Category: Safe Streets for Biking and Walking
CSG Comments on Thrive 2050 Draft Vision and Goals
April 15, 2020
Montgomery Planning Board
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Re: Montgomery Thrive 2050 Draft Vision and Goals
Dear Chair Anderson and Planning Commisioners:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide written comments on the draft vision and goals for Thrive Montgomery 2050. We understand that this is a challenging time due to the coronavirus crisis. The Planning Department’s quick shift to virtual meetings, community engagement, and public testimony is commendable, and we are pleased to see the department’s work plan continue on. We hope that this is an opportunity for the department to experiment with more inclusive, transparent community engagement strategies, which can then be incorporated into outreach going forward.
The Coalition for Smarter Growth strongly supports the draft vision and goals. The concept – a web of complete, mixed-use communities connected by vibrant transit and green corridors – is strong and builds off of the revolutionary “wedges and corridors” idea. We especially support the strong language around housing, including on ensuring affordability, diversifying the housing stock, and considering housing a right. We are also pleased with the vision of a county no longer developed around the automobile.
One significant critique of the draft is the language used in reference to transportation. We need to be firm about our commitment to public transit, walking, and biking as the future of transportation in Montgomery County. In recent years, the term “multi-modal” has come to be used as an excuse for continuing car-centric planning standards. If we’re going to significantly alter mode share over the next 30 years, it’s not enough to be multi-modal – we must be transit first.
As a component of our advocacy for Thrive, we have worked with the community to organize Montgomery for All, a grassroots group committed to ensuring that Thrive paves the way for an equitable, sustainable, prosperous future grounded in the principles of smart growth. We have created a platform with ten goals that we would like to see fully included and built upon in Thrive. Many of our goals are included in this draft, but could be stated more explicitly and expanded upon. Please see our specific feedback below, which addresses these concerns:
Thrive 2050 Vision:
• Convenient: We urge you to be stronger and more specific in the goals. “Most” or “many” does not create a bold vision for the future and can be ignored.
• Healthy: If we can set a goal that every resident lives within a 15 minute walk to a park, then we should also be able to set the same goal for the other components of complete communities, especially healthy food and frequent transit.
1. Complete Communities:
• Goal #1: The idea that makes the concept of “complete communities” work is a time constraint on how long it takes to access certain amenities without a car. This has been done by all other communities which have adopted this planning goal, including Paris (15 minutes), Portland (20 minutes), and Copenhagen (5 minutes). We recommend that Thrive adopt 20 minutes as a goal for accessing the required amenities of a complete community. This should become a guiding principle for all future master plans.
• Goal #4: Equal treatment does not necessarily mean equal outcomes or opportunity. The focus should be on equal outcomes, such as socioeconomic mobility and quality of life measurements, rather than on equal treatment.
2. Connectedness:
• Goal #2: We commend the goal of making government planning and decision-making processes accessible, transparent, and easy for all to understand and participate in. In addition, we’d like to see this goal explicitly state the importance of government actively going out into the community for engagement on major actions, rather than expecting the community to come to government.
3. Diverse Economies:
• Goal #5: One of Montgomery for All’s goals is to minimize the displacement of small businesses. Thus, we would like this goal to include the protection of small businesses in addition to identifying and removing barriers to establishment and expansion.
4. Safe and Efficient Travel:
• Vision:
o The vision should state that in 2050 heavy reliance on private vehicle “has shifted” rather than “is shifting.” It is essential to shift well before 2050 if the county is to meet its net-zero greenhouse gas emission goals by 2035.
o The frequency of transit is not mentioned in this vision. We know that the two major factors that drive transit use are frequency and reliability.
o We would like to see more about how to county envisions micromobility, autonomous vehicles, and ridesharing playing into the transportation system in 2050. These technologies, especially autonomous vehicles, have both potential positive and negative impacts. Thrive is the place to start thinking through how the county will manage those impacts.
o We urge that the vision include language stating that no new highways will be built, especially during our climate emergency or in the current and likely longer-term challenging budgetary environment.
• Goals:
o Goal #1: In addition to shifting mode share, we should also establish goals to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Both goals should be specific and measurable.
o Goal #4: “Multiple travel options” is often repeated throughout this document. However, we would argue that this vision is no different that our current transportation system. Residents may have the option to choose between a private vehicle and local bus service, but because of planning and policy decisions, the private vehicle options is much more attractive than Ride On. Well before 2050, public transit, walking, and biking not only need to be a competitive choices, but also need to be the modes of choice.
5. Affordability and Attainability:
• Goal #1: The safety of housing should also be a goal, in addition to type, size, affordability, and location.
• Goal #2: We would like to see stronger language than “most new housing,” and not only should new housing be in mixed-use locations, but locations that are complete communities.
