Montgomery County Council passes Pedestrian Master Plan

First-of-its-kind vision will guide government to improve pedestrian safety

October 10, 2023 8:14 p.m.

New sidewalks, direct routes and safety measures for street crossings will be installed to help improve pedestrian safety as part of the Pedestrian Master Plan the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed on Tuesday.

“The Pedestrian Master Plan is a visionary document with a level of specificity to help coordinate county government at all levels and in all departments and agencies to ensure our streets are safe for everybody. And these are really important if we want to enact our Vision Zero goals,” said Council President Evan Glass (D-At-large) .

Montgomery County is one of the first county governments in the United States to initiate a Vision Zero plan, with the goal of eliminating all traffic-related deaths by 2030.

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The Pedestrian Master Plan is part of Vision Zero. The 298-page document includes policy recommendations, prioritization of pedestrian and bicyclist zones, ways to eliminate barriers to walking in the county, and includes analysis from surveys done of county pedestrians. The plan went through work and revisions in Montgomery Planning and County Council work sessions.

The plan encompasses four goals outlined by Montgomery Planning:

  • Increase walk rates and pedestrian satisfaction
  • Create a comfortable, connected and convenient pedestrian network
  • Improve pedestrian safety
  • Build an equitable and just pedestrian network

“I do want to note also how historic this is to have a pedestrian master plan,” said Councilmember Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4). “This is the very first pedestrian master plan that we’re doing, and it’s taken an enormous amount of time and it complements our other master plans, but really is a standalone plan.”

According to data presented by Glass on Tuesday, 12 pedestrians and bicyclists have been killed and 450 have been hit on county roads this year.  In all of 2022, 19 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed and 541 were seriously injured.

“The times require us to take these bold steps. And I think what is most unique about this master plan is that it assigns roles and responsibilities to various agencies,” Glass said. “So when residents or council members see [the plan] action, we know whose role and responsibility it is to make those changes necessary to keep our roads safe.”

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The Pedestrian Master Plan is one of many steps the county government is taking in an effort to eliminate traffic-related deaths. Last month, the council passed the Safe Streets Act, a bill that will make infrastructure and policy changes to the county’s streets.

The Safe Streets Act will eliminate right turn on red specific intersections designated by the county’s Department of Transportation, as well as add new traffic control devices to downtown intersections and town center areas.

Broader changes will include requiring the County Executive’s office to create an automated traffic enforcement plan to be implemented by the county, and to require MCDOT to conduct infrastructure reviews after collisions, specifically for those involving students traveling to and from school.

These smaller plans are intended to work in tandem with the Pedestrian Master Plan as a guide.

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