The draft new Montgomery County Complete Streets design guide is a key tool for achieving the goals set out by the county's Vision Zero Action Plan.
Montgomery County, Maryland recently released the draft Montgomery County Complete Streets design guide ahead of a public review process expected to culminate before the County Council in January 2021.
"Complete Streets are roadways that are designed and operated to provide safe, accessible, and healthy travel for all users of the roadway system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists," according to the Montgomery Planning website that shares the draft.
According to the website, the Design Guide is designed to offer flexibility to the various communities in the county while adhering to three principles: safety, sustainability, and vitality. The Complete Streets Design Guide is intended to further the county's Vision Zero goals to reduce traffic fatalities.
Given the current debate about the centering of equity in transportation planning and the need for planners to address the lack of safety for people of color while traveling on every available mode of transportation, I did a quick search and found only two uses of the word equity—both times mentioning that traffic collisions disproportionately affect people of color, but in neither case offering any specifics about how the deployment of complete streets principles for the Vision Zero agenda would address disparities in traffic safety or access to mobility.
The history of planning in Montgomery County is fraught with criticisms of discriminatory practices, but some local officials and advocates have been moving the needle toward equity in recent months.
FULL STORY: Complete Streets Design Guide
When it Comes to Road Diets, Evidence Doesn't Matter
Drivers are a powerful enough lobby to overcome all evidence of the need to redesign streets for safety. Examples from Maryland and Virginia provide the latest case studies in Vision Zero futility.
Redesigning Streets for Livability: A Global View
An excerpt from the introduction of the recent book, “Streets For All: 50 Strategies for Shaping Resilient Cities,” edited by Vinayak Bharne and Shyam Khandekar.
San Francisco Returns $15 Million Federal Grant for Market Street Improvements
San Francisco was awarded a federal grant in 2018 that it was forced to return in 2022 because it couldn't start construction by 2025.
The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.
In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living
Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.
Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown
In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.
California Moves to Limit Autonomous Trucks
A bill passed by the State Assembly and moving on to the Senate would require autonomous semi trucks to have a trained human operator in the vehicle.
Minnesota Budget Includes Significant Transit Investments
After a contentious debate, the state legislature passed a budget that changes how transportation projects are funded and supports increased transit service in the state.
Proposed Land Value Tax Plan in Detroit
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan proposes hiking property taxes for vacant land and buildings while lowering the rate for occupied homes and businesses in a split tax plan he contends will resolve many of Detroit's blight and high property tax woes.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
