Tomorrow, the Montgomery County Council will vote on Bill 33-13, a road code bill that will set a new standard for urban streets. If passed, the bill will make streets narrow, give them pedestrian bumpouts and bike lanes, and set a speed limit of 25 mph when they pass through urban areas.

The crosswalk at Arlington Road and Edgemoor Lane, where a toddler in a stroller was struck by a driver. Photo by the author.

Should the council pass this amendment to the road code, they’ll take an important step in reclaiming our urban downtowns from a suburban paradigm. This bill provides the appropriate road design for the walkable, busy communities that are part of the county’s future.

Arlington Road as an example

For a concrete example of what 33-13 would mean for Montgomery County, let’s look at Arlington Road in downtown Bethesda.

Though it does go down to 25 during the morning and afternoon rush, the speed limit on Arlington Road is 35 mph. Lanes are 12 feet wide, which is two feet wider than the 10 feet that experts agree on as the ideal width for urban roads. The curbs have big radii, which are standard for those built after the 1980s and increase the amount of asphalt pedestrians have to cross.

In February of 2013, a car making a right turn at Arlington and Edgemoor Lane struck a stroller with a child in it just a block from Bethesda Elementary School. Thankfully, while the toddler went to the hospital, he suffered no permanent injuries.

But pedestrian safety activists have focused on Arlington Road since the incident, as it galvanized parents at Bethesda Elementary School to work to make the road safer. Right now, children living 300 yards from the school are eligible for “hazard busing” because the county agrees that crossing Arlington Road’s four lanes is too dangerous.

How the new code would shape county roads

If the county built Arlington Road in 2015, under the new code, the road would automaticallyroad’s design would have a 25 mph speed limit, smaller curb radii, and 10-foot 11-foot wide lanes. The new urban roads in White Flint and the Greater Seneca Science Corridor will all meet these standards, and once White Oak gets rezoned as urban, the same will be true of new roads there. When currently existing urban streets like Arlington Road need to move curbs or build new ones altogether, they’ll also be subject to these guidelines.

Although Montgomery’s road code bill can only apply to county roads and not state highways like Route 355 (Rockville Pike) or Route 29, it still sets an important precedent. For too long, planners have designed Montgomery’s downtown roads to be automotive speedways rather than streets where bicyclists, pedestrians, and cars all make their way. Bill 33-13 makes it clear that urban streets in Montgomery County belong to everyone.

The vote is tomorrow. If you live in Montgomery County and support Bill 33-13, please email the council at county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov today and tell them to do the same.

Ronit Aviva Dancis is the Employer Outreach and Proffer Manager for the Dulles Area Transportation Association. She works to increase sustainable commuting and mobility in the Dulles area, eagerly awaiting the opening of Silver Line Phase 2 stations.  She previously spent three years as the Tysons Partnership's TMA Director.  A Maryland native, she was President of the Action Committee for Transit 2016-2018, and continues to serve on the ACT board. She lives (sans car ownership) walking distance from the Silver Spring Metro station.