The Montgomery County Department of Transportation ended the week by adding planting boxes to the island running alongside the protected bike lane on Bethesda Avenue, between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenue. This will soon form one leg of the surface route for the detoured Capital Crescent Trail until the county can deliver a new tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue. Those "coming soon" ads you see in the background are for a new pizzeria in the 4747 Bethesda Avenue office building, which have been up since last spring.
Montgomery Lane, at the corner of Wisconsin Ave, and the former police station, is maybe the dumbest design idea I've ever seen. They are soon going to finish the construction that has taken forever. And instead of reopening the third travel lane, they'll be opening the new bike lane that is going to totally jam up one of the most used roads to get to Ct Ave and ultimately the Beltway. What's mind boggling is how much money has been wasted on this bike lane. Bike lanes are a waste you ask? When they're exactly one block in length they are. That traffic will be forever screwed up. Will they ever reverse course and jackhammer that bike lane and repave the lane again to cars? Of course not. Elections have consequences and that road is county maintained. A one block bike lane. Bozo the Clown idea there folks.
ReplyDeleteIt only needs to be one block because once you hit Pearl St. you can take the existing bike lane north via Pearl or continue east via Georgetown Branch Trail.
DeleteDid you seriously think you know more than an entire team of traffic engineers? Isn't the far more likely explanation that you're simply ignorant of the topic's basic facts?
Robert, you may want to restrict your blog comments to adults because that one was pretty juvenile. The traffic engineers aren't at fault as much as the county council and their anti-car stance. Talk about dumb. Bikes are fine and no one said they don't have a place. But cars aren't going anywhere and people need to move around in an already jammed area. To remove a travel lane there is beyond absurd. It doesn't remotely take into account the problems it will create. And that's a fact smart guy.
ReplyDeleteI understand why you're embarrassed, but now you know the reason for the bike lane only being "exactly one block in length." Take what you've learned and have a good day. Or keep up with the Bozo the Clown insults while also crying that other people are being juvenile. Whatever floats your boat.
DeleteAlways a tough guy online. You clearly never had your mouth washed out with soap but should have. Can't debate the issue so the tough guy on the keyboard resorts to petty attacks. The bike lane there could take the entire stretch if they wanted it to. Bike lanes don't go thru cross streets? Take a look at Old Geo'twn Road. The bike lane, right there for a block, is a horrible decision by the so-called engineers. Really, we know it's far left politicians who are catering to the enviro crowd. Again, not anti-bike or exercise. But that is going to screw up the flow of traffic forever and that's shortsigted in a town that is quickly resembling Rosyln.
ReplyDeleteYikes, so much overcompensation and projection. Can't debate the issue so come wash my mouth, Daddy.
DeleteSilly comments won't help the traffic clog this bike lane, which won't be used because it's one lane, will cause.
ReplyDelete