Montgomery County installs new pedestrian signals following deaths

Montgomery County is adding new pedestrian safety signals at intersections after 38 pedestrian traffic fatalities this year, including the hit-and-run death of a 62-year-old woman near Leisure World on Wednesday.

According to a statement released Wednesday, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation:

• Recently installed four traffic signals and two push-button signals at Old Georgetown Road at Cordell Avenue and Darnestown Road at Yearling Place, and will add four additional push-button signals in the same area
• Installed traffic signals this summer at intersections near Rock Creek Forest Elementary in Chevy Chase and Wheaton Woods Elementary in Wheaton
• Installed a signal at the intersection of Bel Pre Road and Rippling Brook Drive in Aspen Hill, close to Argyle Middle School.

MCDOT Director Chris Conklin said these signals respond to concerns expressed by residents, including parents of Rock Creek Forest Elementary students.

“Our engineers conduct safety audits and review traffic data to make recommendations, but we also rely on members of our community to help us make improvements that will make a real difference in how they live and work,” he said in the statement.

There are 26 additional signalized crossings in the works, with 20 projects in the planning or design phase and six with scheduled construction dates, according to MCDOT.

County Executive Marc Elrich, in the same statement, noted that more than half of serious and fatal crashes in the county take place at or near intersections.

“We are taking action to address this critical safety issue, especially around schools, and on our busiest roadways,” he said. “We know protected crossings are highly effective at reducing injuries and deaths.”

Want to weigh in on Montgomery County’s quality of life? Now’s your chance.

The county has launched its 2026 Community Survey to measure the “livability” of its communities.

Conducted through the National Community Survey every few years, the survey captures residents’ opinions on 10 central facets of life, including safety, the economy, mobility, parks and recreation, education and arts and culture.

Survey results inform county services and budget decisions.

Some households in the county were randomly selected by mail to participate, but any county resident can fill out a survey online.

Nonprofit security grant applications open

Montgomery County religious and cultural nonprofits are invited to apply for the latest round of county security grants.

The program provides funding to hire guards and purchase cameras, among other security measures. A qualifying organization is required to demonstrate it is a nonprofit at risk of hate crimes based on its work or the communities it serves, or a religious organization that has 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and is similarly at risk.

This cycle, applicants may request up to $15,000 per facility, according to the county Office of Grants Management. Organizations with more than one facility in the county must submit a separate application for each, with a limit of four applications per organization.

The program began in 2018 in response to the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Last year, the county awarded $1.2 million in security grants, the largest funding pot in the program’s history. Historically, the county has also offered supplemental grant funding following hate crimes across the country, including an attack on a Michigan synagogue in March.

Qualifying organizations can apply for grants here.

Sayles to host incinerator town hall

County Council member Laurie-Anne Sayles will host a town hall on options for handling trash at 6 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the council office building in Rockville.

The council is weighing whether to close the trash incinerator, which converts waste into ash and energy. Environmentalists have long argued the incinerator, which has racked up toxic emissions violations, is harmful to the environment and residents’ health.

The council president’s deadline to act is drawing near. Natali Fani-González wants the body to decide the incinerator’s future by Thanksgiving, before a new council takes office in December.

“Before the Council moves forward, residents deserve clear information about the choices before us, the trade-offs involved, and a meaningful opportunity to ask questions and share their perspectives,” Sayles said in statement announcing the event Tuesday.

Residents planning to attend Sayles’ town hall may submit questions in advance through the RSVP form or participate in the moderated Q&A during the town hall.

This is the second town hall county officials have held on the incinerator options. Last month, council members Sidney Katz and Dawn Luedtke held one in Gaithersburg. Fani-González told The Banner on Friday that more opportunities for feedback are available through the council’s incinerator webpage.