Speed Limits Drop To 20MPH On Some Bethesda, Germantown Streets

BETHESDA, MD — Speed limits are being lowered to 20 mph on some Montgomery County roads as part of the new "20 is Plenty" initiative, which aims to promote safe driving and protect pedestrians.

The speed limits are being lowered as part of a pilot program to see if it can curb crashes. The slower speeds will be on:

• Century Boulevard – Germantown
• Executive Boulevard – North Bethesda
• Greenwood Avenue – Long Branch
• Pinnacle Drive – Germantown
• Woodglen Drive – North Bethesda

County Executive Marc Elrich said at the pilot's unveiling that residents have to stop calling car crashes "accidents" in some cases, because it takes the responsibility off unsafe drivers.

"These are actually things that could have been prevented," Elrich said. "It wasn't an accident that somebody decided to do something they shouldn't be doing, and either didn't yield to a pedestrian or was driving too fast, and somebody got hurt or somebody died. Accident is just not the right word."

There were 1,200 speed-induced crashes in Montgomery County in 2019, which resulted in 32 deaths, Elrich said.

"As we continue to reopen, traffic will increase, which will lead to more cars on the road and pedestrians crossing streets,” said Elrich. “This is why we must focus on increasing safety measures throughout Montgomery County communities so that we reduce the number of fatalities."

The county will also put out speed humps, make more dedicated bike lanes, and paint more pavement markings in an attempt to limit speeding.

"We are conducting before and after studies on these roads and the surrounding network to understand how effective this is," said Conklin. "We hope to be able to expand this program to a much broader section of streets within the county."

The program is part of the Vision Zero plan, which aims to reduce the number of serious or fatal t0 zero by 2030.

The county is able to make these speed reductions because of a recent bill that passed the Maryland General Assembly, allowing counties to lower speed limits to 15 mph. The minimum before that bill was 25 mph.