County Executive Marc Elrich yesterday announced the appointment of Wade Holland, a veteran county employee, as the coordinator of the county’s Vision Zero plan. Holland, who worked for six years in the CountyStat office, will be responsible for a cross-departmental plan that has a goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths and severe injuries by 2030.
County residents would no longer be required to register their bicycles under terms of legislation introduced yesterday by the County Council. ill 2-20, Bicycles – Registration – Amendments would make registration voluntary for bicycles owned for personal use. It also would repeal county and park police authority to impound an unregistered bike.
The county’s Department of Transportation will hold a community meeting Tuesday, Jan. 21 to review the status of three projects concerning bicycle and pedestrian uses in Fenton Village. One project is the restart of a feasibility study for a separated bikeway along Fenton Street, as identified in the county’s Bicycle Master Plan adopted by the Park and Planning Commission in December 2018.
The Silver Spring, Forest Glen and Wheaton Metro stations will close during the upcoming holiday weekend, while the county has announced closures for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced the station closures due to Purple Line integration work.
County police are investigating a shooting that took place early Monday morning and damaged businesses along Georgia Avenue. The Emergency Communications Center reported receiving multiple calls about shots fired at approximately 3 a.m. in the 8200 block of Georgia.
County police credit community members for tips that resulted in the arrest of a 17-year-old male suspect. Chase Gomez of Silver Spring has been charged as an adult for handgun-related offenses and for the possession and distribution of marijuana, according to a department release.
County police have released surveillance video of possible suspects as they continue to investigate a shooting on Ellsworth Drive on Jan. 5. Detectives from the 3rd District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s help to identify those believed to have been involved in the incident, which police say does not appear to be random.
A number of Ride On bus routes and stops have been altered as of yesterday due to Purple Line construction. For example, several Ride On bus stops will be temporarily relocated along northbound Colesville Road (between Wayne Avenue and Georgia Avenue—look for the purple temporary shelters), on the second floor of the transit center, and on East-West Highway.
A Puerto Rico-based university will consolidate and expand its local offerings in the Inventa Towers in downtown Silver Spring. Ana G. Méndez University has agreed to lease 28,500 square feet of space in the former Discovery headquarters and plans a May 2020 opening, according to a press release from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation.