MD-384 in Silver Spring, one of many state roads in walkable urban areas in Maryland. Image by thisisbossi licensed under Creative Commons.

Cities and counties across the nation have been pledging to a concept called “Vision Zero,” the idea that not a single person ought to die in crashes on our roadways. Locally, the District, Alexandriaand Montgomery County each have Vision Zero programs. These programs are in the early stages, but DC Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced a plan to fix 36 intersections, including ones with dangerous “double turn” lanes.

Meanwhile, many state transportation departments, including Maryland’s, continue to pay lip service to making roads safe. A December analysis by the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service brought the failings of the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) into sharp focus.

SHA spokesman Charlie Gischlar blamed distracted drivers or pedestrians. He told Capital News Service reporters Lindsay Huth, Angela Roberts and Jake Gluck, “We say that the majority of pedestrian crashes are, sadly, on the part of highway user (driver or pedestrian) behavior.” That statement should shock all of us.

Continue reading my latest column at the Washington Post. (Also, it's not just Maryland, but this article is about Maryland.)

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Tagged: maryland, road safety, roads, sha, vision zero

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.