BALTIMORE — It’s been 61 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington.

It’s a day cemented in the history books.

On August 28th, 1963 more than 250,000 people gathered in Washington D.C. for the March on Washington.

Rev. Douglas Sands, who leads a church in Carroll County, volunteered to be a marshal to ensure there was peace and order.

“One of the things that impressed me was to see so many banners that had good messages on them and identifying people from where they came. They brought their banners with them,” said Rev. Sands.

Rev. Sands says he was impressed by the words of Dr. King when he gave his speech.

“He stayed on message to continue to bring everybody on board who was listening to him to tell the truth about matters and to give some direction to go in,” said Rev. Sands.

Pikesville resident Roland Patterson Jr. was only a child during the march, but both of his parents traveled from New York City to be there.

Men and women of all backgrounds, certainly of our background, African American, traveled across the land, across the nation, bus, car, hitchhike because it was that important,” said Patterson.

Patterson says his mom and dad grew up in the Jim Crow era. His parents shared with him the importance of being at the march and the overall significance of the Civil Rights Act that was passed in 1964.

“The March on Washington being the catalytic event for the act made it a seminole event. So, whenever we were having a larger discussion, there would be reference back to the march,” said Patterson.

Patterson believes progress has been made in accomplishing Dr. King’s dream.

As evident with the Democratic nomination of Kamala Harris for president, but believes there’s still more work that needs to be done.

“There’s still institutional racism at large in the country today,” said Patterson.

While Rev. Sands believes Dr. King’s dream has become a reality.

“It has come true beyond what he expressed about the dream, said Rev. Sands.

Both Rev. Sands and Patterson are active with civil rights.

Patterson is a member of the Baltimore County NAACP.

Rev. Sands, who is 90, has been involved with civil rights since he was a college student at Morgan College, now known as Morgan State University.

Copyright © Travel And Tour World – All Rights Reserved

Manage consent

Transportation will be the launching point for the smart city journey in Falls Church, Va.

This small city of just more than 2 square miles near Washington, D.C., is beginning the first phase of a smart city initiative with Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute (VTTI) Division of Technology Implementation and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The project will involve traffic management technology modernization and signal upgrades.

“We are introducing modern signal controllers equipped with software designed to meet both current and future roadway needs,” Cindy L. Mester, Falls Church community relations and legislative affairs director, said via email. “These controllers will not only address today’s challenges, but also support the integration of connected and automated vehicles, ensuring that Falls Church is prepared for the transportation technologies of tomorrow.”

The “smart intersection” modernization is the project’s first component, and will update all of the signals on Broad and Washington streets — two major corridors. It will be completed in the fall of 2025. Other project phases include adaptive street lighting, smart parking, and tools to gather and analyze data. The project, to be completed in 2028, is being funded in part by a $10 million state grant managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation. The grant will fund the selection and deployment of a variety of technologies, in a set of categories.

VTTI will serve as “the technology implementer” while also conducting research.

Falls Church “prides itself on being kind of a pedestrian and biking community,” said Mike Mollenhauer, VTTI division director of technology implementation, who will serve as the university’s project lead.

“But they have roadways that have high traffic levels and congestion at various parts of the day,” Mollenhauer said, outlining some of the transportation challenges the city faces. “You want to move vehicles through the system. But you also want to make sure it’s a walkable and bikeable and livable community. And you have to try and strike a balance there, to make sure you aren’t overemphasizing one mechanism over another.”

VTTI will serve as a third-party evaluator for the technologies and assist the city in the design of the urban tech systems, which will then be handed over to the city for its technology officials to manage.

Beyond smart intersections, the project will also explore the deployment of intelligent parking and curb management, adaptive street lighting, community engagement and use of a data dashboard that brings multiple operations into one platform. This, Mollenhauer said, will make system management and operation easier for officials.

One focus will be deploying the technologies in a redevelopment area where new streets and other infrastructure are planned.

“However, as we think about deploying technology for the city, we don’t want them to end up with a patchwork, where you have one technology from a vendor that’s in one part of the city, and then a different technology somewhere else,” he said.

Some of the most “near-term needs” lie in the traffic system, which will get upgrades to traffic signal controllers “so they can interface with some of the smarter technologies that’s coming along,” Mollenhauer said.

“Our central signal management system will empower city staff with innovative tools that allow them to work smarter, not harder,” Mester said. “This system provides centralized command and control capabilities, with real-time alerts prompting staff of issues while providing information on the current health of intersection equipment.”

The new signal technology will be designed and deployed to create a coordinated transportation ecosystem, improving the flow of traffic with adaptive intersections and giving transportation officials new insights for better traffic management and improved safety.

“With smart intersection data, we will have the tools to understand the factors that precipitate conflicts between vulnerable road users and vehicles,” Mester said. “Empowered with this data, we can make informed design decisions to implement countermeasures that result in safer intersections for everyone.”