Montgomery County continues reducing speed limits on neighborhood, downtown roads

Montgomery County drivers may want to slow down.

What we know:

Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation is continuing to lower speed limits on both neighborhood streets and downtown boulevards. In many neighborhoods, that means a reduction from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour.

Since last July, officials said they've reduced the speed limits on 33 roads, mostly in residential areas. And since 2021, they said speed limits have been lowered on more than 250 neighborhood streets.

READ MORE | Montgomery County leaders target growing problem of street takeovers

There are a number of reasons why. Among them, officials said increased speed reduces reaction time, lengthens stopping distance, and increases crash severity.

"We’ve been lowering speed limits all across the county as part of our overall safety goals," explained Montgomery County Vision Zero Coordinator Wade Holland. "We know that speed can kill. It kills people inside of cars, outside of cars, and the more that we can control the speed and energy of impact in a car crash, the more people who are able to safely walk away from those crashes."

What they're saying:

"Doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Anything that saves lives – lives and limb and property – is a good idea," said Kenneth Cohen, who lives in a neighborhood where the speed was reduced from 25 to 20 miles per hour.

Holland added that it’s not just county roads seeing the speed limit reductions. In many cases, state roads are too.