City’s Prioritization Policy Allows Residents to Petition for New Paths

Know a neighborhood that could use a sidewalk?

The city created a Sidewalk Prioritization Policy to address missing sidewalks in Rockville and the costs associated with constructing them. The policy helps determine if, and in what order, the city constructs sidewalks.

A missing sidewalk is any existing or potential pathway that, were it hard surfaced, would be used by pedestrians in their routine educational, recreational, business, shopping, working, civic and social pursuits. Sidewalks are along streets and are typically built within city rights of way.

Rockville residents may circulate a petition to have new sidewalks constructed. Once proposed, prioritizing is based on:

• A utility score, which assesses a proposed sidewalk’s connectivity to existing sidewalks and its proximity to schools, bus stops, Metrorail stations, recreational centers and other nearby pedestrian generators.
• A traffic conditions score, which assesses a proposed sidewalk’s connection to a street with higher speed limits.
• Other considerations, such as the availability of city right of way, public support for construction of the proposed sidewalk, and potential environmental impacts.

Visit www.rockvillemd.gov/sidewalks to learn more about the policy, view a map of sidewalks prioritized for construction and find petition forms.

Before circulating a petition for a new sidewalk, residents should call the city’s Traffic and Transportation Division, at 240-314-8500, to discuss the proposed sidewalk.