Transportation (Pedestrian Safety)

in committee · Maryland · Senate Feb 11, 2026

SB 868: State Highway Administration - Maryland Route 410 (East-West Highway) Pedestrian Safety Action Plan - Expansion

SB 868 requires the State Highway Administration to expand the existing Maryland Route 410 (East-West Highway) Pedestrian Safety Action Plan to include the segment east of Queens Chapel Road (MD 500) to U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Avenue) in Prince George’s County. This expansion directly affects pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers using this corridor, which currently lacks continuous safety infrastructure despite high traffic volumes and documented severe crash incidents. The bill mandates including this previously excluded segment to ensure consistent safety features like sidewalks, crossings, and lighting along the entire corridor, aligning with Vision Zero safety principles. The change applies to a specific 2.5-mile stretch of East-West Highway, extending the project’s scope to address safety gaps identified in the preamble.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill mandates expansion of pedestrian safety infrastructure on highway corridor, directly addressing safety gaps and crash incidents per bill language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Pedestrian Safety Roads & Highways

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 5, 2026

HB 486: Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day - Establishment

HB 486 designates November 14 each year as "Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day" to honor Ruby Bridges' 1960 integration of an all-white school, and the second Wednesday in October as "Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day" to promote safe walking routes to schools. The Maryland State Department of Education must provide free, age-appropriate resources to all public schools, including civil rights lesson plans for Ruby Bridges Day and pedestrian safety materials like lesson plans and walk audit guides for Pedestrian Awareness Day. The bill directly affects Maryland public school systems by requiring state-provided educational tools for these designated days, starting July 1, 2026. It focuses on commemoration and safety education without mandating specific school activities.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationDesignates educational days with required free civil rights curriculum and safety resources, enhancing school curriculum and student programming without cost.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill promotes pedestrian safety awareness for school routes through educational resources and walk audits, directly enhancing transportation safety as per indicators.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Pedestrian Safety

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signed · Maryland · Senate Apr 28, 2026

SB 487: Motor Vehicles - Speed Monitoring Systems - Safety Corridors (Vulnerable Road User Protection Act of 2026)

SB 487 authorizes Maryland’s State Highway Administration and local jurisdictions to install speed monitoring systems in designated "safety corridors" - areas identified as high-risk for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users. It updates existing traffic laws to clarify that penalties from speed monitoring citations (e.g., for speeding in these corridors) must be paid directly to local political subdivisions for uncontested cases or to District Courts for contested cases. The bill amends multiple sections of Maryland’s Transportation and Courts codes to integrate these systems into standard traffic enforcement procedures. It directly affects drivers receiving citations in monitored corridors, local governments implementing the systems, and courts handling related cases. The law focuses on operational details of speed monitoring, not broader safety outcomes.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationAuthorizes speed monitoring in safety corridors for pedestrians/cyclists, enhancing road safety for vulnerable users per bill's core purpose.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Bicycle Infrastructure Pedestrian Safety Traffic Safety

in committee · Maryland · Senate Jan 28, 2026

SB 367: Wicomico County - Highway Pedestrian Safety Act

SB 367, the Wicomico County Highway Pedestrian Safety Act, prohibits people from standing in roadways, shoulders, median dividers, or intersections in Wicomico County that the county or a local municipality has officially designated as "inherently dangerous" (meaning posing a serious injury risk that cannot be avoided with ordinary care). The law directly affects pedestrians and drivers in Wicomico County by restricting standing in these high-risk areas. Key enforcement requires police to have proper traffic signs meeting state specifications installed before issuing citations, ensuring public notice of prohibited zones. The bill takes effect June 1, 2026, and applies only to Wicomico County.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationProhibits standing in inherently dangerous road areas to enhance pedestrian safety, directly advancing transportation safety standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Pedestrian Safety Roads & Highways

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 19, 2026

HB 256: Motor Vehicles – Speed Monitoring Systems – Safety Corridors (Vulnerable Road User Protection Act of 2026)

HB 256, the "Vulnerable Road User Protection Act of 2026," authorizes Maryland’s State Highway Administration and local jurisdictions to install speed monitoring systems in designated "safety corridors" to protect pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users in high-risk areas. It amends traffic code provisions to create a new category for "safety corridor speed monitoring systems," requiring citations for violations to direct fines to the District Court (not local agencies) and mandating that collected funds support public safety programs like pedestrian safety initiatives. The bill specifies that local governments may recover implementation costs from fines but must use remaining funds exclusively for public safety, not general revenue. This directly affects drivers in safety corridor zones and local governments managing such systems.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill authorizes speed monitoring systems in safety corridors to protect pedestrians/cyclists, directly enhancing transportation safety infrastructure per the topic description.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Bicycle Infrastructure Pedestrian Safety Traffic Safety