• Goal #3: If the county is going to consider housing a right, then we need to set bolder goals than continuing our existing programs. Housing as a right should fundamentally alter how the county approaches housing.
6. Healthy and Sustainable Environment:
• Vision:
o By 2050, all vehicles owned and operated by the county should be zero-emissions. Similarly, biking, walking, and public transit should be the most common modes of travel.
o We would like to see more about net-zero energy buildings in the vision statement. Will all new buildings be net-zero? Were we able to retrofit existing buildings in an equitable way?
• Goals: We believe that more than three goals are necessary, given the complexity, ambition, and number of topics addressed in the vision statement.
7. Diverse and Adaptable Growth:
• Vision: We support the vision that regulatory mechanisms to support development should be nimble, focused on design excellence, and achieve measurable, equitable outcomes. However, we’d like to see equity in diverse and adaptable growth explored further and defined in this context.
• Goal #3: We strongly support this goal and ask that the adequate public facilities ordinance, capital improvements program, taxes and fees, and review and permitting processes all be reviewed and considered when developing policies and actions for Thrive.
8. Culture and Design: No comments.
Sincerely,
Jane Lyons
Maryland Advocacy Manager
Coalition for Smarter Growth
RELEASE: Streets for People – for Health and Safety During COVID-19 and Beyond
For immediate release
April 15, 2020
Contact: Stewart Schwartz
703-599-6437 (cell)
stewart@smartergrowth.net
Streets for People – for Health and Safety During COVID-19 and Beyond
Today, the Coalition for Smarter Growth urged local governments to take action to provide more public street space for people walking and biking and using other modes of micro-mobility. “If health authorities permit people to be outside, provided they ensure a minimum of 6-foot physical spacing, then local governments need to provide more space for people to walk and bike safely,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“In many communities, people are finding that the sidewalks are too narrow and that they need to walk in the streets to maintain safe physical distance. Some neighborhoods need but lack nearby parks, meaning that public space on the streets becomes particularly important. In the suburbs, many streets completely lack sidewalks,” said Schwartz. “This is not just about walking for health. It’s also about creating safer places for essential workers who need to get to work by walking, biking, or taking the bus, and about people who need to pick up or have delivered food and medicine,” said Schwartz.
“With the leadership of our local elected officials, we believe action can be taken to close streets to car traffic and expand areas for safe walking and bicycling. We know other cities around the U.S. are doing so, including Oakland, Boston, Minneapolis, and Denver. DC, Baltimore, Richmond, and our suburban jurisdictions can and should take similar action,” said Schwartz.
“Meanwhile, with car travel down dramatically, we can not only see how much public space we have given over to motor vehicles, but also how much pollution is generated by driving,” said Schwartz.
According to INRIX, personal vehicle trips are down over 40% nationwide, and roads in DC and the surrounding suburbs are noticeably less trafficked. Meanwhile, metropolitan regions around the world are seeing major reductions in air pollution, including particularly harmful PM2.5 particulate pollution from vehicles that can lodge deep in the lungs. PM2.5 pollution has long contributed to a number of chronic respiratory illnesses, and a Harvard University study suggests a causal connection between PM2.5 air pollution and deaths from coronavirus. “This should spur action coming out of this crisis to address driving and pollution,” said Schwartz.
“The crisis gives us the opportunity to envision and create a world with less traffic, noise, and dangerous air pollution. We hope it inspires people and our elected officials to see the livability advantages in creating an extensive network of dedicated, protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, trails and greenways, and dedicated bus lanes. Combine these with rapid electrification of bus fleets and personal vehicles, and our communities will be cleaner, healthier, quieter and more livable,” concluded Schwartz.
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CSG & partners call for progressive MCDOT director appointee
A copy of the letter below was sent on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 to the Montgomery County Council and County Executive. The PDF can be found here.
Dear Council President Navarro and County Councilmembers:
We thank and commend Al Roshdieh, the departing Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Director, for his public service and the commitment he has shown to promoting sustainable, safe, multimodal transportation options. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
When considering an appointee for Mr. Roshdieh’s successor, we urge the Council to ensure that the next MCDOT director is a leader in implementing modern transit, green and complete streets that are safe for all users, and transit-oriented development. The next director must be committed to achieving the county’s Vision Zero and climate goals, reducing vehicle miles traveled, and making major shifts in mode share to transit, walking, and bicycling. We also believe the next director should pledge to be a frequent transit user.
Specifically, we ask that the next director be committed to the following priorities:
- Hold MCDOT accountable to the county’s Vision Zero initiative.
People want to safely bike and walk in Montgomery County. However, in 2019 alone, more than 300 people have been injured or killed due to inadequate pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and the prioritization of cars on our roadways. This is up 14 percent since 2018, with 38 percent of crashes on county roads. Since the Vision Zero resolution was passed in 2017, at least 50 people have died.
