Testimony From Jeremy Martin: Pedestrian Safety and Neighborhood Connectivity

Rockville City Hall

Here is the full text of Jeremy Martin’s remarks to last night’s Mayor and Council meeting:

Thanks for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the traffic and transportation commission. There are two subjects we wanted to address this evening: pedestrian safety and neighborhood connectivity.

Three recent pedestrian fatalities on the Rockville Pike, one inside and two just outside the city limits, make it crystal clear that pedestrian safety is a life or death issue throughout the city, and especially on the Rockville Pike. This is a topic to which the commission devotes a great deal of time and thought, and we feel these fatalities quite acutely. I wanted to pass along a few thoughts to you in person.

There were a number of contributing factors to these recent accidents, including lighting problems, the location of bus-stops and the proximity of cross-walks, and generally intersections that are not pedestrian friendly. Several of these factors have been promptly addressed, and for this we want to commend the work of the city’s interdepartmental task force on pedestrian safety.

But we need to avoid the next fatality, rather than react to it. To do this, we hope the city will encourage all city employees, especially those on the roads after dark: police officers, refuse collection and others, to report problems with street lights, so these dangerous situations can be quickly resolved.

We also need to ensure that the pedestrian safety projects are adequately funded in the upcoming budget. We hope that you can find the resources to fully fund the Accessible Pedestrian Signals, Sidewalks, the Intermodal Access Project on Baltimore Road, and Asphalt Repair. Keeping citizens safe on Rockville streets should be a top priority, even when budgets are tight.

The other topic I wanted to address is neighborhood connectivity. The recently proposed brand statement highlights the importance of connectivity between Rockville’s neighborhoods and residents. Connectivity, for pedestrians, cyclists and all users is another topic to which the traffic and transportation commission devotes considerable energy.

Unfortunately, we have not been very successful improving connectivity. Numerous examples, from the Princeton Place access to Montgomery College, the road abandonment associated with the Victory Housing project, and many others have failed to realize the potential for improved connectivity.

I didn’t come here to grouse about these missed opportunities, but to offer our assistance, in whatever capacity would be most effective, to support improved connectivity throughout the city. The commission wants to remind the Mayor and Council of our commitment to improved connectivity, and our eagerness to work with you, with the planning commission, with the county, with the college, with the Rockville bicycle advisory committee, or whomever else we can engage to build a city that meets our ambitions for safety and connectivity. We hope you will think of us, and find ways we can work together in an efficient and effective manner to improve our city.

We invite anyone who testifies during a Public Hearing or at Citizens Forum to send us your remarks, which we will consider for publication at Rockville Central as a public service. As with any opinion piece, our publication of an article does not mean we endorse the author’s opinion.

Share and enjoy:

Hide Sites