The Maryland DOT State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) has launched a new web resource for its “Context Driven” guide, which aims to improve mobility, safety, and multimodal access for communities across Maryland.
The new Context Driven: Access & Mobility for All Users web portal provides access to the “1.0” version of the guide, as well as a project map and other features.
“The Context Driven guide, created by our MDOT SHA team, is an invaluable resource in making our communities safer, more accessible and more livable for everyone—transit users, motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and those with mobility challenges,” MDOT Secretary Greg Slater said in a statement. “As we work with local partners to design and implement a statewide transportation network that’s shared by all, we must—as the title suggests—consider the context of each community and its needs.”
Since 2019, MDOT SHA has implemented more than 200 projects that consider the “context” of an area summarized in six categories: urban core, urban center, traditional town center, suburban activity center, suburban area, or rural area. The Context Driven guide encourages flexibility and innovation to develop low-cost, high-impact solutions for each unique area. Solutions may include speed limit reductions, protected bike lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, signal timing adjustments, or a host of other strategies.
The new 1.0 version of the Context Driven guide on the web portal includes minor clarifications from the earlier draft document, but its highest priority remains the same: to identify solutions for areas in Maryland that balance vehicular and pedestrian traffic and reduce the likelihood and severity of crashes involving pedestrians.
MDOT SHA says the guide is not intended as a strict manual, but is designed to help staff and communities explore and better understand opportunities and improvements that can be implemented based on the characteristics of the surrounding environment.
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SOURCE: Maryland DOT State Highway Administration
