Roads That Desperately Need Protected Bike Lanes

Here in Montgomery County, Maryland, many of our suburban roads were designed with a car centered focus as were the shopping districts.   This is now changing and many of the residents throughout the county want to use two feet or a bicycle to get to their local shops and they need safer routes to get to the new and old town centers.   Additionally, more people are commuting by bicycle but our county lacks the necessary safe network of bicycle lanes that would facilitate these would-be users.

Here are a list of roads that should be reconfigured, separated by region.





East County

  • Old Columbia Pike
    • North-South route connecting all neighborhoods from Burtonsville, White Oak, and Silver Spring
  • US-29
    • Portions along the southern part of US-29 are needed to complete the North-South connection where Old Columbia Pike Ends in White Oak.   
  • Tech Rd, Prosperity Dr, Broadbirch Dr and Calverton Blvd.
  • MD-198
  • Bonifant Rd and Good Hope Rd from MD-198 to Bell Pre Rd.
  • Full length of ICC needs a fully completed East-West Trail as promised.
  • Norwood Rd
  • Dr. Bird Rd
  • Randolph Rd

Wheaton/Silver Spring

  • Randolph Rd

Midcounty

Rockville

Bethesda/Chevy Chase

  • Democracy Blvd: 
    • An East-West route that creates connections between almost every neighborhood in the region, but carries 50mph traffic with no safe road accommodations for bicycles. 

Gaithersburg/Germantown

  • Seven Locks Rd:
    • A North-South route with some wide shoulders, but rolling hills and high volumes would keep families away.  
    • If protected bike lanes existed, it would provide the most direct route between the Rockville region down to the Potomac/Cabin John and major East-West route connectivity.  

Upcounty



1 comment:

  1. East County: Please add New Hampshire Ave MD Rt 650 from Piney Branch Rd to Randolph Road. The curb lanes are a foot wider than the left lanes, but the pavement is deteriorating, especially near sewer grates, and there is a lot of fast traffic. This is a major obstruction between 3 elementary schools, White Oak Middle School, Springbrook High School, White Oak Library, White Oak Shopping Center, FDA, and the NW Branch trail in PG County. There are intermittent bike lanes and wide shoulders from Randolph Rd to MD Rt 108. The entire stretch needs protected bike lanes.

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