With the FY 2022 budget season rolling along, the Streets for All Coalition has been hard at work making sure that complete streets and bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects remain a priority for our community. Here’s some of the things we are focusing on:
- Advocating for funding for bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects in the FY 2022 budget, particularly in historically disinvested neighborhoods that have a strong need for better and safer sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes and paths.
- Urging county officials to cut through red tape that has prevented existing projects from getting completed in a timely fashion.
- Working with the county’s Complete Streets Implementation Team to make progress on a new Design Manual that would guide future planning and development to prioritize bike and pedestrian accessibility and safety.
The next residents’ budget hearing will be held TOMORROW, March 9, by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. If you are interested, you can sign up to testify. In addition, make sure you add your name to our petition to tell Howard County officials to fix our streets and sidewalks so everyone in our community can get around safely and easily.
In the coming weeks, be on the lookout for more opportunities to take action for Streets for All in Howard County!
Check out the results from our Elkridge walk audit!
Although 2020 was a year of immense challenges, the Streets for All Coalition had one big highlight to celebrate: our Virtual Walk Audit in Elkridge! Though we could not gather in person, the Coalition brought together a fantastic group of advocates and concerned community members to discuss needed changes to Montgomery Road between Rowanberry Drive and the Lawyers Hill Apartments.
Some big takeaways that the participants identified:
- Currently, Montgomery Road has disconnected sidewalks, is dangerous for pedestrians in many spots and limits access to community resources.
- The route needs improved sidewalks, more painted crosswalks and pedestrian signals, bike lanes and better lighting at bus stops and intersections.
- Officials should institute traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds as well as a speed campaign for school-related traffic.
Check out the full report from the audit.
Thank you again to everyone who participated, and stay tuned for updates on how you can help us advocate for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Elkridge and across Howard County!
