How Did This Traffic Light Slip Under My Radar?

When I took these couple of photos on July 25th, I kind of figured out that the bus stops located on either side of Old Columbia Pike were getting platforms and probably lighting.

I did not come to understand, until today, that a full-blown traffic light was getting installed.  Living less than a 1/4 mile from this "new" traffic pattern, I'm shocked that I had no previous knowledge of the plans.  In my experience with any of the DOTs in the region, getting a request to completion usually takes a mound of paperwork and years of persistence.    I have no opinion on the light location itself, as it wasn't even something I considered on this section of road. 

I can't believe that the neighborhood, community, and regional interest groups were not involved in the development of the design for this traffic light.   As you can see from the first photo above, the southbound shoulder is now blocked by a raised bus platform.   This is great for people waiting at the stop, but now bicyclists must move out in to traffic at this intersection.   If the design was put forth for public comment, I certainly would have asked for the platform to be moved back off the shoulder to leave room for bicyclists, especially during commute hours. 

Finally, I'd like to know why this light became necessary.   At the trail crossing of the Matthew Henson trail at Viers Mill Road, multiple people were killed and yet it still took a strong, active community quite some time to persuade SHA to move forward with a better crossing option.  Newspaper articles were widely written, advocacy letters distributed, but that was not the case with this traffic light.   
(http://www.waba.org/blog/2016/07/matthew-henson-trail-crossing-at-viers-mill-road-is-still-deadly/) So what was the justification for this light?   Who requested it, and what community backed it up?   Why did it get installed without local community input? 

I would like to see documented and consistent processes in Montgomery County and the State of Maryland.  Transparency will lead to better ideas and community involvement. 

We really need to fix Old Columbia Pike

Recently, I we had some nice weather in the area, so I just wanted to take my bike out for a little shake down before I begin my summer commutes on it.   Living in an area surrounded by busy, high volume roads, I generally seek out the safest, quietest routes.   

This was an unplanned route, but in my head, I thought I could get down to Randolph Rd, then turn around and return via Old Columbia Pike.   So I started out heading south knowing I was going to ride under the ICC via the bike trail on the east side of the interchange.    It's a bit isolated for me, generally, it's not visible from the road, and therefore I find this trail to be unsafe.   In retrospect, this trail should have been built for better visibility, either up higher, next to the roads, or along the neighborhood streets.  Hopefully in the future, new trails will be built keeping visibility in mind. 

Click image for larger image of the area I rode in the Fairland Area. 

Additionally, as you can see from my route, I didn't quite make it down to Randolph.  Unfortunately, there's no direct route southbound once I made my way south through the ICC interchange.   I would have had to ride through Calverton Park, local streets, and generally take a long way to get where I wanted to go.  I would be better if we just connected a trail to Randolph along the property frontage of Verizon on the east side of US-29 from Fairland Rd.   Certainly, explore the map in detail more to see the roads and connections that are needed. 

On my return, I wanted to avoid Old Columbia Pike, so I crossed and road zig-zagged through some neighborhood roads to avoid the narrow or non-existent shoulders and high volume of traffic.   North of Fairland Rd, and especially the point where Old Columbia crosses over the ICC, there is no extra room on the road for vulnerable users.   The section northbound on Old Columbia Pike could use a shared-use-path along the east side.   Even if it was a sidewalk, I would be on it as drivers failed to give me even 3-ft of clearance.   

Looking North on Old Columbia Pike at the ICC Bridge

Old Columbia Pike is a major connector for biking in the area between Burtonsville and White Oak.  Planning phases come and go, yet I still have no safe place to ride. 

Who is going to take the lead and get the money needed to build safe riding paths along Old Columbia Pike? 

Only Shared Use Path Available -- BLOCKED

The only semi-safe route available along MD-198, and it's blocked!

It's bad enough that this path along MD-198 doesn't connect all the way to Cedar Tree Rd, stopping at Dino Dr.   Now there is construction that appears to be daily now and constantly blocking the only shared use path my kids and I would like to use. 

The path (shown below) west of the construction connects to the Downtown Burtonsville area and considering the basically non-existent shoulder, speeding cars (rarely enforced along this stretch), and groups of motor vehicles jockeying for position as they leave the US-29 intersection by cutting around each other in the right hand merge lanes, I have no place to safely ride along this stretch of road. 

