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[History] [Mission] [County Overview]
Task Force History
A comprehensive advisory task force which is representative of Frederick County was established in the spring of 1997. The task force is comprised of the local law enforcement community, traffic engineers, the health and medical community, local governmental agencies, schools, the fire and rescue system, media, and local businesses.
The purpose of the Task Force is to develop and modify a multi-year comprehensive plan. The plan will outline the jurisdiction's identified traffic safety needs which is based on thorough problem identification, needs, and assessments.
The Task Force has identified six problem areas: aggressive driving, impaired driving, mature drivers, occupant protection, pedestrians/bicyclists, and young drivers.
Our Mission
The mission of the Frederick County Highway Safety Task Force is to serve as an ongoing mechanism to enhance highway traffic safety throughout Frederick County, Maryland by:
- Identifying the nature and extent of existing and emerging highway traffic safety problems
- Ascertaining the circumstances that contribute to these problems or affect their amelioration
- Developing a multi-year, comprehensive Highway Safety Plan
- Generating multi-disciplinary programs, projects, and activities to carry out the Plan
- Recommending the uses of State, Federal, and other resources available to the county for this specific purpose
- Coordinating traffic safety efforts of the various agencies, institutions, organizations, businesses, and other interests
- Evaluating the effectiveness of traffic safety measures
- Promoting traffic safety activities/actions by those groups having the available resources
- Providing a forum for the exchange of highway safety information
- Promoting safe driving behavior by all who use our streets and highways
Frederick County Overview
Frederick County is a growing community of 183,523 residents. With 664 square miles of area, it's the largest county in Maryland. There are almost 72,000 housing units in the county. It is home to the third largest city in the state and contains many smaller municipalities. The City of Frederick is located 45 miles from Washington, DC and 47 miles from Baltimore and serves as a hub connecting these major metropolitan areas.
There are eight other incorporated cities and towns in Frederick. They are Brunswick, Burkittsville, Emmitsburg, Middletown, Myersville, Rosemont, Thurmont, Walkersville, and Woodsboro.
Population:
The County is experiencing rapid population growth. Since 1990 census, Frederick County's population has increased by 42,495. The population in 1998 was 192,703. The population is expected to reach 281,710 by the year 2020. In 1994, 42% of the population was estimated to be between 20-44 years of age. The mature population, 55 or older, is estimated to raise from 16.3% to 27.1% by the year 2010.
Education:
Frederick County has 32 public elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and 8 high schools. The County also has one alternative school and a career vocational technical school. Presently, over 35,000 students are enrolled in public schools and the number is steadily growing. In addition, there are 23 private elementary schools and 2 private high schools in Frederick County.
The town of Emmitsburg serves as the home for Mount Saint Mary's College, which is a private four-year college with an enrollment of 1,900. Frederick Community College and Hood College are located in the City of Frederick. Frederick Community College has an enrollment of 4,200 and Hood College has over 1,850 students.
Businesses:
The County has over 4,200 businesses, which employs over 51,000 workers. Some of the County's largest employers include Frederick County Board of Education, State Farm Insurance Companies, Toys 'R' Us Distribution Center, Frederick Memorial Hospital, and Eastalco Aluminum. The U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Detrick, with 4,800 employees, is the largest employer in the area.
Over forty percent Frederick County residents commute outside the county for employment. Many of these commuters use the vast network of interstate, state, and local roadways to reach their place of employment whether it is Washington D.C., Baltimore, or some other nearby locale. The average commuting time is between 60-90 minutes. Over 15,000 employees commute to Frederick from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and neighboring Maryland counties.
There are 40 business and industrial parks in Frederick. Presently, there are forty-nine existing shopping centers with five more proposed. In 1998, the County issued 354 commercial or industrial permits.
Public Safety:
Four different municipalities have a law enforcement agency. Frederick County Sheriff's Department has 45 deputies for traffic enforcement. The City of Frederick Police Department has 97 sworn personnel. The townships of Brunswick and Thurmont have 11 and nine officers respectfully. Maryland State Police Barracks in Frederick has 47 troopers whose primary responsibility is the interstate roadway system.
There are twenty-seven fire & rescue companies located in Frederick County. The County provides an Advanced Life Support system. There were 14,000 EMS runs Frederick County last year.
Frederick Memorial Hospital is located in the city of Frederick. It is a primary care facility with 200 beds. The emergency room is a Level 2 Center and handled over 47,000 patients in 1996. The hospital also serves the community through a Wellness Center.
Frederick County Health Department is charged to provide or assure cost effective preventive health services to the citizens of Frederick County. The program areas are the Child Development Center (including dental services), Environmental Health, Mental Health, Nursing Services, Scott Key Center for the Developmentally Disabled, Substance Abuse Treatment & Prevention, and a supported food program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
Transportation:
Interstate routes I-270 and I-70 and U.S. Routes 15 and 40 make Frederick the gateway to Western Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. Thirty-four (34) motor carriers serve the County. In Frederick near Interstate 70, is a truck center which serves many of these carriers.
Every year numerous visitors travel to Frederick County to visit one of the major state or federal parks which include Cunningham Falls, Washington Monument State Park, Sugarloaf Mountain, C&O Canal Towpath, and Catoctin National Park. Other local attractions include historical downtown Frederick, religious shrines in Emmitsburg, and the Brunswick Railroad Museum. Among the yearly events are the Great Frederick Fair, New Market Days, and Wings of Freedom Air Show.
Projecting increases in traffic is a difficult task, due to the varying levels of development occurring across the County. Dramatic increases in traffic can occur on any local road or various feeder roads depending upon the degree of development. To provide a general indicator of trends, the 1998 Maryland Traffic Volume Map was used is identfying existing traffic counts at certain locations on major roadways across the County.
Frederick County is experiencing a dramatic increase in traffic on its major roadways that connect the community with the surrounding region. These increases have occurred as a result of a combination of factors including: increased development countywide, increases in employment in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and increases in interstate traffic.
[History] [Mission] [County Overview]