Montgomery County officials are celebrating the completion of Phase 1 of the Bethesda Bikeway in downtown Bethesda. The completed segments run along Bethesda Avenue and Willow Lane from the Capital Crescent Trail to 47th Street near Elm Street Park, and along Woodmont Avenue between Miller Avenue and Montgomery Lane. Both are separated bikeways that include raised concrete medians to protect cyclists from automobile traffic. The completed bikeway segments are part of a new two-way bike network in downtown Bethesda that offers bright green separated bike lanes. Phase 2 is scheduled for completion next year.
“We are committed to the safety of all our roadway users,” Montgomery County Department of Transportation Director Chris Conklin said in a statement. “Safety is our highest priority, and we are striving to make changes to our roads as quickly as we can. That is why the Vision Zero funding is so crucial, and I am thankful that [County Executive Marc Elrich] and the Council have been working together to allow for increases in this funding to advance the safety of our residents. I am saddened by every report of another crash resulting in serious injury or loss of life and remain committed to the work we’re doing to reduce and eliminate these tragedies. In addition to making our facilities safer, these projects can also provide assets for our communities. As one example, the Bethesda Bikeway is going to make bicycling much safer and appealing in this area.”
13 comments:
I haven't ridden a bike in years, but it's nice to see the county prioritize pedestrian and bike safety. Just trying to walk or bike from point A to B is by far the most dangerous aspect of living in MoCo. It's too bad our spending priorities don't reflect that.
I had a good laugh a while back when two cyclist going the opposite way on the CC trail refuse to yield and crashed into each other.
Stop the trolls in this forum Mr. Dyer or I will be like an airport an announce my departure... @'ng someone here is so junior high especially if it's a direct stupid response. You have blocked or not let many of my heartfelt emotional comments on your blog many times get posted much to my surprise. I truly do not know what type of database or coding you use for this free blog, but I assume that even those of us who always post under "Anonymous" because in this day and age, it's just not worth it to have any personal info out there on a public/price blog. I'm sure if someone actually posted something very threatening or such, LEA's would have access it maybe you actually do also even though it shows up as anonymous. That's why I'm careful and very hesitant to post certain thoughts. -- That said, I am extremely pissed off and very disappointed that a band I've been seeing all the way back to the Psyche Delly days , The Nighthawks are playing at the "Victory" party Elrich is throwing at The Fillmore in SS. This is akin to Springsteen playing for Obama and Kid Rock playing for Drumpf. Total sellouts and disgraceful. I'll never go to see Mark Webber play anywhere ever again because of this. -- Clean up your page, Mr. Robert, or you will go the way of the glossy mag and that ex-editor puts. Good day, sir #A60YearOldBethesdaBornAndRaisedWhoHatesEverythingThatThisTownHasBecome.
I'll leave my standard commenthere as per usual: "What could possibly go wrong?!"
2:17. "I laughed; they cried; I laughed again". Who are the imbeciles who devised such virtue signaling ideas as these bike lanes in a pedestrian area? Who will they sue when a mangling of legs, pedals, and lattes held in the left, with the Iphone in the right, end up in a heap on the concrete?
2:44 - It always goes well when you call out the moderator and lambaste him/her on a public forum. If you leave and no one notices, were you ever really here in the first place?
@ 2:44, if you hate everything that this town has become then move, or something more productive than complaining (rambling) on the internet.
@ 6:39pm, by your comment I can tell you've never ridden a bike in a public space before or perhaps not even gone for a walk downtown before. Calling a protected bike lane a "virtue signaling idea" is peak ignorance especially when the overwhelming majority of cyclist deaths and injuries are caused by, wait for it, cars. And that's because while the cyclist is sharing the roadway, car drivers are too distracted by lattes in the left hand, iPhone in the right hand. It's the cause for automobile and automobile/cyclist accidents alike. But I wouldn't expect you to know that or have bothered to do that research, given the level of ignorance and shelteredness of your post.
Drivers love to think that cyclists are irresponsible and the cause of all their accidents, but perhaps they should look in a mirror and then ask themselves who are the ones hitting these cyclists (and, you know, other cars on a regular basis and the occasional pedestrian).
I drive, I metro, I walk, and I bike places in Bethesda nearly every day. I think these lanes are fantastic and much needed as reports of fatal car hits of cycles rise in MoCo.
Yep. Woodmont behind the Hyatt currently being ruined as well as Montgomery as you mentioned. A total removal of a travel lane (and mostly a turn lane) on Woodmont will be a huge mess. They say they strive for safety, etc but never acknowledge the major impact on traffic. Oh no, it's quite clear all cars are bad. Watch and see how many bikes will use these new lanes it won't be many. Meanwhile, cars are stolen every night. MoCo council probably cheers that.
6:39. Nobody was seriously hurt in that incident. That's why I could laugh. It was amusing to see what happens when neither of two parties can let go of their entitlement.
It is no laughing matter when people get hurt for really. It's rare, but pedestrians have been killed by cyclists.
@3:00pm Wow, what an absolutely terrible counter-argument that pedestrians on rare occasion have been killed by a cyclist. That's a very low-effort hopeful diversion when nearly 1,000 cyclists are killed by cars and over 100,000 get hit by cars every year in the US (you can fact check me).
Folks who can't imagine a world where they have to be careful while driving downtown will do anything to avoid acknowledging that a ton of safety has come at an ounce of inconvenience.
11:43: Ye protest a little much at the humor at the expense of the arrogant. The point is that cyclist don't seem to know how to yield or stop. When I get off the bus, its unpleasantHTey
to be brushed by a suddenly sidewalk travelling cyclist So they get to impede walkers and drivers. I don't appreciate being screamed at on the CC trail or refusing to yield ever.
Be polite, stop at crosswalks are cars are supposed to and get off you high cycle. I don't see how creating more congestion enhances safety.
Cyclists don't seem to like the bike lanes as much as the sidewalks. So pedestrians are using the bike lanes. I see it every day. A pack of Sunday cyclists coming off Crescent Trail onto Bethesda Avenue nearly knocked me over. We could use some enforcement.
As someone who commutes daily via bicycle to my office in Bethesda Row, I applaud the creation of these new bike lines. And every day, I see fellow cyclists using the OGR, Woodmont and Willow bike lanes to access local businesses and the Capital Cresent Trail. These lanes have greatly improved safety for me, fellow cyclists, and pedestrians (since bikes have been removed from local sidewalks). Bicycles are vehicles, moving far faster than pedestrians. Cyclists (with the exception of children) do not belong on sidewalks, it is hazardous to both pedestrians and the cyclists themselves. Given how congested and busy the Bethesda Row area is, cars should not be moving faster than 25 mph and there is plenty of room for both cars and bikes under the current configuration.
And contrary to numerous posts here, not all cyclists, myself included, run lights and stop signs. Yes, some are careless and inconsiderate but so are many drivers and pedestrians. Half the time I try to cross Wisconsin on the new, clearly marked, bike lane, cars will be blocking the lane or there will be clueless pedestrians using it as a crosswalk. We all need to pay attention and be vigilent about other traffic.
And really, why are so many posters here compelled to be obnoxious and disrespectful? Just because a street was built doesn’t require it to always remain a street. Infrastructure is often reconfigured, redeveloped, or changed to better suit evolving societal needs.
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