A bill to remember Bethesda bicyclist Sarah Langenkamp, was introduced in Congress this week. Led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, members of the House of Representatives Highways and Transit subcommittee voted May 22 to advance the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Safety Transportation Act.
“Sarah Langenkamp—a loving mother, dedicated wife and patriotic diplomat—had just relocated to Maryland with her family from foreign service in Ukraine when she was struck by a truck while biking and killed,” Raskin stated in a news release.
Langenkamp was killed in August of 2022 while riding her bicycle on River Road in Bethesda. According to Montgomery County Police, Langenkamp and the driver of a red 2014 Volvo D3 flatbed truck were traveling east on River Road. She was in the bicycle lane when the Volvo driver turned right into a parking lot and struck her.
Langenkamp was a member of the foreign service and had served in Haiti, Uganda, Western Africa, Cote D’Ivoire, Iraq and Ukraine.
The bill, which now moves on to the full House, will expand federal funding opportunities to local governments to make roadways safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and roadside workers, according to Raskin.
The proposed legislation would expand the types of projects eligible by the Highway Safety Improvement Program. The funds could be used for required matching funds by the Transportation Alternatives Project.
“Our family has been working for three years to pass this legislation, and we are grateful that members of Congress—on both sides of the aisle—agree that we don’t have to sit back and accept that people like Sarah have to die on our roads,” said Dan Langenkamp and Dirk Debbink, Sarah’s husband and father, respectively. “We are glad they agree that we have the power as a nation to do something about this problem.”
“Sarah’s husband Dan, her father Dirk, and her entire family awe and inspire me and our entire community with their commitment to honor her memory by improving roadway safety. Together, we will keep pushing forward this legislation to save lives in Montgomery County and across the country,” Raskin said.
A similar bill in the U.S. Senate is being led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen.
“Too many Americans, like the Langenkamp family, know the pain of losing a loved one tragically in a cycling or pedestrian road accident,” Van Hollen said. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks cosponsors the Senate legislation.
