Comments for “2050 MDOT Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan”
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Chestnut Ave is a good example of a problem where a shocking number of drivers feel it is the responsibility of pedestrians to get off of the roadway if cars are present. Pedestrians on this road are faced with a judgment call to determine if the approaching driver is going to move to the other lane or play a game of chicken with the pedestrian. opportunity for a statewide communication campaign to remind drivers that pedestrians are intended users of roadways when sidewalks are not present.
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The structure of this turn off lane frequently results in card traveling at high speed while making a right hand turn from Towsontown Blvd to Bosley. Drivers are looking for aproaching traffic up Bosley ave and not at the crosswalk. I use this crosswalk daily and a few times a month need to get out of the crosswalk quickly when a car is approaching and it is clear they do not see me in the crosswalk.
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Extremely hazardous pedestrian conditions (no sidewalks and no shoulder) between Elkridge Furnace Inn and Ridge Road overpass of 295. Numerous blind turns and rises that put pedestrians at serious risk of being hit on this road. This road is a vital linkage between PVSP/Elkridge and the BWI MARC station, MDOT headquarters, and other employers in local business parks.
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The Rhode Island Trolley Trail and Rhode Island bike lanes (in northern College Park) have been transformational for the neighborhoods they connect. It provides a safe route to walk and bike parallel to US-1. MDOT should find ways to further support localities with technical assistance and funding to build more of these trails to connect more neighborhoods and businesses (e.g., extending the bike lanes/ a path further north on Rhode Island Ave to connect more neighborhoods along US1 to the existing trail network).
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With MDOT's shift to context-specific design, MDOT/MDSHA should similarly update it's bikeway selection policies to install bike facilities that will welcome a wide range of cyclists (e.g., align with USDOT Federal Highway Administration 2019 Bikeway Selection Guide). MDSHA's past practice of installing unprotected bike lanes next to multiple lanes of vehicles traveling at fatal speeds is not going to help the vast majority of people who are interested in cycling, especially cycling to replace car trips.
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Hyattsville's transportation study recommends a shared-use trail (Toledo Terrace to Heurich Park Road Connection) here to improve local circulation and reduce congestion on East-West
Hwy. It would be great if the state more funding to support local communities with planning and construction of trails like these. Helping residents take short trips by walking and biking safely, rather than feeling obligated to drive because of the danger traveling outside of cars on state arterials, would also benefit MDOT/MDSHA by reducing the number of vehicle trips /vehicle miles travelled along State roads like East-West Highway.Liked 0 times
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There is a perfectly good walkable shoulder on this county road, except for where it intersects with this state highway. Evidently to encourage drivers from turning from MD953, the intersection cuts off the shoulder and rounds off the corner. SHA claims it has to do this for an occasional truck---as if trucks don't know how to make a right turn over a fog line when needed. Allowing the shoulder to go up to the intersection would at least make drivers a bit more aware that they are crossing pedestrian space. More generally, the state needs a policy for pedestrian access along shoulders--which are technically sidewalks but not recognized as such by SHA engineers.
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As is often the case, the right turn lane eliminates the shoulder, forcing some pedestrians to walk on the grass, such as the pedestrian I saw rolling his suitcase here. This used to be a problem for bicyclists as well, but now we have a good pocket lane for the bikes. The state needs a policy on pedestrian facilities for roads that lack (non-shoulder paved) sidewalks. SHA has thorough guidance for bikes, but nothing for pedestrians other than the ADA guidance, which is not always applicable.
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Choke point at bridge eliminates shoulder. State needs a policy to make these choke points safer until the bridges are eventually rebuilt (e.g. in this case the shoulder on one side is wider than the minimum and lanes could be narrowed to 10 feet for a few hundred feet).
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A big wrought iron fence separates National Harbor from the surrounding neighborhood. So people who live outside the fence have to walk miles just to travel a few hundred feet. This reflects horrible design decisions--the people who lived here did not want traffic to National Harbor; but the could have left open paths for bicycles and pedestrians. This needs to be cured.
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SHA's gradual conversion of this old-style highway into a freeway (along with the failure of local planning decisions) has left these condo apartments isolated from shopping, transit, and National Harbor which are quite close as the crow flies. A trail along MD-410 to Oxon Hill Road is needed, unless someone can figure out a way to provide a more direct connection to the Tanger Outlets. The state needs a policy to provide bike/ped connections in areas where land use and local roads are deliberately designed to prevent the through traffic found in cities.
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Bike Lanes this narrow should be illegal. While SHA did not stripe them. the state needs a policy for decertifyng sub-standard bikelanes regardless of who created them.
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ReplyThis is a topic where municipalities (and county planning boards) may benefit from additional guidance and technical assistance from MDOT around building appropriate bike facilities in mixed-use developments. Here, nearby localities successfully lobbied to make these bike lanes intentionally narrow (borderline useless, due to the entirety of the bike lane being in the door zone of street parking), with the hope that narrower bike lanes would also help calm car traffic through overall narrower streets. True to form, aggressive drivers cutting through this development to connect to US-1 and MD-201 have been an ongoing issue. It seems like communities would benefit from more tools to design appropriate bike facilities (e.g., maybe grade-separated, next to the sidewalk, would have met community concerns and provided better bicycle options) and traffic calming to help with the area's proximity to state arterials.
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The beltway cuts off the neighborhood from a major transit station that is within walking distance. The bridge over the beltway already exists. While it is an exit ramp, it connects to a 25 mph road and the speed limit could be dropped a few hundred feet early (with serious traffic calming)
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Ever since the grade crossing was closed here, walking from the neighborhood to shopping on the other side of the tracks (or to the bus on MD-564) has been needlessly circuitous. (Holladay Tyler Road is a privately owned driveway in spite of what Google Maps indicates). The fire company owns the right of way for a shortcut that would save 1/2 mile. The State needs a program to promote shortcuts necessitated by legacy highway (and transit) projects.
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The trail crossing has a pedestrian-activated flashing yellow light. It seems to be superfluous, as drivers do not stop for people in the crosswalk regardless of whether this light is activated--at least during the day. Trail users should be warned (in Spanish as well as English) that most drivers do not stop, and that if one driver does stop, another driver may pass in the adjacent lane. For eastbound trail traffic, a sign should also be placed indicating the underpass and alternate route to the Shopping Center.
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