Discussion will focus on transportation safety issues for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in Aspen Hill
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department will hold a community meeting for the Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study on Tuesday, February 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Harmony Hills Elementary School (13407 Lydia St, Silver Spring, MD). Spanish language interpretation will be available. The event will focus on transportation safety issues and ways of eliminating traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries.
Montgomery Planning invites everyone who lives, works or has an interest in traffic, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit safety issues in the Aspen Hill area to the community meeting. Community members are encouraged to share issues from their neighborhood and commute. Planning staff will present findings from its data collection and analysis of traffic, answer questions and facilitate an interactive game on setting priorities for the study.
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.
- Analyze zoning of existing commercial shopping centers.
- Engage residents, business owners, and civic associations.
- Collect and analyze data to inform priorities.
The Aspen Hill Vision Zero Study is focused on identifying existing barriers to safety and exploring ways to improve conditions in the Aspen Hill area. It will result in recommended strategies to improve safety for all people who walk, bike, drive and take transit in Aspen Hill.
Meeting RSVPs are encouraged but not required. Children are welcome; snacks and family friendly activities will be provided. 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, 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.