TheWashCycle

Tense meeting with MCPD on Macarthur Blvd productive, though without complete agreement

By Rudi Riet of Potomac Pedalers

Attendance wasn't heavy - 14 or 15, at the most, with five Montgomery County Police Department officers, one National Park Police officer, and a MDOT representative also in the room. Most guests in attendance were cyclists, with few Potomac/Seneca area residents there (of these, all stated that they, too, ride bicycles). The forum was run by the MCPD, with one of their head traffic officers, Ofc. Edward Trybus, delivering a presentation on traffic laws and how they apply to cyclists and motorists.

The officer was stern (he's the head traffic rules instructor at the MoCo Police Training Academy), and he came off as a bit combative to many in the crowd. Much as the officer tried to convince the crowd that he "wasn't taking sides," the general feeling amongst the crowd was that cyclists were in his crosshairs. Case in point: the handout and presentation had a theme of "laws as they apply to cyclists, from a motorist-centric point-of-view." This was not lost on the audience on hand.

As the officer worked his way through his PowerPoint presentation (a summary of Maryland traffic laws), one slide caught a lot of attention: a snapshot of one of the big weekend rides (either the 7am or 10am ride, in all likelihood), which showed a peloton of fully law abiding riders: two abreast, not crossing the double-yellow center line, not impeding automobile traffic flow. [WC: the Gazette article covers similar territory]

The owner of The Bicycle Place was there, and took offense at some of the things that the officer said about group riding and its effect on the flow of traffic (note that his rides, the Saturday 7 and 10am rides and the Sunday 8:30am ride out of Silver Spring, are the ones that raise the most ire from motorists and residents of Potomac, Glen Echo, Cabin John and Seneca). Others in the audience raised similar objections, asking what, exactly, "impeding the flow of traffic" entailed. Ofc. Trybus offered nothing more than very vague answers to this, mostly clinging to the "anything less than the speed limit is impeding traffic" meme.

Once it was established that both vehicle operators and law enforcement can agree that enforcement of traffic laws - both for cyclists and motorists - is about *interpretation* of the law (and sometimes subjective interpretation), the discussion became somewhat more civil and productive, if not any less tense. And once the officer's commander took over the conversation, there was more constructive conversation about how to get cyclists to be better advocates for their cause.

The biggest take-away issues:

1. If there is a bike lane or bike path available, a cyclist, in most cases, is legally obligated to use said lane or path while riding in Maryland. However, the general sense is that most police officers will not enforce this rule if the cyclist is not impeding the overall flow of traffic, or if the cyclist is going close to the posted speed limit. Note that cyclists are NOT required to use the two-way, multi-use path on MacArthur due to its design flaws.

2. If a cyclist observes or experiences any problems with motorist interaction, get both the license plate number AND try to get a good look at the driver of the car (because car registration and driver are not necessarily the same). Call it in ASAP.

3. If a cyclist is cited by a police officer, don't fight the charges on the road - take it to court, and be prepared with witnesses and a good understanding of the law.

4. If you see any problem areas with road conditions, call 311 (or 240-777-0311 from a non-local cell phone) to report the conditions (e.g. potholes, glass fields, etc.).

5. It's still the law in Montgomery County that bicycles be registered with the local police department. I asked if the National Bicycle Registry would suffice, but none of the MCPD officers knew - they will get me the answer to this question soon. For folks who live in areas where bikes need not be registered (e.g. DC), no problem: the area of residence's law takes precedence.

I also met one of the two MCPD officers whose beat is MacArthur Blvd and River Road (from Seneca Road all the way to the 495 overpass - Cabin John/Glen Echo is Bethesda PD territory), and he is a very nice guy who is an open listener *and* happens to enjoy cycling, himself (though not at a brisk pace, just yet). Additionally, an officer from the National Park Police was there, and he welcomes dialogue and input from cyclists on matters of road access and consistent enforcement.

In the end, the cyclists and the officers mostly agreed to disagree on a few sticking points, but left with a better mutual understanding of where each party stands in terms of perceptions of the other - which is far better than things were before the forum. And as was the case before: all road users, both cyclists and motorists, can be their own best advocates and worst enemies.

Anybody wishing to contact the MCPD to further discuss these issues (preferably in a civil manner) may email Ofc. Edward Trybus at edward.trybus@montgomerycountymd.gov, the officer in charge of cyclist relations.

 

The Macarthur Boulevard Meeting

Someone is working on some notes for the Macarthur Blvd "Share the road" meeting for me, but in the meantime, WUSA was there and has some footage. They reported it as "heated".

The disagreement between the two essentially boils down to this: drivers say bike riders take up too much of the road on Macarthur Boulevard, while bike riders say drivers often drive too fast and are too close to them when passing.

One is an annoyance and the other is dangerous. That's not to say that one should be annoying if they can avoid it, but there really isn't room to move over safely in many cases, and moving into single file is not going to help.

