WASHINGTON — With the hopes of making it safer, Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda has been narrowed down from four lanes to two lanes.
The move comes after a former University of Maryland professor was hit by a car and killed in October when he was cycling down the Capital Crescent Trail and went to cross Little Falls Parkway.
Bethesda Magazine reports that Montgomery County is installing flex posts blocking off the outside lanes. The design would limit the number of cars that could pass through the crossing at a time.
Before the changes, four cars could drive through at a time. If a pedestrian or a cyclist wished to cross, vehicles in all four lanes would need to stop before that person could safely cross. The problem was that, at times, one car would stop for the person but another driver in the next lane over wouldn’t because they could not see the person waiting to cross.
Now, only two cars can pass through at a time, one in each direction. The goal is to make it easier for drivers to see the waiting pedestrians and cyclists, stop and reduce accidents.
