Smart Growth Social, our annual fall fundraiser, is once again going local this year! Instead of our big party at Eastern Market, we’re working with local partners to host community-based gatherings across the region and highlight the importance of creating great places for people. Join us for one or more of our fall Smart Growth Social Goes Local events!
Author: Elena Sorokina
EVENT: Affordability As We Grow in Prince George’s
Thank you to everyone who joined RISE Prince George’s and CSG on 10/8/2022 for our September meeting. We discussed progress and prospects for Prince George’s affordable housing efforts as transit-oriented development takes root.
Recommendations for the Maryland Commission on Climate Change Annual Report
We offer the following recommendations for various sectors believing that they can help
Maryland close the emissions gap between the 2030 GGRA set in 2017 (40% by 2030) and the new Climate
Solutions Now Act goal (60% by 2031). The Federal Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Acts provide
unprecedented levels of federal funds to accomplish many of these goals. Maryland agencies and local
governments should take maximum advantage of these funding opportunities.
CSG News: Join our team, attend a tour and social, and take action!
Check out our tours and socials, key updates, and ways to take action!
Comments re: Maryland Commission on Climate Change Annual Report Transportation Recommendations
The state should prioritize the
communities heavily impacted by transportation pollution and historically excluded from
transportation decision making and infrastructure resources, including communities of color,
low-wealth communities, rural communities, and people with disabilities, in the development and
implementation of these policies.
CSG/CASA Comments: Culmore Pedestrian Safety Improvements
The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) and CASA write to provide comments (attached and below) to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) on recommendations for pedestrian safety improvements in the Culmore community presented at the Aug. 4th public meeting.
Help make sure Route 7 safety improvements happen in Culmore!
Wow! Over a hundred residents, including school-aged children, attended the Route 7-Culmore Pedestrian Safety public meeting demanding that Fairfax County and VDOT make it safer for their families and neighbors to walk and bike in the community.
On the positive side, officials announced at the meeting the possibility of several safety enhancements – a speed study, a crossing study, and potential sidewalk connections. However, we are very concerned these studies will take years to implement and that the short-term fixes they’ve already done to Route 7 are totally inadequate to truly keep people safe now.
Please email your comments before the August 26 deadline demanding more robust short-term fixes and asking that they prioritize and fund the longer-term projects ASAP.
Community feedback shared during the meeting was very much aligned with the findings of the walkability survey conducted by CSG and CASA in Spring 2022. Residents living in the Culmore community overwhelmingly feel unsafe walking and biking along Route 7 citing poor lighting, dangerous driving, and the lack of connected sidewalks, bike infrastructure, and safe crossing options as core problems.
We are urging several quick fixes that are critical for making the area safer now while longer-term plans are developed, including:
- Installing a temporary, in-street sidewalk connection with jersey barriers or flex posts until a permanent one can be built in front of the gas station where the woman was struck and killed in December
- Reprogramming the traffic signals to give pedestrians a head start and more time to cross Route 7 at all intersections in the corridor
- Lowering the speed limit and adding driver speed feedback signs
- Adding more high visibility crosswalks across Route 7 as well as side streets and driveways along the corridor.
- Providing brighter pedestrian-scale lighting along Route 7 and in the neighborhoods
You can email comments to VDOT and Fairfax County using our action form here asking for these needed quick fixes and safety improvements. Personalizing the email with your own experiences would make an even stronger statement. Comments are being accepted through this Friday, August 26.
RELEASE: Rock Creek Park Advocates Charge New Road Plan Is “Not Good Enough”
Recreation and conservation advocates today sharply admonished the National Park Service (NPS) for deciding to allow commuting auto traffic on upper Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park for nine months out of the year.
MoCo Better Buses Letter on Ride On Reimagined Study Outreach
The Montgomery Better Buses coalition members and other signatories are excited about the upcoming Ride On Reimagined Study and its potential to greatly improve bus service in Montgomery County.
All About Thrive #5: Thrive, more housing options, and safe streets are all popular
Recent Data for Progress polls about Thrive 2050, constructing new homes, and redesigning roads for safety over speed showed majority support for all three.