Public meetings will be held in October and November to engage the community in planning efforts to improve walking safety, comfort and convenience
SILVER SPRING, MD –The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), is holding the first public meetings about the county’s first Pedestrian Master Plan, an effort to make walking in Montgomery County safer and more comfortable, convenient and direct. These sessions follow stakeholder meetings held in September 2019 with the Commission on People with Disabilities and Commission on Aging in Rockville, MD.
All members of the community are invited to discuss the plan and pedestrian concerns at the following meetings. RSVPs are encouraged but not required:
October 10 from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at the Olney Library (3500 Olney Laytonsville Road, Olney, MD). RSVP for October 10.
October 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the East County Community Recreation Center (3310 Gateshead Manor Way, Silver Spring, MD). RSVP for October 14.
October 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center (4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD). RSVP for October 16.
October 21 from 7 to 8:30 at the Montgomery County Planning Department (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD). RSVP for October 21.
November 6, 2019 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Upcounty Regional Services Center (12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown, MD). RSVP for November 6.
November 13, 2019 from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. at the Wheaton Regional Library (11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD). RSVP for November 13.
Background on Pedestrian Master Plan
The new Pedestrian Master Plan, to be developed by Montgomery Planning’s Functional Planning and Policy Division, will address all reasons for walking – commuting to and from work or school, running errands, recreation, entertainment, exercise and everything in between. Planner recommendations will support making walking universally accessible to county residents of all ages and abilities and will consider walking by foot (including with a cane, a walker or a stroller), by wheelchair or by mobility scooter.
The Pedestrian Master Plan will identify best practices, analyze information from people who walk and roll and examine ways of improving the pedestrian experience using several analytical tools, including a pedestrian comfort analysis and a crash analysis. The resulting Pedestrian Master Plan will provide county leaders and agencies, such as Montgomery County Department of Transportation and the Department of Permitting Services, recommendations and guidance related to:
- Prioritization of pedestrian pathways and safe crossings.
- Pedestrian-supportive policies and operational practices.
- Pedestrian design toolkit of treatments and operational approaches to traffic calming, signal timing, accessibility features and more.
The Pedestrian Master Plan will complement the 2018 Bicycle Master Plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050 planning and other Vision Zero-related efforts to make streets safer and more accessible, including the 2019 Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan and the 2019 Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study. A draft of the completed plan is expected to be presented to the Planning Board in late 2020.
#WalkingHere
As Montgomery Planning works on the county’s first Pedestrian Master Plan, the community is invited to use #WalkingHere to share with us their ideas for making the county safer, more comfortable, more convenient and more accessible for pedestrians of all ages and abilities. Planners need to know what walking in Montgomery County is like for residents. We can’t walk a mile in your shoes, so we’re asking you to show us what it’s like for you to be #WalkingHere.
Post pictures and videos of your Montgomery County walk story using #WalkingHere on social media or at www.montgomeryplanning.org/walkinghere
- Explain why you walk or don’t walk and where.
- For specific locations, use your photo(s) or video to share what’s enjoyable about your walk, what makes it hard to walk in a particular place, or what would improve your walking experience. Try to answer one of these questions with your photo or video:
- #WalkingHere is hard because __________.
- #WalkingHere feels unsafe because ____________.
- #WalkingHere is easy because ______________.
- I love #WalkingHere because _____________.
- #WalkingHere could be better if ___________.
- Please help us and other community members (including people who drive) identify where you’re walking and understand who’s #WalkingHere by beginning your photo caption or video narration with the following:
I’m [Name], a [County Council member, nanny, father, etc.], and I’m #walkinghere in/at [location].
AND/OR
I’m somebody’s [mother, boyfriend, grandson, daughter, caretaker, etc.] and I’m #walkinghere in/at [location]. - Search #walkinghere on Twitter for examples of what your neighbors are telling us about their walking experiences in the county.
For more information, contact planner Eli Glazier at 301-495-4548 or eli.glazier@montgomeryplanning.org