Residents from 18 communities around Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda and Chevy Chase will participate in a silent vigil on the closed lanes of the road the morning and evening of Thursday, November 16, 2023 from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM and from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. The vigil is being held to protest Montgomery Parks' plan to permanently reduce the parkway to one lane in each direction. There is currently a temporary road diet in place between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue, which would become permanent under the park department's plan. The Neighborhood Coalition, which represents more than 20,000 residents surrounding the parkway, is asking Montgomery County to restore the road to four lanes between Hillandale Road and Dorset Avenue with the existing 17' grass median.
The proposed permanent 2-lane road diet was opposed by 71% of speakers who testified at a Montgomery County Planning Board hearing on March 30, 2023. Over 5000 residents signed a petition opposing the road diet.
Despite the overwhelming community opposition, the Board voted to approve the plan, a vote that was illegal because the commissioners did not receive the required approval of the National Capital Planning Commission. Any changes to the parkway's use, design or configuration must be approved by the NCPC, under the Capper-Cramton Act of 1930. Such approval also requires the NCPC to hold a public hearing, at which residents would be allowed to testify for or against whatever is proposed.
In July, it came to light that Montgomery Parks was seeking to win an award from a non-profit organization for the road diet, and had submitted an application riddled with false statements. A decision in a lawsuit filed by residents over the road diet is also pending.
After public outcry over the steamroller tactics by Montgomery Parks and the Planning Board - the latter's staff recommended approval of the road diet without reviewing the testimony and exhibits submitted by residents less than 24 hours earlier - the Montgomery County Council pretended to block the plan, but did not require Parks to remove the temporary road diet. Now a Council committee is slated to vote on two different versions of the road diet plan November 27.
11 comments:
One of the most horrible decisions ever. Steamrolled is right on. Keep voting for Elrich & Co. This is what you get. Because clueless voters pulled the lever for him, we're stuck for 4 more long years. By the way, they aren't nearly done. Look up 355 bike lanes and see what you find. Lastly, anyone who says Old Geo'twn is fine, needs better glasses. I drive there every day and the traffic recently from the Beltway toward downtown Bethesda was backed up almost to Lone Oak solid. Never, ever before with all lanes open. My gosh are people stupid.
Bikes and exercise are fine but cars need to get to where they are going.
Again, the erudite solution would be to construct a pedestrian tunnel and leave the lanes. The width of LFP is too short for a pedestrian bridge to make sense without stairs (which in turn would not make sense with the runners and cyclists on the CCT). So, why not follow suit of so many other cities in the US that instead have their multi-use paths go under parkways via a brief, well-lit tunnel?
Perhaps it would cost similarly to installation of the linear park that's been talked about.
MC has decided it's for the benefit of their car-reduction vanity project. By 2025, we're supposed to be at 50% EV by registration and 100% by 2035.
This goes to show the epic ignorance of this county not to mention the people that put them in office.
As an avid cyclist / bike commuter / bike shopper, we do need OGR, but not this on LFP. It's too much and wholly unnecessary.
Let's talk about making the length of Viers Mill bike friendly. Elrich, put our money where your big mouth is.
Interesting what they did on University Blvd from Wheaton to Four Corners. They painted the RH eastbound lane bright red. I was driving westbound so I couldn't see the signs but assume this is a bike lane but could be used by busses during rush hours?
Nevermind that there exists a trail that runs along Sligo Creek Park starting in Takoma Park all the way to Wheaton Regional Park. Another thing about painted lanes is that their slick when it rains.
Elrich and the council are truly clueless.
They "get there," but maybe nor as fast as you like. More people will undoubtedly ride bikes and more people undoubtedly should ride bikes. That cyclist is one fewer car on the road, btw.
"Silent Protest Vigil"
What? I thought this was the Cemetery folks again.
How many actually showed up this morning?
According the Parks Commission report 3000 people use the closed of roadway each weekend. That's just under 1 per minute, or 60 per hour. That is nothing. But as someone who lives nearby, I have never seen 60 people using that space when I have been done there for an hour. The only time there are that many people using the closed roadway is when bikers are crossing from one side of Capital Crescent to the other. The rest of the closed roadway is empty.
This is almost as ridiculous as the clowns who opposed the purple line because of a supposed shrimp like creature that lived in Rock Creek Park--but actually did not.
All these closures, especially OGR, have nothing to do with use and public input was used as a flag despite the decision already being made. You get what you vote for.
Silence isn't the farmer's long suit.
Former, not farmer
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