United Cerebral Palsy bus involved in

serious crash at Rt. 235 and Airport View Drive

 

HOLLYWOOD ---  The developers and their puppets, otherwise known as the St. Mary's Commissioners, who have been adding new developments and structures to both sides of the intersection of Rt. 235 at the Early Bird can enjoy the scene of the latest calamity of their making when a bus trying to cross the southbound lanes of Rt. 235 just before 4 pm Monday, failed to yield to a southbound Ford F-250 and a really terrible collision occurred.  Metcom Commissioner Joe St. Clair, who while he was on the planning commission, found few developments in the area to oppose, worked hard over the past few years to have his old Swing and Swat business turned into a new townhouse development, which is now going on the market.  St. Clair even pompously opposed some developments, perhaps not belonging to his pals, while working on having his own development proceed and obtain approvals. The county recently approved a new office building for Smartronics at an intersection just north of this dangerous Airport View Drive intersection and during the approval process said that the firm should have to contribute to the erection of a traffic signal if it is deemed required.   What the county should find that would make the intersection need a traffic signal more than the inability of cross traffic to be able to safely cross Rt. 235 is perhaps known only to the mental midgets in Leonardtown who play Monopoly with the Planning and Sewer commissions in order to enrich themselves and their cronies.  In addition to the wide open and dangerous intersection of Airport View Drive are the nearby Clarke's Landing and Bean Building intersections.  At these deadly intersections, as many as 16 legal turns can be made by drivers with many drivers determined to make them at the same time.  St. Mary's County has embarked on a path of ignoring these intersections and failing to earmark them for being critical and in need of changes.  The political power of Dr. Vinny Shah, who heads the Shah Associates, apparently has not been able to be used for the benefit of his patients.  Older patients who are among the hundreds of motorists who enter and leave the Shah's Bean Medical Center each day have a tough time coming out and making a left turn at this dangerous intersection.  One such patient was former Commissioner President J. Wilmer Bowles, who misjudged the speed of a southbound driver and pulled out in front of him.  Bowles was smashed to death and died on the spot by the southbound vehicle, much like today's wreck.  The gore at the scene of Bowles tragic death sickened a season state police sergeant on the scene. Since Bowles death, nothing has been done to contain or limit the ability of older and drugged drivers to leave the medical center.   Dr. Vinny Shah could not be reached for comment as he was out of the country. While St. Mary's County and the State of Maryland fail to do anything meaningful to speed up the day when commuter rail can run into the county on the old Navy railroad right of way, the officials continue to add and expand sewer and water lines in the Hollywood area, allow explosive development at Wildewood and fail to require developers such as St. Clair to participate in the cost of new traffic signals which would help the existing flow of traffic and even help his future customers.