The Lorenzo Construction LLC appears to be doing the construction (410-984-1935) but unfortunately, feels the need to park their vehicles on the path.  The road at this point is essentially 5 lanes, with the merge lane ending.  It would be simple enough to put up cones and block the end of this merge lane without blocking the path.  It would not cause any problems for traffic either.

Additionally, it appears Lorenzo is also doing some construction at the U-turn at Dino drive where they are parking all their trucks and filling the U-Turn extension that I believe was put there to allow larger trucks the ability to make the U-Turn. 

I would love to see a better policy created and adhered to prevent blocking of sidewalks and paths for vulnerable road users.   Those walking and biking have no choice.  Vehicles have 5 lanes of options.  Please keep the sidewalks and paths open whenever possible.

Maryland Legislation 2017

I've recently sent an a record amount of letters to my legislators about both worthwhile and horrendous bills.  Here are some of my top subjects:

I supported these bills:

• HB0578 - Vehicle Laws - Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (cross-filed: SB0338)
• Amendments have jointly been made by Bike Maryland, State Highway Administration and other sponsors to conform to the Federal Highway Administration standards. 
• Almost all motorists (99%) of drivers adhere to these Beacons and 76% of cyclists and pedestrians understand and use them. Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons save lives.
• HB0332 - Montgomery County - Maximum Speed Limits Outside Urban Districts MC 23-17
• This would give Montgomery County the authority to set speed limits as low as 20mph on certain roads outside urban districts.  This will give local engineers another option in their tool bag so they can make certain streets safer.
• HB0997 - Vehicle Laws - Bicycles, Play Vehicles, and Unicycles - Operation on Sidewalks and in Crosswalks
• This would allow bicycles to operate lawfully on sidewalks and in crosswalks.     This bill adds legal protections for bicycles that are at the same level as pedestrians when using sidewalks and crosswalks.
• HB0011 - Vehicle Laws - Causing Diesel Emissions to Discharge Onto Another - Prohibition
• Intentional emissions of diesel exhaust is a menace to cyclists, runners, and drivers. I've personally had a truck do this while driving in Montgomery County.  This dangerous practice should be prohibited.
• Video of this action happening to a cyclist: https://youtu.be/h8k8bhGrXIo

I do not support these bills:

• HB1451 - Left Lane Use for Passing
• This bill only seems to enable and legalize speeding on our roadways. Maryland roadways are severely congested already and even in normal flowing traffic conditions, all lanes must be used, whether passing or not. In order to move all traffic down the road, all lanes must be used. 
• There are many specifics missing from this bill. We don't know how long is "too long" to say in the left lane. As vehicle speeds vary, even while passing, it may be impossible to always continue passing as someone in the right lane speeds up. Also for left exits, there's no rule about how far in advance of the exit we may enter the left lane. For an area, such as MD-32 and I-95, I generally get in the left lane to go from MD-32 E to I-95 N almost 2 miles in advance knowing that if I wait till I'm only one mile or one-half mile from the exit, it may be backed up and I won't be able to merge into the left lane. On roads like US-29 with stop lights and left turns all along it, there's no reason for people to move out of of the left lane, and doing so would only cause chaos as people are concerned with getting tickets for being caught in the left lane for too long. 
• This is a dangerous bill to people's safety while traveling our roads. It will encourage speeding and aggressive driving and likely enable more road rage incidents.
• HB1456 - Vehicle Laws – Passing to the Right – Use of Shoulder
• This bill makes no mention about the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists using the shoulder in a legal manner.   Even completely focused drivers, not to mention distracted drivers, are rarely verifying the shoulder is clear of these vulnerable users before bolting around a vehicle just to save a second or two of time.   This bill endanger these users of the road and shoulder.   Instead of passing this bill, a future bill to require re-engineering of roadways to allow for proper, safe left-turns while keeping a through lane open and preserving the shoulder and perhaps a protected bike lane would be more appropriate.

I encourage you to contact your legislators and get involved with your community and state level issues.

Burtonsville/Fairland Community Bicycle Ride with Del. Luedtke, Planning Board Chair Anderson, Councilmember Hucker (invited)

Come ride and/or discuss the bicycling conditions around the Burtonsville/East County area.  

The ride starts at the Burtonsville Elementary School Parking lot (15516 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD) at 11:30am sharp.   Please arrive early to get setup.   

The ride will end at Seibel's Restaurant (15540 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD) where you can discuss more about the Montgomery County Bicycle Master Plan with Delegate Eric Luedtke and Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson (Councilmember Tom Hucker is invited) from 1pm - 2pm.

