In an effort to increase bicycle safety and further the County’s Vision Zero objectives, Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass has sponsored Bill 28-25, which would forbid cars from parking, halting, or standing in designated bikeways. Co-sponsored by Councilmembers Fani-Gonz lez, Friedson, and Luedtke, the bill is in line with such measures in neighboring municipalities and comes in response to an increase in collisions involving cyclists.
According to the press release, Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass has proposed legislation that will improve rider safety and maintain designated bikeways open and usable by cyclists. The proposed law forbids cars from parking, stopping, or standing on bikeways. Council members Dawn Luedtke, Andrew Friedson, and Natali Fani-Gonzlez are co-sponsors of the bill.
Councilmember Glass, Chair of the Transportation & Environment Committee, stated that designated bike lanes are essential safety infrastructure, but only if users can utilize them safely.This law expands on the Safe Streets Act and our continued efforts to invest in safety infrastructure, safeguard people at crossings and crosswalks, and achieve our objectives of making our streets safer for all.
Through June 2025, Montgomery County has seen 59 collisions involving cyclists and one fatality. The law supports the county’s Vision Zero objective of eradicating traffic fatalities and is consistent with policies currently in place in places like Howard County, the City of Rockville, and Washington, D.C., which forbid parking on bike lanes.
In order to make numerous routes safer for people who ride, walk, or use public transportation, the County has invested a lot of money in establishing room for bikers, according to Peter Gray, an organizer with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.It makes perfect sense to forbid trucks and autos from obstructing the bike lanes, even for brief moments. The fundamental goal of bike lanes is to make it safer for all non-vehicle users to travel on those routes, yet when they are blocked, bicycles are forced to migrate into car traffic lanes.
According to Action Committee for Transit President Shanika Whitehurst, the group is firmly in favor of this law.Bikeway users’ safety is put at risk when cars are parked there. This bill will add a crucial degree of safety because one life lost is too many.
At the County Council chambers, a public hearing on Bill 28-25, Motor Vehicles and Traffic Parking on Bikeways Prohibited, is planned for September 30, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. On August 1st, residents can register to testify or submit written testimony online through the Council website.
