SILVER SPRING, MD – Saying that high vehicular speeds, wide lane widths and other changes to streets and sidewalks in a set of road standards proposed by the county Department of Transportation would reduce safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, planners have asked the Planning Board to consider a better balance.
Planners will present their recommendation to the Board, which serves in an advisory role to the County Council on the Road Code standards, on Thursday. The comments come in response to new road regulations proposed by the County Executive on September 1 that will be submitted to the Council by October 15.
Those regulations would be part of the county’s first extensive Road Code revision in decades.
County transportation planners, who have participated for about a year in a working group that provided input into the proposed road standards, praised recent efforts by the Executive to introduce pedestrian safety measures such as bus stop improvements, traffic-calming devices and speed cameras.
Yet, planners say, a proposed increase of target speeds in the bill endangers pedestrians. Transportation officials propose higher target speeds on major roads in urban areas – from 5 mph to 15 mph over what the Council recommended last year – even though those areas see increasing numbers of pedestrians. Roads such as Wisconsin Avenue and Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda that are considered major highways are now posted at 25 mph; under the proposed regulations, the target speeds for similar roads would be between 30 mph and 40 mph.
Planners point out that drivers traveling at 25 mph can easily stop for pedestrians and pose a 30- percent chance of a fatal collision. If that same vehicle travels 40 mph, the probability of a fatal crash jumps to 85 percent.
Planners say lane widths for cars are too wide, encouraging speed, while sidewalks along major roads are too narrow for pedestrians and people piloting wheelchairs.
The proposed regulations would result in the removal or relocation of street trees between curbs and sidewalks and in roadway medians. A major element of the public realm, trees provide shade and shelter for pedestrians, separate walkers from traffic, provide relief from summer heat, cool stormwater runoff and add aesthetic value.
Finally, planners recommend that on-road bike lanes be specified for each type of road: rural, suburban and urban to standardize the county’s approach to accommodating bicyclists. While many of the proposed standards include on-road bike lanes or shared lanes, they fail to include guidance on where and how they should be applied.
WHO:
Montgomery County Planning Board
WHAT:
Recommendations for county Road Code standards
WHEN:
Thursday, September 18, approximately 3:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Planning Department Headquarters
8787 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD
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