Ride Details ** :

• Sunday, July 24
• Arrive: 11:15 A.M.
• Depart: 11:30 A.M. (Sharp)
• Return: 1:00 P.M.
• Where:

• Starting at the Burtonsville Elementary School Parking Lot
• 15516 Old Columbia Pike Burtonsville, Maryland

• Please RSVP to david.anspacher@montgomeryplanning.org

Burtonsville Community Ride - Official Announcement

Below is a preliminary map of the scheduled ride.
**Please note that this ride is open for everyone, however it will take place on roads that have traffic and may be uncomfortable for some.

New Page Debut

Unfortunately, today, I'm creating a new page entitled "Poor Decisions".   Mainly, I'm listing uncomfortable moments I've experienced on a bike, especially since these items cannot be acted on by police unless they witness it themselves.

Why don't we have an avenue to report people who are aggressive or distracted?   I can't even report them even when I can positively identify the person, vehicle, time, location, etc.   Additional witnesses, I'm told, won't change the way police operate in Montgomery County MD.

I used to love to commute by bicycle, I used to love to ride in the country, but why am experiencing an almost daily failure for people to make good and safe decisions when they drive.   I would like to enjoy bicycling to work or to the store again.   Please help and drive safely and respectfully around bicycles.  Please contact your local and state representatives and let them know you want protected bike lanes in your community and on your state roads to separate traffic and reduce conflicts between bicycles and motor vehicles.  

Until safe bicycle facilities exist, I'll just add to this page and document my experiences with people who've made poor decisions.

http://www.makeitbikeable.com/p/poor-decisions.html

Have a little patience people!

In the situations below, I was centered in the middle of the lane "taking the lane".   All three incidents occurred during one short, continuous commute.

Driver of the red SUV who forced me to brake hard to avoid you as you pulled out right in front of me from the Chik-fil-A.  No doubt you had seen me as you watched me approach since I was taking the whole right lane while you waited for a car in the 3rd lane to clear before darting out.
Location: https://goo.gl/TWN61x

Not actual photo, Google Street View Showing location.

Thank you all four drivers as you passed me on this (steep, slow) uphill climb.  You in the first car, I expect your heart must have stopped as a white car crested the top and you recognized you were about to be in a head-on collision caused by your impatience.   The other three cars that passed right after, what were you thinking after you just nearly witnessed a collision?
Location: https://goo.gl/rbgrNd

Not actual photo, Google Street View Showing location.

Impatient driver, did you fail to see the stop ahead warning?  This probably isn't the best time to pass me.  Also, I'm cruising the downhill at about 25mph at this point and the road is only 30mph, furthermore, you had only just caught up to me.  Why would you try to pass me here?  You haven't been inconvenienced or slowed.  Unfortunately, at the intersection you had to wait 45-60 seconds before you could pull out in traffic.  So it appears that daily motor vehicle traffic is more of an inconvenience.  Please do not pass me when we are less than 300 ft from an intersection.
Location: https://goo.gl/XGFZwY

Not actual photo, Google Street View Showing location.

Everyone, you have the opportunity to make better decisions!  Please take time to do so.

Add Bicycling Infrastructure -- We Know it Works!

Here we have another data point articulating what we already know, separated bike lanes improve the movement of people via all modes of transportation.   In the article When Adding Bike Lanes Actually Reduces Traffic Delays from CityLab, NYCDOT describes how they took a five car-lane road and reconfigured it with four smaller motor vehicle travel lanes, adding a parking, and a buffer and finally a six foot bike lane and actually improving travel times.  

Montgomery County Transit Forum

Photo by Greg Billing

Although I was not able to attend the #mocotranspo (Montgomery County Transportation Forum) I was able to get a sense that our communities and representatives understand that the primary mode of transportation via car is outdated.  Let's hope all of our candidates will continue to push for better transportation options as indicated by these live tweets from the forum.

Thanks all for your support, let's make it happen!

Pinch point, Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

Southbound on old Columbia pike leaving Buttonsville, I've had many a close call/near miss at this pinch point where the shoulder, wide enough before and after, shrinks in size on a curve which many cars judge incorrectly and drive into the shoulder area, leaving little room for me to move right to avoid being hit.  

Please review the short video of this spot.  Hopefully this choke point can be removed. 

Video: http://youtu.be/1bhg3wXQzcg