After Hit-and-Run, Speeding, Recklessness Ongoing Problems

UPDATE (Jan. 26, 3:35 p.m.)—Days after a on Seven Courts Drive in Perry Hall, police said they have no suspects in the case.

The incident, however, has raised concerns among community members about traffic safety on the busy roadway.

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At about 7 p.m. Jan. 22, a vehicle stopped to allow a woman to cross Seven Courts Drive. Another vehicle then drove around the stopped vehicle, striking and killing 68-year-old , police said. The vehicle then fled the scene.

Police are encouraging anyone with information on the suspect vehicle—described as a light-colored, four-door Ford 500 sedan, built between 2005 and 2007—to come forward, police spokeswoman Louise Rogers-Feher said.

The car likely has damage to the right front bumper, the right headlight and possibly the hood and right front panel, she said. No information was available on the vehicle's license plates.

Anyone with information that could assist in the ongoing investigation is asked to call police at 410-307-2020.

Following the incident, dozens of people commented on the and Facebook page about traffic concerns near the area where Moore was killed. Speeding and reckless driving on the 30 mph roadway is a common problem, community members stated, and crossing any portion of the street can be dangerous.

There are only two designated crosswalks—one at and another at the traffic circle at —along the mile-long southern stretch of Seven Courts Drive.

The area between the crosswalks, however, includes access to the , , and .

is a resident of Bourbon Court, the same street that Moore lived on, just yards away from the scene of the hit-and-run.

"[The hit-and-run] is not surprising at all," Webb said. "Some mornings, it takes maybe 10 minutes to get out of Bourbon Court because of the speeding and aggressive driving ... you have to wait for the road to be entirely clear.

"No one is allowed to walk to the school. All of the kids have to take the bus," Webb said.

Even then, she said she worries about her children's safety while they wait to board the bus at the corner of Bourbon Court and Seven Courts Drive.

"Cars fly by just inches away from them," she said.

Lisa Kennedy, director of the senior center, said several members live in surrounding Seven Courts neighborhoods. She's reluctant, however, to encourage those members to walk to the center because of the heavy traffic.

"I've seen the way people fly down here," Kennedy said. "Crossing the street is dangerous anytime, but I certainly wouldn't want anyone crossing the street at night, even at a crosswalk."

Several local streets pose hazards for seniors, she said.

"Silver Spring Road is bad, too. We had a center member killed there about four years ago because someone sped into them," she added.

Additional crosswalks could be considered for Seven Courts Drive, "but they would not automatically reduce speeding without more signage and a law enforcement presence," County Councilman wrote in an email to Patch.

Marks, who has proposed and supported several traffic calming measures in Perry Hall neighborhoods, stated that Seven Courts Drive is not eligible for speed humps because it is classified as a "collector" roadway.

"According to the [Baltimore County] Department of Public Works, options to reduce speeding would not involve construction or engineering improvements," he wrote.

The only options for speed reduction include increased police enforcement, a radar display board or the installation of a within Seven Oaks Elementary's school zone, according to Marks.

While the investigation of the hit-and-run is being handled by county police headquarters in Towson, traffic law enforcement over the Seven Courts area is conducted by the on Harford Road.

Precinct officers are working to address speeding and dangerous conditions on Seven Courts Drive, according to Lt. Paul Franzoni.

What kinds of traffic calming measures would you support along Seven Courts Drive, between Perry Hall and Parkville? Tell us in the comments.