MCDOT is the lead agency on many of the most critical pieces of the county’s Vision Zero initiative, and it is the responsibility of the director to hold the department accountable to those goals. This requires tough choices that will substantially cut traffic fatalities, such as remaking arterials and roads into streets that encourage walking and biking through road diets, including protected bicycle lanes, fewer and narrower vehicle lanes, tighter turn radii, pedestrian refuges, bumpouts and well-marked crosswalks and other infrastructure improvements.
Vision Zero implementation should be especially prioritized around schools, where children are at high risk of injury or death simply when trying to walk or bike to school. In addition, providing safe pedestrian and bicycle access to future Purple Line stations, and during construction, is essential. We also hope that the new MCDOT director will collaborate with the Planning Department to implement the Bicycle Master Plan and forthcoming Pedestrian Master Plan.
- Commit to implementing the county’s planned bus rapid transit (BRT) network in a timely manner.
The groundbreaking of BRT on Route 29 and funding for preliminary engineering of BRT on MD-355 and Veirs Mill Road are steps in the right direction. MCDOT must continue to prioritize the creation of a gold standard BRT network. We need a visionary BRT system that addresses the county’s economic development, social equity, and greenhouse gas emission reduction challenges.
When designing BRT, MCDOT must prioritize dedicated lanes; off-board fare collection; frequent, reliable service; and stations with real-time travel information. These standards are essential for generating high ridership, improving the commutes of all users, and creating a key economic asset. Phase 1 of the planned BRT network alone is projected to bring in over $871 million in net fiscal revenue over 25 years.
- Maintain and expand transit opportunities through RideOn and external collaboration.
Ride On has the second highest ridership of any suburban bus system in the country at over 22 million trips in 2017. MCDOT been innovative through programs like Ride On Extra, and can build upon those successes. We encourage the next director to support a redesign and upgrade of the combined Ride On and WMATA bus network to ensure service is frequent, reliable, equitable, and customer-focused. There may also be opportunities to better integrate with other transit services, like MetroRail, MARC, BRT, MetroBus, and TheBus.
The director will need to collaborate and coordinate with outside agencies to effectively expand transit opportunities, such as BRT routes and road diets on state roads and the construction of new Metro entrances. Transit opportunities will not grow without close collaboration with such agencies as the Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland Transit Administration, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
- Further the county’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2035.
MCDOT must work to meet the mobility needs of residents throughout the county with environmental sustainability in mind. Meeting the county’s climate change goals requires transportation projects and programs that promote sustainable transportation options. Moreover, MCDOT should not support highway expansion projects, such as Mid-County Highway Extended, which incentivize single-occupancy vehicle trips and damage the natural environment. Finally, the director should strive to move all MCDOT vehicles towards electrification and continue to increase electric vehicle infrastructure.
In conclusion, the next director should have as a key objective creating a transportation system that supports the environment and people. We recognize that for the future director to implement these priorities, MCDOT requires support from the operating and capital budgets passed by the County Council. Therefore, we also call on the County Council to prioritize funding for these crucial projects.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Signed,
Jeffrey Weisner
President, Steering Committee
350 Montgomery County
Denisse Guitarra
MD Conservation Advocate
Audubon Naturalist Society
Julio Murillo
Government & Strategic Relations Specialist
CASA
Jane Lyons
Maryland Advocacy Manager
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Barbara Noveau
Executive Director
DoTheMostGood Montgomery County
Diane Hibino, Kathy McGuire
Co-Presidents
League of Women Voters of Montgomery County
Walter Weiss
Administrator
Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
Michael DeLong
President
Montgomery County Young Democrats
Shruti Bhatnagar
Chair
Sierra Club, Montgomery County Group
Maurice Belanger
President
Takoma Park Mobilization
Johanna Wermers
Transportation Representative
The Climate Mobilization
Margaret Schoap
Organizer
Transit Alternatives to Mid-County Extended
Greg Billing
Executive Director
Washington Area Bicyclist Association
CC: County Executive Marc Elrich
Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montgomery_County_Transit_Ride_On_2017_Gillig_LF_Advantage_Diesel.jpg
CSG in the News: Bowser does an end run around D.C. Council, transfers traffic camera program to DDOT
Bowser does an end run around D.C. Council, transfers traffic camera program to DDOT
By Luz Lazo Oct. 1, 2019 at 6:43 p.m. EDT, Washington Post
Bowser administration officials said that the mayor did not need the council’s approval to move the team of 20 city employees overseeing the traffic camera program to DDOT. The mayor had proposed the transfer multiple times in recent years, and each time her request was denied by the council. The administration touted the transition as critical to the mayor’s Vision Zero strategy, a plan to create safer streets and lower the number of traffic fatalities and injuries.
