"I understand we need to get updated traffic numbers, but there are other issues that could be addressed," said David Marks, president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association. "We could look at zoning. We could look at landscaping. There's a range of issues that don't depend on a traffic study." "I envisioned it moving faster than it is," said Mike Rupp, president of the Carney Improvement Association. "I don't think they are taking this very seriously."

The study, kicked off by Councilman Joe Bartenfelder on June 12, was set up to examine the current land-use patterns on the busy thoroughfare and provide recommendations for future use. During the 2000 comprehensive zoning cycle, the majority of proposals requesting rezoning on Joppa Road were denied to allow for a study to prevent haphazard commercial and residential zoning.

A citizens advisory board was created to help make recommendations and offer feedback to the office of planning. After two meetings, the study was postponed in July to allow for a traffic study of Joppa Road to obtain up-to-date data. That study has not been solidified yet, said Darrell Wiles, chief of the county's department of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering. The next step is to meet with the planning office to determine the scope and cost of the traffic study, Wiles said. "Other county-wide projects have been completed or are near completion," he said. "We will turn our attention to this shortly." Wiles said he would be prepared to meet with the county's office of planning in the next month.

Pat Keller, director of the office of planning, said he has not set a date to meet with transportation officials and restart the project, but said he was planning to do so soon. So far, money has not been secured for the traffic study by the traffic engineering, Wiles said. Funds have not been secured for the corridor study in the planning department either, Keller said. Both said funding will be considered after they sit down to figure out the scope of the traffic study. Keller insists the planning office is committed to the project. "We started it and we will finish it," he said. "There are a lot of question marks but the will is there to get it done." Keller said concerns about Joppa Road, a five-lane road with a mix of commercial and residential property, are common to other corridors in the county and that its study may serve as a model for other corridors. "Everything done (in this project) is applicable to other parts of the county," he said.

When the scope of the traffic study is determined, Keller estimated it will take between four to six months to complete. At that point, the advisory group will reconvene and "rock and roll," said Keller, who expects funding to be made available. "It's a big county," he said. "If there's a will, there is a way." Wiles said his department is also taking the project seriously, but it needs to determine "how comprehensive a study is necessary."

Donna Spicer, executive director of Loch Raven community council and business association criticized Councilman Joe Bartenfelder of Fullerton for not taking a bigger lead in the project. Loch Raven is not included in the project, which is designed to study Joppa Road from Perring Parkway to Belair Road. However, Loch Raven, which lies in the 4th councilmanic district, will be impacted by any decisions on zoning or traffic, she said. "Joe Bartenfelder is ... reneging on his responsibilities by not addressing this issue," Spicer said. Bartenfelder said last week he has not heard any complaints or concerns from residents about the progress of the study. He said he was aware of the postponement due to the traffic study but felt, overall, the project was "moving along." "I've never seen anything in government move very swiftly," he said. Bartenfelder said he has left the study in the hands of the planning office and advisory board members "to keep politics out of it."

Under new redistricting lines to take effect in 2002, the 6th District will include only a small portion of Joppa Road. The majority of Joppa Road between Perring Parkway and Belair Road will fall in the new District 5. "He can wash his hands of it," Spicer said. "That's not fair to the incoming councilman or to the existing communities." Bartenfelder said any connection made between his current role and new redistricting lines is "reading a little too much into it." "It is a joint effort between the 5th and 6th District, anyway," he said.

Carol McEvoy, a Cub Hill resident who said she serves on the board of the Cub Hill Civic Association and is a member of the advisory board for the corridor study, said she is looking forward to getting started again and hearing the planning and transportation office's plans. "The next comprehensive zoning cycle is in 2004," McEvoy said. "If we are taking a little time now, I don't think it's much of a problem. It has to be looked at carefully. It shouldn't be rushed."