Rockville has a new tool for helping pedestrians cross city streets safely with new guidelines for evaluating requests for crosswalk installation and related pedestrian safety improvements.
The new Marked Crossing Guidelines, published in September, will help city staff determine when a marked crosswalk can be considered at an intersection or midblock. By Maryland law, pedestrians may cross the street midblock only when using a marked crosswalk.
Intersections are considered legal crosswalks whether marked or unmarked. The city’s new guidelines better account for the area immediately surrounding a crosswalk and update the thresholds for considering whether a marked crosswalk should be installed.
Residents can request a marked crosswalk evaluation by selecting “Report a concern” at the bottom of the page at www.rockvillemd.gov.
The guideline update is part of the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries. Find the guidelines and learn about other projects related to Vision Zero at www.rockvillemd.gov/visionzeroprojects.
Even with the new guidelines, there are some instances where marked crosswalks will not be recommended. These include intersections where sight distances between motorists and pedestrians are blocked or where intersection geometry would make crossing too complicated.
The Rockville Pedestrian Advocacy Committee advocated for the guideline update, which was an action item in the Pedestrian Master Plan the Mayor and Council adopted in October 2023. The guidelines were funded with a Regional Roadway Safety Program grant through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.