Little Falls Parkway road diet ‘compromise’ moves forward in Montgomery County Council

Vehicles will still be limited to two lanes, but existing pavement will remain in place

January 24, 2024 3:55 p.m.

The Montgomery County Council unanimously chose to move forward with an adjusted plan for the Little Falls Parkway road diet project on Tuesday, which county councilmembers called a “compromise.”

Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda is a continuously open parkway with two of the four lanes open for recreation and the other two lanes open to vehicular traffic.

In May 2023, an initial Little Falls Parkway pilot project was approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board with a 4-0 vote with one abstention. The plan to narrow a four-lane stretch to two faced a lawsuit from residents prior to its approval by the board.

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The board’s vote approved limiting two lanes to drivers, while the two other lanes would be exclusively and permanently dedicated for use by pedestrians and cyclists. The two lanes of vehicle traffic would’ve been on one side of a median, with northbound and southbound traffic side by side, and a median separating pedestrian and cyclist lanes. It also would’ve included the creation of a linear park along the roadway.

On Tuesday, the council chose to approve an adjusted version of the project. Now, the two lanes of vehicle traffic will be separated by a median. While the outside two lanes will be reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, the road pavement will remain in place.

This is partly to allow for a bank for emergency fire and rescue vehicles to use when responding to emergencies on the road. It also would allow the county to change its mind later and use that pavement for lanes if there are issues with the road diet. The new plan also eliminates the proposed creation of a linear park, which was not included in any county master plans.

“Sometimes when there are really tough issues there have to be some compromises. What I will not compromise is the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists,” councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) said.

The revised vision came after the council passed a resolution on May 8, 2023 stating “any realignment of the remaining two lanes between Dorset and Arlington on Little Falls Parkway must be reviewed by the council before funds may be utilized for this purpose. No funds may be utilized for the implementation of a linear park in this section of Little Falls Parkway.”

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Parks and Planning staff then worked on the new plan, which the council’s Planning, Housing and Parks committee opted to move forward to the full council on Nov. 27, 2023.

Controversy over the project has persisted for over a year. In February 2023, Kenwood Citizens Association filed a lawsuit against the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Montgomery County Planning Board alleges they failed to get the proper approval to reduce the parkway’s size from the National Capital Planning Commission. The lawsuit alleged that reducing the number of lanes would be detrimental.

In addition to the lawsuit, County Executive Marc Elrich attempted to block the project in May 2023. He submitted a memorandum and a letter to the Planning Board and the County Council asking the Planning, Housing and Parks committee to remove funding for the project. Elrich cited potential increases in traffic congestion as his main concern.

 Kyle Lukacs, trail planner with Montgomery Parks, said last year that the agency received emails from 230 proponents and 155 people in opposition prior to the Planning Board’s vote in March 2023. A 168-page PDF on the Montgomery County Planning Board website documents dozens of these comments.

On Tuesday, councilmember Marilyn Balcombe (D-Dist. 2) said it was important to still heed the concerns of community members while implementing the plan.

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“While I agree with Vision Zero and the road diet from the perspective of Little Falls Parkway, it is impacting a community and the quality of life of a community for cut-through traffic,” Balcombe said. “We can’t ignore that … we need to do more work [after this passes].”

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.

Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) said he wants Parks and Planning staff to work on information sessions and materials to explain to the public what these changes mean and entail, and how they’ll affect the community.


While there was no public comment period on the topic Tuesday, nearly two dozen community members came to council chambers in person for the discussion. Friedson commended constituents for their involvement and feedback throughout deliberations.

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