What if we could have safer streets in Four Corners?
We can — but you need to speak up now.
Weigh in to support Option C for wider, safer sidewalks in Four Corners
The County Council is holding its final work session on the University Boulevard Corridor Plan on December 2. Among the remaining issues is how to make sidewalks and crossings safer in Four Corners, right next to Blair High School.
As somebody who was a parent of two people who went to Blair, this was my nightmare. I am not exaggerating. […] We have to prioritize safety. – Council President Kate Stewart on supporting safer sidewalks in Four Corners
The Council’s Planning, Housing and Parks committee voted 3-0 to support Option C—the option that the Coalition for Smarter Growth supports. This option would convert one travel lane on University Boulevard in each direction to reduce crossing distances, and provide wider sidewalks with a minimum of 7 feet between the sidewalk and the street:
Option C: Public Hearing Draft & PHP Committee Recommendation (click to open)
However, district Councilmember Mink has opposed Option C because it would require converting travel lanes, citing “traffic concerns”—even though analysis commissioned by the county suggests that converting these lanes would add a maximum of eight seconds of travel time through this area in the AM peak hour and eleven seconds of travel time in the PM peak hour.
Councilmember Mink’s proposal, Option B, would leave today’s 50-foot crossing distances in place, and would result in narrower sidewalks closer to the street with widths that fall below the standards for the county’s safe street design guidance:
Option B: Councilmember Mink Proposal (click to open)
What we decide now will shape this street for decades to come.
The University Boulevard Corridor Plan, like other master plans in the county, is intended to guide key transportation decisions in the plan area for the next twenty to thirty years.
The students, transit riders, shoppers, and community members who travel through Four Corners deserve better. We shouldn’t have to wait another 20+ years for a chance at safe, Complete Streets-compliant sidewalks.
We need to be direct, and really embrace that change needs to happen if you want to transform this boulevard and make sure people are safe to walk, bike, roll, and take transit.
– Councilmember Natali Fani-González
Click the button below to call on the Montgomery County Council to support Option C, and deliver on the safe streets that our county has promised us and that our communities need.