Press Releases
Montgomery County Releases First-of-Its-Kind Accessibility Design Guide
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has released a new Accessible Design Guide, which provides guidance for developing accessible streets, sidewalks, crosswalks and other vital public spaces within the County.
The guide will be used by County agencies when developing and approving plans, including those by developers to ensure that all designs meet the minimum federal, state and local regulations and where possible follow best practices.
“We want to do as much as possible to comply with accessibility requirements and to help our contractors and others understand the requirements and best practices,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “We hope that this new guide will make it easier to provide necessary accessibility. Ensuring that spaces are accessible to people with disabilities fosters inclusion, enabling increased participation in community life. This guide is part of Montgomery County’s efforts to improve accessibility.”
The plan builds on the work done in 2021 on a previous MCDOT accessibility toolkit for the vision impaired. Both guides are a first of their kind and will serve as a national model for inclusive design.
The Accessible Design Guide incorporates national and international best-practice research as well as feedback from Montgomery County residents with disabilities, caregivers and service providers.
MCDOT’s community engagement process emphasized input from people with an array of disabilities, including ambulatory, vision, hearing, intellectual and developmental. The feedback identified critical areas of improvement to enhance safety and reduce travel time; two major barriers to accessibility.
“Accessibility is regulated by law on many levels,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “Ultimately, the guide will help make pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way more accessible and consistent by serving as a one-stop resource. While the primary audience for the guide is anyone who is involved in the planning, design and construction of the County’s public right-of-way, it is also intended to help County residents understand accessibility requirements and best practices.”
According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 91,000 Montgomery County residents have one or more disabilities, a figure that is expected to grow as the overall population ages.
“These guidelines are intended to help Montgomery County and other communities build public spaces that are safe and welcoming for all residents,” said MCDOT Project Manager Matt Johnson. “More than one in twelve residents in Montgomery County has a disability, and nearly all of us will experience a short-or-long-term disability at some point in our lifetime. By building for accessibility, we can ensure that we are meeting the needs of all residents.”
The 2024 Accessible Design Guide is publicly available.
For more information on MCDOT programs and services visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on X, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.
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Media Contact: Emily DeTitta 240-372-2282
Categories: Transportation