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in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 3, 2026

HB 394: Counties - Construction of Sidewalks and Crosswalks - Safe Alternative Routes to Public Schools

HB 394 requires Maryland county school boards to annually identify areas where students live too far from school for bus transportation and list safe walking/biking routes (with sidewalks, crosswalks, or paths) for those students. County governments must then review these reports and construct necessary sidewalks and crosswalks to create these safe routes. The bill applies to all counties and mandates coordination with other entities if county-owned roads aren't sufficient. It directly affects public school students living beyond bus service distance and county governments responsible for infrastructure. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates construction of safe walking/biking routes to improve student access and safety at schools, directly supporting educational access infrastructure.90% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationMandates construction of sidewalks/crosswalks for student safety, directly advancing pedestrian infrastructure and transportation safety standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Transportation Bicycle Infrastructure Pedestrian Safety Public Transit

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 421: Prince George's County - Speed Monitoring Systems - Maryland Route 210 PG 309-26

HB 421 authorizes Prince George's County to install and operate point-to-point speed monitoring systems on Maryland Route 210 (Indian Head Highway) within the county. The bill modifies Maryland law to require that penalties from speed citations issued by these systems go directly to the county (not the state) for uncontested cases, and specifies that collected funds must cover system costs and be spent solely on public safety programs like pedestrian or highway safety initiatives. It adds new language to the Transportation Article to formalize this process for the specific highway segment. The bill directly affects drivers traveling on MD Route 210 in Prince George's County and the county government, which would manage the systems and allocate funds.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationAuthorizes speed monitoring systems on highways and directs collected fines to public safety programs like pedestrian and highway safety initiatives.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Pedestrian Safety Roads & Highways Traffic Safety

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in committee · Maryland · Senate Jan 14, 2026

SB 155: Vehicle Laws - Bicycles, Play Vehicles, and Unicycles - Crosswalks

SB 155 would allow bicyclists, play vehicle operators, and unicyclists to enter an intersection on a red traffic signal to cross the road when a pedestrian "walk" signal is active for their direction. This applies only after yielding to vehicles and pedestrians already in the intersection. The bill also clarifies that these operators have pedestrian-like rights while in crosswalks or on sidewalks, requiring them to yield to pedestrians and mobility device users. The law would take effect October 1, 2026, if passed. Currently, the bill is pre-filed and awaiting legislative review.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationClarifies bicycle and pedestrian rights in crosswalks, enhancing safety for non-motorized transportation users within road infrastructure regulations.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Bicycle Infrastructure Pedestrian Safety Roads & Highways

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died · Maryland · Senate Feb 23, 2026

SB 458: Vehicle Laws – Crosswalk Monitoring Systems – Authorization

SB 458 authorizes local governments in Maryland to use automated crosswalk monitoring systems in school zones (if permitted by local law) to detect drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. It requires drivers recorded violating this rule to pay fines, with penalties going directly to the local government for uncontested cases. The bill specifies how citations must be issued and handled, including options for drivers to contest violations in court. This applies specifically to school zone crosswalks where local authorities have authorized the monitoring systems.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationAuthorizes automated crosswalk monitoring to enforce pedestrian yielding, enhancing road safety in school zones.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Pedestrian Safety Traffic Safety

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died · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 2, 2026

HB 401: Prince George's County - Speed Monitoring Systems - Maryland Route 5 PG 315-26

HB 401 authorizes Prince George's County to install and operate speed monitoring systems on Maryland Route 5, subject to signage requirements. It requires that all revenue from violations detected by these systems must be used exclusively for highway and pedestrian safety improvements on or near MD Route 5 in the county. The bill also mandates real-time speed display for drivers using these systems. This directly affects Prince George's County (as the implementing jurisdiction) and drivers traveling on MD Route 5. The policy change specifically redirects enforcement revenue toward local safety infrastructure, rather than general county funds.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationAuthorizes speed monitoring systems with revenue directed to highway/pedestrian safety improvements on MD Route 5, advancing transportation safety infrastructure.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Pedestrian Safety Roads & Highways Traffic Safety

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