ICC » CycleMoco

Montgomery County Sierra Club’s excellent bike statement

Feb 182013

The Montgomery County Sierra Club has just published a superb bike statement outlining changes needed to support biking in the county. A printable version (as of Jan. 28 2013) is here. These are the six points made in the 5-page statement (my paraphrasing): Make a complete network: The statement recommends connecting bike lanes to major destinations and completing facilities such as the Bethesda Trolley Trail, Capital Crescent Trail, ICC Trail and routes parallel to arterials like Georgia Ave. Be context-appropriate: It recommends providing a context-appropriate variety of facilities such as bike lanes, sharrows, cycle tracks, bicycle boulevards and grade-separated trails. Provide comfort: It recommends providing multiple route options, wayfinding signs, secure bike parking, meeting plazas and good trail maintenance. Safety: […]

North Branch Trail project update

Feb 032013

This post was written by Monte Fisher, bike and trail advocate. Thank you Monte! See also the county’s project web page and slide presentation (8 MB). The planned North Branch Hiker-Biker Trail will zig-zag north from Lake Frank nearly five miles to finish within kissing distance of Olney. The Montgomery County Parks Department will construct the trail under the ICC and a bit further north, where it will connect to a trail to be built by private developers. I’ve created an annotated map based on information from MoParks and documents filed by the developers with the County, shown below (version with notes is here): Blue = new trail to be built by the Parks Department Green = existing trail Fuchsia […]

Rt. 29 trail and other ICC trail tidbits

Jun 292012

Dan Reid wrote this informative post in Greater Greater Washington about the ICC trail, with a special focus on the recently built Rt. 29 segment. That mile-long segment, which runs along 29 from Fairland Road to Briggs Chaney Road, is a great trail though it has limited east-west value (notwithstanding it’s designation as part of the ICC trail) and will probably get no recreational use in any direction. Google Maps doesn’t show the trail on its trail overlay yet, but here’s the alignment.

Lake Frank trail connector almost finished

Jun 232012

The Lake Frank trail connector is almost done! [June 25th update: It IS done]. It will connect the Rock Creek Trail (north of Rt. 28) to Lake Frank in Derwood. The paved trail was planned for years but just as it was about to be built, some residents in a nearby neighborhood launched an opposition campaign. They insisted on an alternative route where the trail would be further from their homes but much more expensive and environmentally impactive to build. Fortunately logic prevailed and the trail was approved for construction in the planned location. The trail will eventually be the southernmost segment of the Lake Frank Trail which will follow along the east side of the lake to the Meadowside […]

ICC Trail along Needwood Road – five years if we’re lucky

Dec 232011

The ICC Trail is supposed to follow along Needwood Road, as shown below (click for larger map). Needwood Road is the westernmost pink line and connects Shady Grove Metro station to the ICC (and then to Muncaster Mill Road). Only a short section of the Needwood Road path exists at this time. Here is a citizen request sent to MCDOT in July: The new ICC bike trail is complete from Emory [Lane] to Needwood [Road]. There is no trail from Needwood to the Shady Grove metro stop. Is something in the works for a bike trail from Needwood to the Shady Grove metro stop? I would utilize this everyday and would stop driving my car if this was available. This […]

Biking on the ICC Shoulders?

Dec 012011

Bike advocates are asking the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) to let people bike on the shoulders of the gleaming new ICC highway. Is this a crazy idea? Well, many other highways in the country allow it. Maryland already allows shoulder riding on parts of US 15 north of Frederick and many miles of US 29, including areas with highway interchanges where vehicles enter and exit via high speed ramps. To make the ICC shoulder use a greater possibility, in 2008 the Maryland General Assembly repealed the law prohibiting the state from allowing cyclists from all toll roads. But MdTA must still pre-approve it on individual toll roads. Allowing cyclists on the ICC shoulders should be easy through the simple interchanges […]