County Executive Calvin Ball announces a well-crafted initiative designed to tamp down the risk-laden speeds plaguing county roads. In a strategic move, Ball unveiled a new neighborhood traffic calming policy aiming to bolster transportation safety through a range of measures including physical road design changes and proactive strategies. The policy emerged from collaborative work by the Howard County Department of Public Works (DPW), the Office of Transportation, the Police Department, the Department of Fire and Rescue Services, and the Howard County Public School System, as reported by the Howard County press release.
With a nod to the policy's role in sculpting a safer Howard County, Calvin Ball stated, "Neighborhood traffic calming is an important part of our efforts to ensure greater safety and accessibility on residential roadways across our community." In details obtained by Howard County, residents, and local organizations are empowered to request an initial traffic evaluation, with factors like traffic volume and crash history influencing the score and potential action on a roadway's need for calming.
With preparations to implement these measures, Director Yosef Kebede conveys an enduring pledge to not only value the input from residents but to actionably respond with the policy's tools at their disposal. Public meetings will be an integral part of the process, ensuring community voices have a podium as transportation improvements take shape. The DPW has pledged to carefully consider various solutions, always with a community-centered focus.
Clarence Dickerson, Administrator at the Howard County Office of Transportation, emphasized the alignment of this traffic calming policy with the broader Complete Streets initiative, an endeavor dedicated to addressing the needs of the entire community, including historically underserved areas. Applications for calming measures will be scored and prioritized based on critical criteria, strengthened by a $500,000 budget increment sanctioned by Ball for the fiscal year 2025.
For more information about the new policy or to submit a traffic calming request, residents can visit Howard County's official page or contact the department directly.
