PETITION TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY PLANNING BOARD FOR HEARING MARCH 30, 2023

Safety is more important than new park space on Little Falls Parkway.

The Planning Board should restore the pedestrian median at the Capital Crescent Trail (“CCT”) crossing of Little Falls Parkway (“LFP”) and keep one lane closed on each side (see photo above for requested configuration).

·        The current lane closures have introduced new accident risks for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Click here to see for yourself. 

·        Restoring this configuration improves safety because pedestrians and cyclists could cross one direction of traffic, pause in the median, and cross the other direction of traffic.

·        The current configuration is a mixed-threat crossing, which forces pedestrians and cyclists to cross two directions of traffic at once. 

·        The current configuration creates blind spots from vehicles backed up from the removal of the right turn lane at Arlington Road. 

The Planning Board should reopen all four lanes of LFP between Hillandale Road and Dorset Avenue because:

·        The current configuration beyond the CCT crossing eliminates the grass median, which increases the risk of head-on collisions. 

·        Lack of shoulders and passing lanes creates bottlenecks for emergency response vehicles.

·        The lane closures have increased traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. 

·        The lane closures are still causing cut-through traffic in neighborhoods.  

·        Montgomery Parks has failed to address community concerns about its traffic data and how it was formulated. We are seeking independent verification of this data.

·        Traffic data does not adequately account for the 6,300+ new residential units being developed in downtown Bethesda and Westbard.

The Planning Board should put safety concerns above Montgomery Parks’ desire to make park modifications:

·        The sole purpose of the extended lane closures is to create new space for a linear park, which local residents didn’t ask for.

·        Local residents appreciate park space, but this is the wrong place for this park. 

·        Creating new park space should not take precedence over driver, cyclist, and pedestrian safety. 

As a Montgomery County taxpayer, I oppose my taxes being spent on an unwanted park whose safety risks outweigh public benefits. Taxpayer funds should be spent on maintenance of the park facilities we already have, which need repair and improvement.