For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
The Montgomery County Vision Zero Steering Committee released its Fiscal Year 2026 Work Plan detailing the safety projects, campaigns and initiatives scheduled this fiscal year running from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Vision Zero is a strategy aimed at eliminating all serious injuries and fatalities on County roadways. Each year, the Steering Committee updates its Work Plan to further the Vision Zero 2030 Action Plan and continue making the roads safer for everyone.
“This campaign is called Vision Zero because we believe that no one should die or be seriously hurt just trying to cross the street, get to school or drive to work,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “We’ve made progress. Serious injuries and fatalities are down on the roads where we’ve focused our efforts. I appreciate the work of this cross-agency coalition and their collaborations. We will keep investing in safety improvements, enforcing dangerous driving behavior and making our streets safer.”
Each year, the Vision Zero Work Plan advances projects that are listed on the High Injury Network (HIN) . These roadways were identified as the areas with the highest risk for serious injuries and fatalities.
“We have seen serious injuries and fatalities reduce on the high injury network corridors by 28 percent with our focus on safety projects, law enforcement and outreach,” said the County’s Vision Zero Coordinator Wade Holland. “This year, we have the highest number of projects moving from design to construction since the inception of our Vision Zero Initiative.”
Highlights of this year’s Work Plan include:
- County Safety Corridors: Two safety studies are advancing to construction for Bel Pre Road from Georgia Avenue to Layhill Road and Montgomery Village Avenue from Wightman Road to Midcounty Highway.
- State Safety Corridors: The State Highway Administration is advancing safety projects under its Pedestrian Safety Action Plan , including a $15 million investment for New Hampshire Avenue, based on the County’s safety audit recommendations.
- Giving Pedestrians a Head Start at Traffic Signals: The County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will finish conversion of 230 signalized intersections to ban right turns on red and provide pedestrians with a three to seven second head start at busy crossings in business districts and near schools.
- Building New Bikeways: Twelve bikeway projects will be under construction with an additional 12 under design. This includes major bikeway connections to future Purple Line stations. Fenton Street, Dale Drive, Woodmont Avenue and Metropolitan Branch Trail will be under construction.
- Safe Routes to School (SRTS): SRTS will advance safety for students walking and biking to school through continued coordination between the County Government and public schools. Fifteen schools will have walkability audits completed and at least 10 bike rodeos (on-bike safety courses) will be held. Student education and outreach efforts will continue through the 2026 Vision Zero Youth Ambassador Cohort program. SRTS will also continue to coordinate investigations into crashes involving students walking or biking to and from school.
- New sidewalks: More than five miles of sidewalk will be constructed.
- More Safe Speed Corridors: Expansion of Safe Speed corridors along known dangerous corridors with the passage of a County priority bill during the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session.
“Since the County adopted Vision Zero, MCDOT has made significant improvements to our infrastructure, adding sidewalks and bikeways along priority areas in school zones and high injury corridors, and protecting pedestrians at busy intersections by adding crosswalks and banning right turns on red,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “Now we are seeing more of these projects move into construction to make known dangerous roads safer by design and improve connectivity to future Purple Line and bus rapid transit service.”
In addition to safety projects, Montgomery County Police remain focused on curbing the behaviors that lead to serious injuries or death – speeding, distraction, impairment, not wearing a seatbelt and failing to yield to another vehicle or pedestrian.
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“Montgomery County Police officers are committed to enhancing roadway safety by holding dangerous drivers accountable thereby improving community well-being,” said Montgomery County Police Chief Marc Yamada. “Our officers, along with our local and state police partners, are currently working on the inaugural summertime alcohol task force. We are also maximizing use of our automated traffic safety tools and working with the State Highway Administration in an effort to change dangerous driving behaviors. The department’s approach to using a combination of automated and officer enforcement, allows us to maximize our resources and address the leading causes of roadway fatalities and serious collisions.”
Learn more about the County’s roadway safety work and see projects near you on the Vision Zero website .
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Release ID: 25-121
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta, 240-372-2282
For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=47429
There is a photo of a traffic circle at beginning of this article. If traffic circles are being proposed, I would strongly disagree with that. I literally have never known anyone to comment positively about them. My opinion is that they are dangerous because they are extremely confusing to drivers. I have been through many traffic circles and always observe drivers who are very confused and many just completely stop because they do not know how to proceed. I admit I do not know the data behind any proposition of traffic circles. I am commenting from experience and opinions of people I know.
Also, we should go back to teaching people that cars are bigger than people so look both ways before you cross the road. Sometimes drivers cannot see people crossing due to sun glare or night headlight glare. I have seen too many times people crossing the street without look, with their eyes looking at their phones. People walking need to take some responsibility too. It works both ways.