Elrich's New Vision Zero Coordinator To Tackle Traffic Safety

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on Monday said that Wade Holland, the county's interim Vision Zero coordinator, will hold the position permanently.

The goal of Vision Zero is to eliminate severe and fatal collisions for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists by 2030.

Holland has been serving as interim coordinator for Vision Zero for two years — all while working as a data analyst for the county. He'll now take on the role of coordinator full-time, overseeing strategies to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths.

"I appreciate the County Executive's confidence in me, but I much more appreciate his commitment to support all of the work we have been talking about and planning for," Holland said. "He wants us to make a difference and that is what we intend to do."

Holland takes over the position at a time when Montgomery County has grappled with a spate of pedestrian deaths.

"We've already had three pedestrians killed by collisions in January," Elrich said. "Last year, there were 13 pedestrians and one bicyclist killed. This is too many people and we need to really begin making more progress."

To address traffic safety in the county, local officials have installed several pedestrian-activated crosswalk systems, advanced stop lines for bicyclists, and corner islands to slow down motorists turning at certain intersections.

"There are high-tech programs that we are working on that are expensive and take time," Elrich said, adding that he wants to start looking at "low-cost projects that we can do fast."

"We need projects like intersections with wider corners for pedestrians. We need bright lighting at targeted locations — like intersections — to make sure drivers can see pedestrians. We know that human nature will have people trying to cross at mid-block so we need to consider putting in more mid-block crossings in urban areas of the County" ... "I know this is a team effort and it takes time, but we need to have programs that get people to change their behavior," Elrich said.

On Jan. 15, Elrich recommended a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for fiscal years 2021-26 that earmarks $266.6 million for Vision Zero-related projects. Other budget recommendations include $9.3 million for pedestrian safety initiatives, $4.5 million for mobility and safety improvements around future Purple Line stations, and $4.2 million for sidewalk projects.

In the short-term, Elrich has unveiled a 2020 Vision Zero Action Plan, which lays out specific projects with deadlines for implementation.

All 32 action items, according to county officials, are built around five key areas: engineering; enforcement; education and training; traffic incident management; and law, policy, and advocacy.

"We will finalize new roadway design standards and highway functional classifications to bring all our internal standards in line with Vision Zero principles," Elrich said. "New protected bike lanes and greenways will be built in Bethesda, White Flint, and Aspen Hill. Traffic signals and pedestrian beacons will be installed to protect pedestrians and cyclists across the county."

By the end of 2020, the goal is to see a 40 percent reduction in serious and fatal collisions.

"Now that the County Executive has challenged us to do things in new ways, I want the 2020 Vision Zero Action Plan to be the floor of what we will do in 2020 and find even more opportunities to make our roadways safer," Holland said.