Don’t let the Montgomery County Council take away the Little Falls Linear Park!

Thanks in part to all of your emails and phone calls in support of a permanent road diet on Little Falls Parkway, the Planning Board voted to approve the Montgomery Parks Department plan last Thursday April 27, 2023. But local leaders are considering reversing the plan, so we must continue to push the County Council to support the Parks Department budget and to maintain the road diet on Little Falls.

Tell the County Council how imperative it is to support the retention of a permanent road diet on Little Falls Parkway around the crossing of the Capital Crescent Trail and to fully fund the Parks Department budget needs.

In response to a bicyclist being killed at the crossing of the Capital Crescent Trail and Little Falls Parkway in 2016, the Parks Department imposed a road diet on the Parkway to avoid future deaths. Parks did multiple traffic studies that showed that “the reconfigured lane set-up reduces cut-through traffic in neighborhoods surrounding Little Falls Parkway, maintains a safe Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) crossing, and safely accommodates vehicle traffic.”   

Going forward, the two car lanes will remain on one side of the median, with the other side set to become a dedicated recreation space and a possible linear park. This is a significant win for a continued safe crossing of the Capital Crescent Trail. A permanent road diet does not create any significant congestion for cars while at the same time provides safe use of the Capital Crescent Trail for all those walking and biking in the area.

A safe crossing of Little Falls Parkway and the most heavily used trail in Montgomery County, the Capital Crescent Trail, is a necessity for people who walk and bike on the CCT.  The April 27, 2023 Montgomery County Planning Board vote to support the Parks Department staff plan to make permanent the road diet on Little Falls Parkway is a very important step to keep that trail crossing safe. The staff analysis of traffic studies performed also showed two lanes can accommodate car traffic on the stretch of the Parkway between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue.  The road diet is undeniably a safer configuration for all who walk and bike on the trail and will avoid future deaths of vulnerable road users at that crossing.

Please take the action below to make sure the County Council recognizes your support for a permanent road diet at this trail crossing of Little Falls Parkway.

To continue discussing Little Falls Parkway and other county developments, come join WABA and other Montgomery County advocates for a meetup on Wednesday May 10, from 5-7pm at Silver Branch Brewing in Silver Spring. You can RSVP at the link here.