Bike Lanes » CycleMoco

Bike Master Plan – Where are the shoulders?

Jul 032018

The new draft of the Montgomery County Bicycle Master Plan is about to go before the County Council. Please let the Council know you support the plan and tell them how it can be improved. Express your support at the hearing or in writing by July 10th. The draft plan is an excellent template for the future, representing a paradigm shift towards “low stress” bikeways like protected bike lanes (cycle tracks), shared use paths, and bicycle boulevards. The proposed network of low stress bikeways will attract more people who want to bike but are afraid of riding too close to cars. This will increase the number of people out there on bikes. BUT WHERE ARE THE SHOULDERS? It’s […]

Green bike crossings – solid, stripes or polka dots?

Nov 282017

Not long ago, there were no protected bike lanes (aka cycle tracks) in Montgomery County, but now there are three, with more are on the way. As a result, county bikeway designers are faced with many decisions they never had to make before. How should PBLs be separated from the street? How can cyclists make left turns? And so on. One question that I find especially important is this: What should protected bike lane crossings look like? I’m referring to the green areas where a protected bike lane crosses a street or driveway. There’s a growing push across the country for what I call the “floating bars” design, which resembles a ladder consisting only of rungs. This is very similar […]

Bikes in the 2017-2022 Capital Budget

Mar 222016

Wow, it’s been more than ten years since I started poring over bike budgets. I still remember analyzing the 2005-2010 budget. That’s so long ago that some of the projects in that budget are actually complete! (but many aren’t). It’s so long ago that two-way cycle tracks were still called bike paths. Seriously, the County Executive’s recommended 2017-2022 Capital Budget (technically the “FY17 Recommended Capital Budget and FY17-22 Capital Improvements Program”) is a solid improvement over budgets from ten years years ago. Support for bicycling has never been stronger in the county, thanks to growth in ridership and attitudinal shifts in county government. But the county still has a long way to go. The capital budget covers six years but […]

Bradley Blvd. project design presented

Apr 012015

Montgomery County DOT convened a public workshop on the Bradley Boulevard Improvements project on March 23, 2015. The open-house style workshop allowed people to view project plans, ask questions, and make comments to DOT staff. Project Details The project would improve the segment of Bradley Blvd from Wilson Lane to Glenbrook Road , including the Wilson Lane intersection: The project would convert Bradley into a “dual bikeway” having both bike lanes and an 8′ shared use path. But it’s not just a bikeway project. It would make major drainage improvements and add an additional sidewalk, representing a significant share of the cost. For additional information, see the MCDOT official project description. The completed cross section would include: 5′ wide […]

Woodmont Ave bikeway options north of Old Georgetown Road

Jan 132015

Montgomery County is looking to construct a cycle track (aka protected bike lanes) on Woodmont Avenue between Old Georgetown Road and Bethesda Ave. The project would allow cyclists to ride either north or south on Woodmont in some combination of cycle tracks and conventional bike lanes. See this detailed analysis of the various options. Much of Woodmont is a one-way street, so any facility allowing northbound travel would be a definite improvement, protected or otherwise. A key question is what will the rest of Woodmont Ave look like? What bike accommodations will it get? I’m referring to the half-mile long stretch of Woodmont Ave from Old Georgetown Road to Battery Lane, which is a two way street. The future design […]

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