“This is a mayoral program because it is operational,” Deputy Mayor Lucinda Babers said. “The mayor did have the ability to make the transfer without legislation. She simply utilized her authority as the mayor to make this transfer.” Bowser signed an executive order Friday authorizing the change.
D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), who chairs the panel’s transportation committee, said she found Bowser’s decision to go around the council “troubling,” and “disrespectful” to the legislative body…
Because DDOT is leading the city’s traffic safety efforts, Babers said, it makes sense that it oversee automated enforcement….
In May, Cheryl Cort, policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, wrote that transferring the program to DDOT was one of a number of actions the mayor could take to make city streets safer.
“Traffic cameras can be an effective approach for discouraging dangerous behavior by drivers,” Cort wrote in Greater Greater Washington. “By placing oversight of this tool with the agency responsible for managing our streets, automated traffic enforcement could more effectively improve safety. Traffic cameras are helping now, but they could be used much more strategically if DDOT is able to integrate them into its safety programs.”
The move, however, is likely to upset drivers and their advocates who have widely criticized the program as a money-generator and a tool the city uses to penalize drivers as it pushes the use of public transit, biking and walking.
“Traffic enforcement is a function of law enforcement agencies, not transportation departments,” said John Townsend, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. He said the transfer will probably increase the number of traffic citations issued, which he said would undermine the program’s integrity….
“This is only about revenue,” Townsend said. “This is not about traffic safety. This is about scoring political points.”…
“Everything will be on the table as we look at Vision Zero,” Babers said. “It is absolutely critical that we take a stronger stand in terms of what is in our power to control.”
View full Washington Post story here.
CSG in the News: Alexandria City Council Puts Seminary Road on a Diet
Alexandria City Council Puts Seminary Road on a Diet
City slims four-lane thoroughfare into Complete Street with bike lanes.
By Bridgette Adu-Wadier, Alexandria Gazette Packet, Saturday, September 21, 2019
Seminary Road is about to go on a diet, slimming down from four lanes to two.
Last weekend, the Alexandria City Council narrowly approved a plan to remove two traffic lanes from a stretch of Seminary Road. The “road diet” will create new bike lanes and improve pedestrian safety along a busy stretch in the West End. The four-to-three vote was cast Saturday night after a contentious day-long public hearing….
“When you expand roads, you can attract more drivers, but when you cut roads and invest in better alternatives, traffic will adjust,” said Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, a supporter of the road diet. “We will still be driving, but the more people we have not driving because of alternatives will be safer and better for us.”
View full story in the Alexandria Gazette Packet here.
StreetsCamp 2015
Advocacy knowledge + technical knowledge = power!
StreetsCamp was a one day summit held on June 20th, 2015 to provide participants with the tools to make our streets better: safer for walking and bicycling, transit-friendly, and more.
StreetsCamp includes both subject matter and advocacy skills workshops on everything from how to plan a neighborhood campaign, to safe street design for walking and cycling, to the ins and outs of zoning codes.
How does it work?
You will hear from leaders in sustainable transportation and urban planning, but StreetsCamp is more than just workshops. Every attendee is a part of shaping and leading the day. Be prepared to get involved and meet people!
In the morning, local advocates and experts lead sessions on topics like campaign strategy, organizing, messaging and media, telling your story, safe street design, and more.
In the afternoon, StreetsCamp turns into an ‘unconference’ . That means session topics and activities will be suggested and organized by YOU and everyone attending!
Presentation materials
Not every session at StreetsCamp incorporated a PowerPoint presentation or handouts, but for those that did, we have compiled the materials here.
Telling Better Stories About Public Transportation, Paul Mackie, Mobility Lab
So You Think You Can Blog (Blogging 101), Aimee Custis & Abigail Zenner, Greater Greater Washington
Street Design Secrets Revealed, Dan Emerine, CNU-DC
Transit Today, Tomorrow, and the Future: There’s More to It Than Metrorail, Kristin Haldeman & Allison Davis, WMATA
How Safe Routes to School Are Driving Change in the Greater Washington DC Region, Matt Colvin & Keith Benjamin, Safe Routes to School
How Could We Get a Majority of People to Bike? Bike Infrastructure Best Practices, Jess Zdeb, Toole Design Group
Blogging 102, Dan Malouff & Aimee Custis, Greater Greater Washington
StreetsCamp 2015 was made possible by these partners:
Greater Greater Washington
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Georgetown University School of Urban and Regional Planning
Congress for New Urbanism, DC Chapter
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Mobility Lab
Smart Growth America
National Complete Streets Coalition
Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling
Washington Area Bicyclists Association
All Walks DC
Sierra Club