{"id":10379,"date":"2025-04-30T13:51:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T17:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/?p=10379"},"modified":"2026-03-09T15:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T19:12:18","slug":"from-here-to-there-montgomery-countys-big-shift-in-transportation-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/2025\/04\/from-here-to-there-montgomery-countys-big-shift-in-transportation-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"From Here to There: Montgomery County\u2019s Big Shift in Transportation Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog is also published as a Greater Greater Washington guest column<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Protected bike lanes in downtown Bethesda and in many areas of Montgomery County reflect the growing demand for more transportation options in the 21st century.<\/p><\/div>\n

Montgomery County has long been a great place to work, live, learn, and visit\u2014and our transportation choices affect every aspect of our daily life.<\/p>\n

As the 21st century unfolded, Montgomery County has seen a growing demand for diverse transportation options and a shift away from the low-density, car-centric development that followed World War II. Over the past 15 years, the county has refocused to prioritize mixed-use developments, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly infrastructure, enhanced public transit, and creating vibrant, walkable communities.<\/p>\n

Today, Montgomery Planning\u2019s recommendations emphasize a multi-modal future where residents have a meaningful range of safe, convenient, and efficient transportation choices.<\/p>\n

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What we\u2019ve done<\/h2>\n

2013\u2019s Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Plan<\/strong><\/a> recommended adding over 100 miles of new bus transitways. Implementation has included the state\u2019s converting existing lanes into dedicated bus lanes on several key corridors, and Phase 1 of the U.S. Route 29 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project opened in 2021. The county is also working with the Federal Transit Administration to add BRT to Veirs Mill Road and MD 355.<\/p>\n

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Phase 1 of the U.S. Route 29 FLASH bus rapid transit (BRT) line currently operates between Burtonsville and Silver Spring.<\/p><\/div>\n

2014\u2019s Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Areas (BiPPA) program<\/strong><\/a> defined geographical areas for enhanced bicycle and pedestrian safety; the program has since funded more than $25 million of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure around Metro stations and the Maryland Transit Administration\u2019s Purple Line stations and along Bus Rapid Transit corridors.<\/p>\n

2016\u2019s Vision Zero commitment<\/strong><\/a> made Montgomery County among the first in the nation to pledge to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries among pedestrians and bicyclists by 2030 by prioritizing changes to suburban arterial roads, which account for just 10% of the county\u2019s roadway miles but 56% of serious incidents, which disproportionately affect Black and Hispanic victims.<\/p>\n

2016\u2019s Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress Map<\/strong><\/a> depicts road-by-road bicycling conditions to help planners and government decision-makers identify where to invest to reduce stressful bicycling trips. For instance, even dedicated bike lanes on an arterial road can prove high stress when located next to fast-moving vehicles or parked cars where someone inside could open a door without much warning.<\/p>\n

2018\u2019s Bicycle Master Plan<\/em><\/strong><\/a> recommended a countywide network of 1,200 miles of lower-stress bikeways, secure bicycle parking stations at transit stations, and other safety and access improvements for bicycling in the county. Since plan approval, almost 32 miles of new bikeways have been constructed.<\/p>\n

2019\u2019s Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan,<\/em><\/strong><\/a> Montgomery Planning\u2019s first applying a Vision Zero lens, calls for continuous sidewalks, additional protected crossings, reduced speeds, and the eventual transformation of this four-mile stretch into a multi-modal \u201ccomplete street.\u201d<\/p>\n

2020\u2019s Pedestrian Level of Comfort Map<\/strong><\/a>, like its bicycle counterpart, analyzes streets, sidewalks, and crossings to evaluate capital projects and to guide safety and mitigation requirements for development projects.<\/p>\n

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Georgia Avenue in Aspen Hill, Md.<\/p><\/div>\n

2020\u2019s Growth and Infrastructure Policy (GIP) update<\/strong><\/a> introduced requirements for development projects to comply with county targets for pedestrian and cyclist comfort levels\u2014the first time Montgomery County required this from developers. The Montgomery County Planning Board has since approved 18 plans with more than $10 million in mitigations, including 8,000+ feet of sidewalks, 3,800 feet of protected bike lanes, 31 ADA-compliant curb ramps, and three traffic signals.<\/p>\n

2021\u2019s Complete Streets Design Guide<\/strong><\/a> organized county streets by land use and function to create an innovative framework for determining target speeds, rights of way, widths of lanes and sidewalks, intersection treatments, and more. Check out a series of videos<\/a> that explains how the different street types are classified.<\/p>\n

2022\u2019s Thrive Montgomery 2050<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is the county\u2019s new General Plan, and its transportation policies prioritize concentrated growth in centers of activity and along corridors; development of a safe, comfortable and appealing network for walking, biking, and rolling; building of a frequent, fast, convenient, reliable, safe, and accessible transit system; and reducing reliance on cars.<\/p>\n

2023\u2019s Pedestrian Master Plan<\/em><\/strong><\/a> includes 100+ design, policy, and programming recommendations, including crossings that \u201celiminate the need to press a button\u201d; pivoting the sidewalk maintenance program into an equitable, proactive, data-driven process; providing public seating, restrooms, and other pedestrian amenities in high-traffic areas; and developing street lighting standards. Implementation has included:<\/p>\n