MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is responding to residents' concerns about a need for additional sidewalks. The department plans to revise its policy on installing more sidewalks in the wake of the rise of fatal collisions in the county.
After one such recent deadly collision in Montgomery County, the husband of a State Department employee killed while riding her bicycle in Bethesda has started a campaign to improve roadway safety conditions.
Montgomery County Council Vice President Even Glass stated in a tweet that the MDOT received a briefing on sidewalk construction. Glass requested this update to "better understand how we can build more pedestrian infrastructure" as residents' demands continue to increase. The councilmember said his office gets an additional 300 requests each year and these requests are waiting for funding. With the help of MCDOT, the process for these requests can go a lot smoother.
"The plan is to integrate GIS mapping applications and formalize prioritization system to ensure sidewalks are built where they are needed," Glass said in a tweet.
The map has over 1,000 existing requests from residents to build sidewalks and those that still need to be done.
"We've got a lot more work to do to ensure that pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers are safe on our roads," Glass said.
