North Four Corners News ♦ April 2023

Pedestrian Plan Prioritizes Improvements in Four Corners

By Sharon Canavan

The Pedestrian Master Plan (PMP) seeks to increase the comfort level, safety, and accessibility countywide for pedestrians (for the purposes of this article, “pedestrian” includes walkers, bicyclists, scooter riders, etc.).  Also, the Montgomery County’s “Vision Zero” goal is to eliminate transportation-related fatalities and severe injuries by 2030 by fundamentally changing how county roads are planned and designed and shifting from maximizing traffic volume efficiency “to ensuring that the transportation system is safe for all, regardless of travel mode.”

The current PMP draft includes actionable, data-based recommendations for determining future pedestrian/bicycle capital investments.  The goals are to develop a more comfortable, convenient, and connected pedestrian network while increasing safety.  The PMP looked at how pedestrian amenities are designed and constructed, transportation engineering policies, and opportunities for traffic safety education.  Some of the recommendations are:  allowing more time to cross streets safely; making proactive, data-driven sidewalk construction and maintenance decisions; increasing places pedestrians can safely cross corridor roadways; and increasing Automated Traffic Enforcement locations.

The PMP evaluates specific factors such as the amount and width of sidewalks, as well as the distance of sidewalks from the road because speeding cars can make walking uncomfortable, the number of driveway crossings, and comfort factors such as shading by trees or buildings.  At road crossings, factors affecting pedestrian comfort include traffic control, posted speed limit, number of lanes to cross, median type, and crosswalk type.  The PMP noted that, “Undesirable pathways are more likely to be along wider, faster roadways like Georgia Avenue or University Boulevard where landscape panels that buffer the sidewalk (if they exist at all) may not be sufficiently wide or have enough soil volume to support the growth of canopy trees.”

The Four Corners area is characterized in the PM Plan as an urban and major transit corridor, because Colesville Road and University Boulevard run along its boundaries.  With its many public transit options and high volume of traffic, the Four Corners area is particularly dangerous for pedestrians.  Unsurprisingly, the PMP observes that, “Managing vehicle speed is an essential element in creating a high-quality pedestrian environment” and recommends installation of traffic calming measures, crosswalk markings, and other treatments.”

Flash Bus Rapid Transit is already operating on Colesville Road and is planned for University Boulevard.  The PMP observes, “As transit corridors such as Georgia Avenue, Veirs Mill Road, and University Boulevard account for 10 percent of fatalities and severe injuries but only 1.3 percent of roadway miles, more frequent protected crossings and lower target speeds are needed on these roads to achieve Vision Zero.”  The PMP adds that, “Longer block lengths limit routing options for pedestrians and encourage crossing streets at unsafe places because protected crossing locations are spaced too far apart.  Driveways create conflict points between cars and pedestrians.”

The PMP found that 16 percent of severe and fatal pedestrian crashes take place at uncontrolled intersections and 37 percent of severe and fatal pedestrian crashes take place midblock.  The Colesville Road and University Boulevard corridors merit more protected crossings to give public transit riders safer opportunities to cross when catching the bus.

In Town Centers with higher pedestrian activity — such as Four Corners — the PMP calls for re-evaluating no-turn-on-red to protect pedestrians, implementing Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) at traffic lights to give pedestrians a head start, and reducing signal cycle lengths to make pedestrian travel more convenient and limit noncompliance when impatient pedestrians cross against the light.  PMP also recognizes the need to manage dangerous driving behaviors with greater Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE), such as speed and red-light cameras.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Areas (BiPPA) program is one of the primary ways that the County Council funds pedestrian and bicycle improvements, such as new sidewalks and 10-foot-wide paths sidepaths for both pedestrians and bicyclists, improvements to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, crosswalks, and roadway changes to reduce motor vehicle travel speeds.

The PMP recommends priorities for BiPPA investments in areas with the greatest need.  The road from downtown Silver Spring through Four Corners Town Center to Burnt Mills Town Center is designated as one of the highest priority BiPPA areas and this stretch of roadway is proposed to be funded in Montgomery County’s Capital Budget.

Downtown Wheaton through Four Corners Town Center and east to Long Branch Town Center will receive consideration for improvements next as a Tier 1 BiPPA.  Dennis Avenue from Georgia Avenue to University Blvd.  and Lockwood Drive from Burnt Mills Town Center to White Oak Town Center are treated as Tier 2 BiPPAs.  Arcola Avenue from Georgia Avenue to University Blvd. is listed as a Tier 3 BiPPA. These Tier 1 and 2 projects are prioritized to be undertaken later.

Adoption of the PMP recommendations to prioritize investments and make necessary policy changes will depend on actions by county and state agencies and elected officials as well as community input.  The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and Maryland Department of Transportation will also play a pivotal role in making decisions on prioritizing these infrastructure capital projects.  Also, the County Council, which must approve the capital budget, will have the ultimate say on these expenditures.

The process for further consideration of the draft PMP is already underway.  The Montgomery County Planning Board held a public hearing on the Pedestrian Master Plan (PMP) on 23 March 2023 (after the deadline for newsletter articles).  For more information the draft PMP can be found at the link below.   ■

PMP Public Hearing