A graphic recording artist will draw the community’s ideas for the Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study at the Aspen Hill Shopping Center on Saturday, June 1
The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), will host a community event for the Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study on Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to noon at Panera Bread (13521 Connecticut Ave, Aspen Hill, MD 20906) in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center. Spanish language interpretation will be available.
The event will feature a graphic recording artist who will draw ideas from community members on how to make walking, biking, transit and driving safe in the Aspen Hill community. This effort is part of the ongoing Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study and its recommendations for improving safety and eliminating traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries in the Aspen Hill area of Silver Spring.
“We are looking forward to continuing the conversation on how to create safe routes for all people traveling in Aspen Hill,” says project lead Maren Hill. “The artist’s creation of a feedback mural is a fun way to capture the ideas and concerns of the community and advance our work on the study.”
The Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study will identify existing barriers to transportation safety and explore ways to improve conditions in the Aspen Hill area. It will result in recommendations to improve safety for all people who walk, bike, drive and take transit in Aspen Hill. The Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study will identify strategies to:
- Enhance connectivity by improving safety for all road users.
- Explore solutions to reduce speeds and conflicts on the road.
- Establish direct, safe connections to transit, community facilities and other destinations.
- Engage residents, business owners, and civic associations.
- Use data to inform priorities.
- Promote equitable solutions to traffic safety.
The June 1 meeting is a family-friendly event. For more information, call lead planner Maren Hill at (301)-650-5613 or email Maren.Hill@montgomeryplanning.org.
Montgomery Planning’s Commitment to Vision Zero
Vision Zero is a proven strategy to prevent transportation-related deaths and severe injuries. This policy represents a fundamental change in thinking about roadway planning and design priorities. It changes the focus from vehicular mobility to safe mobility for all people regardless of their mode of transportation.
Engineering, education and enforcement can help us anticipate human error to save lives and reduce the frequency and severity of crashes.
Through its 2016 resolution, Montgomery County committed to creating a Vision Zero environment to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries.
Montgomery Planning is also committed to Vision Zero — to putting safety first for all people in all communities, whether they’re on foot, on bicycles, in cars or using transit. As the agency charged with creating a vision for the county’s development, Montgomery Planning has a unique role to play in engaging the community to re-envision our auto-oriented roadways as safe, complete streets.
Montgomery Planning has been incorporating safety into master plans for some time. Vision Zero offers an opportunity to step up these efforts. As safety increasingly becomes a central focus of planning efforts, we can look for ways to save lives by reducing speeds, decreasing the chance for collisions and recommending land use changes, especially on suburban and arterial roadways.
When well implemented, plans can support Vision Zero by changing our built environment from one that is dominated by cars and focused on traveling quickly over long distances to one that is equitable for all users, regardless of transportation mode, and one that prioritizes life and safety.
Whether applied to an urban, suburban or rural area, Vision Zero policy fundamentals are the same: saving lives means reducing speeds and decreasing the chance for collisions.