Open Letter To Anne Arundel County Maryland

Dear Anne Arundel County,

For lack of a better word, you suck. You have destroyed the quality of life for me and for many of the families on my road. The road I am referring to is the segment of Jumpers Hole Road (JHR) that connects Richie Highway with Mountain Road. It’s a short little County road about 2/3 of a mile in length passing through a residential zone.

The County has turned this road in front of our homes into a freeway for most of the day. God damn you. Speaking for myself – I never signed up for this. Former County Councils and executive management were clearly out of touch from 2013 onward. County management comes and goes, but I say this… if you didn’t create this traffic nightmare you might as well have. That’s because you maintain it, you perpetuate the problem, and fail to correct it year after year.

Allow me to quote from Severnaparkvoice.com (September 7, 2016)

“Traffic is a problem at the Jumpers Hole intersection, and adding another block of townhomes to this area will cause a significant increase in traffic,” said Pat Lynch, a member of the Broadneck Council of Communities.  Did the Anne Arundel County Council heed this warning?  Hell no! Full speed ahead, let’s change zoning add hundreds of apartments and townhomes because we don’t have to live there.

In 2014 I purchased a home on that JHR segment when the average daily traffic was less then 3000 vehicles.  Fast forward 10 years. In 2024 the average daily traffic is over 20,000 vehicles per the County’s own study. That is vehicles of all shapes and sizes.  When 18-wheelers rumble down this road 51 feet from my front door it actually vibrates my house.

The current County representatives struggle to understand the level of noise this traffic creates six days a week.  So let me provide you with a picture of this noise. The following graph was generated with a professional acoustic data logger, and used to measure the traffic noise. You can’t make this stuff up.

This meets the definition of “Noise Pollution” defined in the Code of Maryland Administrative Regulations (COMAR 26.02.03.01). You might as well have a freight train running down this road.  Actually, a freight train would be better because it passes quickly and it’s done for the day.  The JHR traffic noise often lasts for 15 hours a day, starting before 7:00am.

Any high-school graduate can read and understand the noise definition in the Maryland Environment Code, Environ. Art., § 3-401(a).  It establishes the following default noise standard by regulation: A person may not cause or permit noise levels which exceed those specified in this table.

Table 1 Maximum Allowable Noise Levels (dBA) for Receiving Land Use Categories

Clearly, Anne Arundel County has allowed the traffic noise on Jumpers Hole Road to FAR exceed the above allowed threshold. I realize AA County is responsible for noise control, and they have obviously failed.

As the County Executive, Mr. Pittman pledged to make Anne Arundel County “The Best Place – For All,” by “Putting Communities First.”  What happened to the Woodholme community? I have to wonder what planet he’s from.  I guess there wasn’t much vehicle traffic out there on Dodon Farm.  The residents of the Woodholme community who don’t live on JHR still have to deal with unreasonable traffic volume simply trying to access JHR.

Allow me to quote the words from the Maryland Code Environment § 3-102:  “That the people of this State have a right to an environment that is free from any noise that: May jeopardize their health, general welfare, or property; or Degrades the quality of their lives. That there is a substantial body of knowledge about the adverse effects of excessive noise on the public health…”

On days when I work from home, I hear traffic when I wake up, still hear traffic in my home office, still hear traffic at the dinner table, still hear traffic when I go to bed. What a f—ed-up environment! I’m tired of wearing ear plugs. If you like opening your windows during nice weather – you can forget that on this road. In 2021 my next door neighbor moved because of the traffic noise. Here is a sample: https://vimeo.com/994370935

The County needs to reduce the traffic volume and slow down the cars! They have known about this issue for many years.  The last time I checked the County was not even able to measure traffic noise.  I guess that means they don’t care. I think it’s time for the State to step in given that Anne Arundel County lacks the will or competence.

Sincerely,
Gregory Cox