Comment on Montgomery Parks’ Open Parkways for Beach Drive

WABA’s Complete State Roads initiative aims to remake state highways in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties as complete streets, boosting safety and mobility for people who walk, bike, roll, or use transit as well as for drivers and their passengers. 

The Complete State Roads–Montgomery County report is available at waba.org/stateroads and you can watch a presentation delivered about it at WABA’s 4th Great Montgomery County Bike Summit in 2023. 

As part of the Complete State Roads initiative, WABA backed the development of legislation for introduction in the 2024 Maryland legislative session. 

Whether you're heading to work, out for a scenic ramble, or chasing a PR, or Rock Creek Park is wonderful place to ride a bike.

WABA has worked with grassroots advocates for decades to ensure that Rock Creek Park has the bicycling infrastructure it needs so you can relax and enjoy the scenery.

Recent successes include a recently widened and resurfaced trail, and large sections of Beach Drive that are now permanently closed to cars and open for biking and other forms of recreation.

Current priorities include longer hours for the Zoo tunnel, and more safe ways to get into the park on a bike.

Complete Streets are streets designed to accommodate all users, and that prioritize historically underinvested modes of transportation like transit, walking, and biking. An incomplete street might lack adequate sidewalks, low-stress bike infrastructure, or safe and comfortable access to transit.

Effective Complete Streets policies change the way a jurisdiction plans and builds transportation infrastructure—sidewalks, low stress bike infrastructure, and transit should be included in any new or rebuilt street by default, rather than as an add-on when there's space or demand.

While most regional jurisdictions have a Complete Streets policy of some sort, they lack teeth and permit transportation departments to continue to build streets that put cars first and squeeze other modes into the margins.

• Maryland Complete Streets Policy
• Montgomery County Complete Streets Design Guide
• Prince George's County Complete Streets Program
• DC Complete Streets Policy
• Arlington County Complete Streets Program
• Alexandria Complete Streets Program
• Fairfax County Complete Streets 
• Virginia Complete Streets 

WABA works with grassroots advocates at the local, county and state level to support laws and policies that make it easier and safer to walk, bike, and take transit. And we work to changes ones that make biking less safe, make it harder to build bike infrastructure, or that deprioritize the safety and convenience of people walking, biking, or taking transit.

In practice that means advocating for robust and transformative Vision Zero programs, enforceable Complete Streets policies, and funding for new infrastructure that supports biking, walking and transit.

Other regional legislative priorities include:

• Reforming Contributory Negligence (passed in DC, in the works in Maryland and Virginia).
• Getting rid of the Level of Service engineering standards in transportation decision-making.
• Funding E-bike purchase rebates.

Trails are the best. They are low-stress bike infrastructure,  access to nature, parks, landmarks, and community gathering spaces all rolled into one.

WABA's trail advocacy is focused on connecting gaps in our region's trail network; ensuring existing trails are maintained and upgraded to meet current design standards; and expanding the network into underserved parts of the region.

WABA fights for a region where biking, walking and transit are the best ways to get around.

We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.