Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Proposed WB&A Trail Bridge - It Really is a Big Deal

There's a public meeting this week about a pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Patuxent River on the WB&A Trail. This is a big deal. The trail has been under development for decades and this is THE missing link. The proposed bridge will connect the WB&A Trail terminus in Anne Arundel County to the system in Prince George’s County; Odenton and Bowie, respectively.

The WB&A Trail is a beautiful, yet incomplete, multi-use trail. The lack of a bridge over the Patuxent River is a critical missing piece of the trail that keeps all of us from realizing its full potential.
This important segment of the trail will offer safe connections among public recreation areas.

This bridge is the vital trail connection between Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties and will be part of the East Coast Greenway, the American Discovery Trail and the September 11th National Memorial Trail. The bridge will improve access in this extended corridor, providing easy entree to the Odenton MARC Station, and to the rapidly expanding employment centers on and around Fort George G. Meade.  


The proposed bridge is the perfect connection project for the area and the region. Deemed one of the Top Two (2) Trail Priorities in the entire region, the WB&A Trail Bridge will provide transportation and recreational cyclists and pedestrians safe access along the corridor. Without the bridge people on bicycles are forced to take an eight (8) mile detour along Crain Highway (MD Rte 3) – a high-volume, high speed roadway – just to cross the river.

Providing safer routes would encourage bicycling to numerous employment, education, shopping, and recreation destinations in and around the WB&A Trail and easier connections to the pedestrian & bicycle attractors listed in the 2013 Anne Arundel County Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. 

Local businesses could realize a boost in business if driving was not the only way to get there. For some Anne Arundel residents, a bicycle is the only economic means of transportation and for others it is preferred for health, environmental, and enjoyment reasons. The same is true for walking. Encouraging other modes of transportation takes cars off the road and eases congestion.

Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (BikeAAA)

AA County Trail Website                      AA County Trail Map

PG County Trail Website                       PG County Trail Map

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Dying On Maryland Roads

There's a killing field in America. It's called the roadway. Over 40,000 people in the U.S. were killed in auto crashes in 2016 — a toll that ties car collisions with suicide as the leading non-illness-related cause of death in this country, ahead of opioids and firearms.

Now I'm focused on Maryland today. Mostly because that's where I ride a fair amount during the year. Last June, I got curious because it seemed like people on bicycles were dying left and right on the Maryland roadways.

When I get curious, it normally leads me down lots of rabbit holes - some good, some bad. In this case, I found that Maryland was having a banner year - and not in a good way. In June 2016, five people on bicycles were killed when they were hit by people driving cars. That brought us to seven for the year. Now when you consider that only 10 people on bicycles were killed in all of 2015 - well that gives you pause.


Then we watched as the numbers kept climbing and climbing and climbing until we hit 16 people on bicycles killed during 2016. Now mind you, these 2016 and 2017 numbers are based on media reports. So it's entirely possible that I missed a few more - I hope I didn't, but it is very possible.



Unfortunately 2017, started off badly too. There were four people on bicycles killed in the first two months of the year. We didn't get to four until June in 2016. I'm hoping we don't have another record-breaking year. I'm hoping, but I'm bracing myself for the worst.


The interesting thing is how these people were hit - especially in 2016. You see, based on the media reports, 5 of the 16 people were killed in crosswalks. Now I'm not saying people don't do crazy stuff when they cross the road - however, some of these were clearly the fault of the person driving the car. Some were the fault of the person on the bicycle. However, the reality is we as Marylanders, heck as Americans in general, are killing the most vulnerable of our road users - people who walk and ride - left and right.