did I,
and then he went continued onto Forest Glen crossing in front of me to the
north of where I was standing in the crosswalk. A frightening close call.
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