Prince George's County is updating it's Transportation Master Plan. According to the Post,
"It's all about cutting down on the need to use a car," said Hal Foster, project manager for the transportation master plan, which also takes a look at the county's highway and hiking and bicycle trail systems.
In addition to its plans for transit and highways, planners suggest that the county spend 1 percent more of its transportation budget on the trail system.
It also suggests a number of studies, including a feasibility study into constructing a pedestrian bridge near the New Carrollton Metro, and a study of bicycle and pedestrian access at Purple Line stations.
A second joint public hearing has been rescheduled for Tonight, October 26, 2009, 7:00 p.m., First Floor County Council Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772. Sign up here to testify at this hearing.
The plan includes several pages on Complete Streets, the Potomac Heritage Trail and 190 other trail, bikeway and sidepath projects like the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, the Anacostia Trail extension to DC and Chillum Road bike lanes.
PG needs to do more than build trails. It needs to work on design, drainage, safety, and maintenance. I rode the Henson Creek Trail yesterday. It had standing water in 20 or 30 places, mud slicks at the Indian Head Highway underpass, and two road crossings that were intimidating. The deer were pretty cool though.
Posted by: John | October 26, 2009 at 09:06 AM
Several jurisdictions have maintenance issues on their trails. Most notably NPS, though fat chance of getting them to do anything about it...
Posted by: Froggie | October 26, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Froggie
I regularly ride the CCT, the WOD, the MVT, and the trails along 4 Mile Run from the river to the W&OD. The Henson Creek Trail is noticably inferior to all the above. It's about on a par with the 4 Mile Run Trail from Walter Reed to Wilson. Or the "trail" from MV to Fort Belvoir.
Posted by: John | October 26, 2009 at 01:31 PM
Lot's of interesting proposals in the plan . . this one caught my attention:"Baltimore-
Washington Parkway
Trail, Muirkirk Rd to Hanover Parkway pedestrian bridge: This trail will provide north/south access through the
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center from Laurel to
Greenbelt in an area where there are no off-road trail
options for bicyclists. This trail can tie into the existing
pedestrian bridge over the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
in the vicinity of Hanover Parkway and Gardenway Court.
This trail may be similar to the trail currently under study
along the Suitland Parkway."
It's categorized as a "new recommendation" by MPOT (not sure what that stand for?)
Posted by: Purple Eagle | October 26, 2009 at 02:03 PM
I noticed the other day that there has been work on the WB&A trail, just before Glenn Dale Road going West. There was a bad stretch of road that cyclists were forced to use, here. Now the trail continues all the way to the road.
Posted by: guez | October 27, 2009 at 12:30 AM