Rockville is honing its pedestrian safety efforts with an emphasis on engineering to create safer streets, enforcement of traffic laws, and education to raise awareness of safe practices while driving, walking or biking.
City staff briefed the Mayor and Council on these efforts during their meeting on Dec. 16. The update detailed safety improvements that the city completed and enforcement that city police conducted in recent years, as well as educational outreach, and plans for future efforts and projects.
“Staff is currently focusing on improving pedestrian safety throughout the city, but especially at Town Center and Twinbrook in response to vehicle/pedestrian collisions on Beall Avenue in the spring and on McAuliffe Drive in the fall of 2019,” the report said. “The city responded by installing safety elements at both locations with the consultation and coordination of [the Rockville Pedestrian Advisory Committee] and community groups.”
In Town Center, those safety elements included installing pedestrian-activated flashing devices along Beall Avenue, improving lighting and sightlines, reducing the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph, and increasing police patrols for speed and traffic enforcement.
In Twinbrook, improvements included new and refreshed crosswalks along McAuliffe Drive; expanded “No Parking” zones to increase sightlines; nighttime inspections of streetlights to identify outages; and city staff studies of traffic volume and speed, and of pedestrian movement.
The Mayor and Council asked about specific engineering and enforcement measures; how the city can work with local, county and state partners; and how to measure success in improving pedestrian safety.
The briefing came just six days after the Rockville Pedestrian Advocacy Committee and the city’s Traffic and Transportation Commission held a joint meeting in which they agreed to work together to advocate for the city’s Vision Zero plan, a draft of which is expected to go before the Mayor and Council this spring. The city’s Vision Zero goal is to eliminate pedestrian-related deaths and serious injuries by 2030 through improved road design, traffic law enforcement and education.
Find the staff report and video of the pedestrian safety update with the Dec. 16 Mayor and Council agenda online.
Have a concern about a non-emergency pedestrian safety issue in the city? Visit www.rockvillemd.gov, scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Report a Concern,” or call City Hall at 240-314-5000, or the police hotline at 240-314-8900. For emergencies, call 911.
For more information on the city’s ongoing pedestrian safety efforts, contact Alyssa Roff, the city’s pedestrian and bicycle coordinator, at aroff@rockvillemd.gov or 240-314-8527.