Thank the Montgomery County Council for Supporting the Equitable Investment Bike Network Proposal!

On March 9, the three members of the Montgomery County Council Transportation and Environment Committee voted unanimously to support adding $10.7m to the County Capital Improvement Program budget.  These funds will be used to plan and build protected bike lanes and neighborhood greenways in four of the County’s Equity Focus Areas as proposed by WABA (see our plan here).  On March 22, the full Council took up the Committee recommendations and provisionally approved, on a 9-0 vote, to add the $10.7m to the Capital Budget.

Please thank the Council for supporting  WABA’s Equitable Investment Equitable Investment in Montgomery’s Bike Network Proposal and ask for their help keeping the $10.7m in the final Budget.

Historically, Montgomery County has focussed its spending on facilities that make walking and biking safer in communities in the more affluent parts of the County.  WABA proposed a shift to build these projects in areas of the County that have fewer transportation assets, the Equity Focus Areas (see more detail on the EFAs here).  WABA wants to make walking and biking safer in these areas where residents are less likely to have access to cars and are more reliant on walking, biking and access to transit.

Please show your support for this shift in spending on active transportation options by emailing all of the County Council members to thank them for voting to add $10.7m to the Capital Budget in the next six years to plan and construct Tier One Bicycle Master Plan projects in Wheaton, White Oak, Langley Park and Silver Spring.