By Brian Ditzler
A call-to-action for safe streets that was initiated by a coalition of smart-growth and other organizations including Sierra Club Montgomery appears to have stopped
a car-oriented plan from the county Department of Transportation. A flurry of media coverage resulted and now seven out of the nine County Councilmembers have signed on to an effort to force the DOT to rework its plans.
What was at issue was a street design approved in Montgomery County’s White Flint Sector Plan that was intended to provide a blueprint for responsible growth. The plan includes a detailed description for the roads and other transportation investments (including wide sidewalks, bike lanes and four lanes for cars) needed for new growth to occur as desired.
However, the county DOT’s decided instead to build an extra wide section of Old Georgetown Road to accommodate traffic without any of the bicycle and pedestrian elements required in the Sector Plan. They said the road could be narrowed in the future if conditions permitted.
The coalition and most Councilmembers argue that this issue sets a critical precedent, and that infrastructure influences behavior. If pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders don’t feel safe getting around as they want, they’ll drive and we’ll never reach the threshold to narrow the street at some future date.
The County Executive and DOT have not announced yet what their position will be in light of the opposition they are facing, but it looks quite likely that their car-oriented plan will be significantly revised if not discarded.
Email Brian Ditzler at Brian.Ditzler@maryland.sierraclub.org