Residents shared their perspectives on a plan aimed to make the pedestrian experience better.
Wheaton resident Adam Carlesco said he does not own a car and relies on walking, biking and transit.
The recommendation within the recent Pedestrian Master Plan to construct raised crossings is the “single most important thing” the county could do to improve pedestrian safety, Carlesco said during a council public hearing Tuesday.
The Planning Board approved the Pedestrian Master Plan in May and it was then sent to the county council. Councilmembers received a briefing and discussed the plan ahead of Tuesday’s public hearing.
Tony Byrne, who lives and works in downtown Silver Spring, came in support of the plan and said he feels that the county has historically “prioritized automotive speed over pedestrian safety.”
Kimblyn Persaud criticized the plan, saying it is “written through the lens of privilege.”
“Not through the lens of a single mother whose car allows her to pick up her sick child from school and return to work,” she said.
Michael Heyl, representing the Byeforde Rock Creek Highlands Citizens Association in Kensington, expressed concerns about a recommendation to make the open parkways along Beach Drive — currently operating on weekends — permanent. Heyl said his neighborhood has experienced a “significant and unsafe” increase in nonlocal cut-through traffic whenever Beach Drive is closed.
