Sligo Ave Safety meeting March 21

ESSCA March Meeting: Monday, March 21, 7-8pm via Zoom. Registration is required!

At our next ESSCA meeting on March 21, we’re going to talk about Sligo Avenue. In many ways, Sligo Avenue is the “Main Street” of East Silver Spring: it runs roughly through the center of the neighborhood; it’s a major Ride On bus route; it’s home to several local businesses and community organizations; and is a key walking route for students at East Silver Spring Elementary and Takoma Park Middle. The street is also home to several new or future developments, including Artspace, the new daycare center, and proposed apartments at 713-719 Sligo and 850 Sligo.

However, it isn’t always a safe or comfortable place to get around, especially if you’re walking, riding a bike or scooter, or using a mobility device like a wheelchair. The road is signed for 30 miles per hour, though some drivers travel much faster. According to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, between 2015 and 2019, there have been over 20 crashes along Sligo Avenue between Georgia Avenue and Piney Branch Road, five of which involved someone walking or riding a bicycle.

How can we make Sligo Avenue a safer place to get around? In the long term, Montgomery County DOT needs to do a traffic study and identify changes that could both improve safety and calm traffic. This can include many things, like wider sidewalks, high-visibility crosswalks, and curb extensions. But first, we need to understand how people use Sligo Avenue, and what works or doesn’t work for them. That’s the information the ESSCA board hopes to collect over the next several months, beginning with our meeting next Monday. You can also fill out our five-minute survey here. (en Español). Later this year, we hope to host a “walk audit,” where community members walk the street and identify potential safety issues.

We’ll see you at the meeting - unless we see you on Sligo Avenue first!