Howard County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball recently released his proposed FY 2024 capital budget, which includes over $12 million for bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects – a NEW RECORD level of funding for our community, if approved. This funding will further advance critical projects along Dobbin Road, US Route 1, Elkridge Main Street, Guilford Road and MD 108, among others.
“We thank County Executive Ball for another historic proposal and for his unwavering commitment to complete streets for Howard County,” said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, president & CEO of the Horizon Foundation. “With better, safer and more accessible roads, intersections, sidewalks and paths, we can improve opportunities for everyone in our community to be active and healthy.”
“Bike HoCo is grateful for the funding the Administration has committed for the past three years that added over 30 miles of bicycling infrastructure (including our County’s first protected bike lane on Oakland Mills Road this year), and for the projected bicycle and shared use path funding that is in the FY24 Capital Budget,” said Jack Guarneri, president of Bicycling Advocates of Howard County. “This will get us closer to our goal of building a forward-looking bicycle infrastructure system that meets the needs and desires of all between the ages of 8 to 80+ for safer alternative transportation options.”
Thank you to all of our partners and Howard County residents who have advocated for these important projects. Your voice is so important to ensuring that everyone in Howard County – no matter who they are or where they live – can safely, easily and comfortably bike, walk or take public transportation anywhere they need to go.
Next up: the budget now heads to the Howard County Council for revision and approval. We must keep up the pressure to ensure full funding for these projects remains in the final budget.
Let’s keep making progress! Send your message to the Howard County Council to protect this funding to make our roads, intersections, sidewalks and paths safer for us to walk and bike!
