Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett joined County Councilmember Valerie Ervin and community members in celebrating a number of pedestrian safety improvements the County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) made along Second Avenue in Silver Spring. The changes will improve access to public transportation and safety for seniors and people with disabilities.

“My recommended operating budget for fiscal year 2010 increases spending on pedestrian safety by more than $4 million to further the goals of my Pedestrian Safety Initiative,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. “I am committed to keeping pedestrians safe, and our engineering, enforcement and education efforts are making a difference. With these additional funds, we’ll be able to do more in Silver Spring and throughout the County.”

The improvements along Second Avenue include the installation of Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible ramps and bump-outs, upgraded crosswalks and pedestrian signals and relocation of a bus shelter.

“Pedestrian safety is all about improving access and creating connectivity, so that our residents feel comfortable and safe while walking,” said Ervin, who represents Kensington, Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Wheaton. “The improvements made on Second Avenue are particularly important due to the high number of seniors living in adjacent buildings and for those who participate in Holy Cross Senior Source programs.”

At the celebration, Leggett also announced several transportation improvements that will benefit seniors, resulting from the Senior Transportation Initiative. MCDOT selected Initiative options that are highly used by seniors, low in cost and could be completed this fiscal year with minimal or no impact on existing budgets.

“Seniors need a strong transportation system that offers them options so they can remain in their own homes,” said Leggett. “The members of the Senior Transportation Initiative have done an excellent job in identifying alternatives that can be put in place immediately that significantly improve people’s lives with minimal or no impact on our fiscal situation.”

Transportation, including pedestrian safety, was among the top priorities identified by the Commission on Aging and by participants in the County Executive’s Senior Summit held last November. A key theme emerging from the Summit was that mobility is essential for seniors in Montgomery County to maintain an active, engaged lifestyle and be able to age in place.

Austin Heyman, senior fellow with the Office of Community Partnerships and former member of the Commission on Aging, points out that one of the highest priority resolutions of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging was to “ensure that older Americans have transportation options to retain mobility and independence.”

After reviewing transportation suggestions from around the County, MCDOT has:

• Rerouted the Silver Spring Van Go bus (Silver Spring’s free downtown circulator bus) to stop at Charter House Senior Apartments. Many of the residents of Charter House receive a housing subsidy.

• Installed directional signs along East-West Highway directing people to the Coffield Community Center in Silver Spring.

• Installed pedestrian countdown signals at the intersection of Cherry Hill Road and Clover Patch/Plum Orchard in Silver Spring to benefit seniors at Riderwood retirement community.

• Made improvements for senior drivers on Arcola Avenue in Wheaton by enlarging street name signs and installing brighter, more durable pavement markings. Enhanced access for senior pedestrians by improving access to bus stops, installing pedestrian refuge islands, installing bump outs and enhancing signs at crossings.

Other improvements MCDOT and the County’s Department of Health and Human Services will make in April are:

• Reroute the Route 18 bus to stop at Charter House and Elizabeth House, a Housing Opportunities Commission property for low income independent seniors.

• Reroute a bus on Father Hurley Boulevard in Germantown to provide direct service to the Churchill Senior Living apartment complex, which has 120 apartments for seniors.

• Enlarge a bus shelter at Waverly House (another Housing Opportunities Commission property) in Bethesda.

Earlier this year, Leggett convened a Senior Sub-Cabinet, co-chaired by Department of Health and Human Services’ Director Uma Ahluwalia and Montgomery County Public Libraries’ Director Parker Hamilton, to focus on planning for the current and future needs of seniors in Montgomery County. Based on the foundation work of the Commission on Aging, Senior Vital Living Committee and the Senior Sub-Cabinet, short- and long-term recommendations have been proposed in eight areas: civic and social engagement; communication and outreach; employment; health and wellness; home and community based support services; housing and zoning; safety and transportation and mobility.

In November, Leggett launched the County’s new senior website, www.montgomerycountymd.gov/senior, which provides easy access to information on services offered for seniors and their families on health, recreation, library, housing and consumer resources offered by the County and non-profit partners.

Montgomery County has experienced a dramatic increase in its older population, an increase expected to continue through 2020. Between 1980 and 2000, the number of residents over the age of 65 increased 86 percent to a total of 92,500. This number is projected to increase to 152,648, an additional 65 percent, by 2020. As a proportion of the County’s residents, seniors will be more than 14 percent in 2020, compared to 8.7 percent in 1980.

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Media Contact: Esther Bowring or Mary Anderson, 240-777-6507