Speed limit reduced on Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda

The Maryland State Highway Administration has reduced the speed limit on Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda from 35 MPH to 30 MPH. New signage has been installed on the section of the state highway between Sangamore Road and Westmoreland Circle at the Maryland-Washington, D.C. border, with yellow tags that read, "NEW." 

The remainder of the road, a two-lane segment between Sangamore and Goldsboro Road, was already set at 30 MPH. This latest adjustment follows a more drastic speed limit reduction on River Road, from 45 to 35 MPH. As with River Road, there was no public process or advance notice of the plan to change the speed limit.

Bradley Boulevard speed limit to drop next month in downtown Bethesda

The Maryland State Highway Administration is planning to lower speed limits on another road in Bethesda. This time on the part of Bradley Boulevard between Wisconsin Avenue and Arlington Road. Expect the speed limit to drop to 25 or 30 MPH "on or about" August 2, 2019. 

SHA has made no public announcement regarding the change (other than these electronic signs), the specific new speed limit, how far west the speed change will apply, nor the reasons why the change is being implemented. Bradley currently drops to 30 MPH when it becomes a two-lane road west of downtown Bethesda. I wouldn't rule out SHA dropping the limit to 25 MPH west of downtown Bethesda eventually, given the recent similar change on Wilson Lane.

Current speed limit is 35 MPH
along this stretch of Bradley

There have been ongoing pedestrian safety issues with crosswalks along this stretch just west of The Adagio condos. SHA has attempted to address them with lights and signage, but now is apparently going to also slow traffic down. Narrow lanes, hidden jaywalkers, and the danger of car doors opening in the far right lane often force drivers to go slower than the 35 MPH speed limit here.

But be aware, as police enforcement is likely to begin immediately. At the same time, this remains a critical east-west travel corridor for heavy traffic between Potomac and Chevy Chase, so any slowdown may well increase travel times.

Wilson Lane speed limit drops to 25 MPH

The speed limit on Wilson Lane in Bethesda dropped from 30 MPH to 25 MPH on Friday, the latest speed reduction approved by the Gov. Larry Hogan administration for a state highway in Montgomery County. This follows an illegally-implemented speed limit reduction on River Road by the Maryland State Highway Administration. No widely-advertised public meeting was held to consult with taxpayers on either speed limit change before it was unilaterally imposed.

Speed limits were also slashed on Georgia Avenue in the Glenmont and Aspen Hill areas, and are coming to Veirs Mill Road as part of a plan to increase commutes by 35 minutes for those traveling between Rockville and Wheaton. The reductions are being sold as a safety issue, but are actually in preparation for the urbanization of all of these suburban corridors by the developers who control the Montgomery County Council. With the election of Hogan, himself a real estate developer, the SHA is now under the cartel's control, as well. The SHA for decades under Republican and Democratic governors alike adamantly refused to violate highway engineering best practices by setting speed limits lower than what specific roads were engineered for. Under Hogan, the SHA has folded up like a card table under pressure from the Montgomery County cartel. Perhaps he is planning to pursue development projects in Montgomery after he leaves office.

The Montgomery County cartel
is pulling the strings on Hogan and the SHA

After ramming through zoning changes that allowed developers to flip all shopping centers, office buildings, office parks and other commercial properties into residential, the cartel took the inch and the mile. Their secret plan, which I've warned about for years but is now emerging into public view, is to now convert all existing single-family home neighborhoods to multifamily zoning. The speed limit reduction is to prepare drivers along these routes for their eventual conversion into 25 MPH urban boulevards.

A plan to rezone all neighborhoods for multifamily housing has already been forwarded to the Planning Board by Councilmember Hans Riemer, and legislation has been drawn up to allow Montgomery County government to convert any or all of its property - schools, libraries, fire stations, and other facilities - into low-income residential housing. All nine Councilmembers elected last November received at least several thousand dollars apiece from developers who specialize in urban projects, and need traffic jams to justify greater density. As a result, the War on Cars, and the war on residents' quality of life, has opened several new fronts.

"Time for some [more] traffic problems in Montgomery County."

- Larry Hogan and the MoCo cartel