They followed this with a "Let's Be Real" segment on the Macarthur Blvd with Derek McGinty. I'm mostly with him (except for the part about "not taking up a lane of traffic") right up to the part where he advises drivers to lightly honk when they come up behind a large group of cyclists. That is not going to help.

Public Forum Tonight: Sharing MacArthur Boulevard by Motorists and Cyclists

The County Police Department (MCPD) is sponsoring a Public Forum on sharing MacArthur Boulevard by motorists and bicyclists.  The meeting will be held at the Public Service Training Academy, 9710 Great Seneca Highway, Rockville, Maryland 20850, on Monday, June 20, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Topics to be discussed will include the laws, safety, and specific educational pieces affecting motorists and cyclists sharing the roadways.  The sponsors plan to incorporate a question and answer session and time for attendees to air concerns and opinions in a structured and organized fashion.

Each year, MCPD's 1st District receives a large number of letters, emails, and phone calls regarding the sharing of the roadways between motorists and cyclists along MacArthur Boulevard.  MCPD staff respond to these and also brief the officers who patrol this area, especially during the busier times of the year when the cyclists are more abundant.

MCPD is now planning this public forum as an additional step to improve the safety and welfare of the users on our roadways.  For more information or if you would like to speak at the forum, contact Tammy M. Chaney, Montgomery County Department of Police, 1st District Station by phone at 240-773-6072, by cell at 240-793-2842, or by email at  tammy.chaney@montgomerycountymd.gov.

MoCo Dept. of Police MacArthur Boulevard Public Forum

From the Montgomery County Department of Police

I would like to take this opportunity to request your attendance at a Public Forum that we have arranged at the Public Service Training Academy, at 9710 Great Seneca Highway, Rockville, Maryland 20850, on Monday, June 20, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.  You are receiving this invitation because we have heard from you in the past with your concerns regarding this subject.  This will cover information regarding the laws, safety, and specific educational pieces when motorists and cyclists share the roadways.  We also hope to incorporate a question and answer session and a time to openly vent concerns and opinions in a structured and organized fashion. 

Each year, the 1^st District encounters an overwhelming barrage of letters, emails, and phone calls regarding the sharing of the roadways between motorists and cyclists along MacArthur Boulevard.  We have responded to each and every one specifically answering all of their concerns and questions to the best of our abilities.  We have also spoken to the officers who patrol this area, especially during the busier times of the year when the cyclists are more abundant.  We have even reached out and responded to the media last year when citizens asked for their support to bring their concerns out publicly.

We now would like to go a step further and facilitate a successful, productive, and well attended forum to further our ultimate goal of ensuring the safety and welfare to all of the users on our roadways.  We expect to see many local cyclist groups and many of the concerned citizens who have written to us throughout the years, U.S. Park Police and possibly some local officials who have received some of the same correspondence.  Please feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues and community groups.  Also, respond to me directly (tammy.chaney@montgomerycountymd.gov), at your earliest convenience regarding your attendance so that we can appropriately plan the agenda and allot appropriate time constraints.

Tension on MacArthur Boulevard

Ronald Rust of Montgomery County has called on the county police to crackdown on cyclists riding two abreast.

"They basically get in something that looks like the Tour de France peloton and basically take up the right side of the road," said Rust, 59, of Bethesda.

Because of the complaint, officers assigned to the area were asked to watch for violations throughout the summer, spokeswoman Officer Amy Daum said. Riding more than two abreast is punishable by a $90 fine. Neither county nor state police have a record of how many such citations were issued to cyclists last year.

The alternative is to ride in a line, but that has it's own problems

Riding in a compact group is way that cyclists feel safer and can go faster, Cochrane said. Groups of cyclists riding several abreast are easier to pass than a long line of single-file riders.

Cochrane said he doesn't see the difference between one cyclists riding in the road or three of them. Either way, a car will need to carefully pass them on the left when there is no oncoming traffic.

Rust however sees it differently

for Rust, a wider a group makes it more likely that the driver could accidentally sideswipe a bike when passing, or get into a head-on collision with another vehicle.

How exactly is that? If you pass safely, with enough room to your right and enough clear space in the other lane, there shouldn't be any greater risk. One might need to wait longer, but managing the risk is 100% in the driver's control.

"The problem is you can't pass the pack the way it is," Rust said. "Trying to pass the pack is a very dangerous thing."

And there it is. He can't pass them.

Now it's true that riding two and three abreast is illegal, but Rust doesn't really want all of these cyclists riding in a long single file group in the middle of the lane, does he? That will be impossible to pass. I've never liked that law, two bikes riding side by side are no wider than a car, but it is still the law.

There is another solution besides cracking down on compliance with a somewhat law designed to get cyclists out of the way.

MacArthur Boulevard is scheduled to get wider shoulders and an 8-foot-wide shared-use hiker/biker path along a 7.3 mile stretch from Old Angler's Inn in Potomac to the Washington, D.C., border. A 2.6 mile segment from Oberlin Avenue to the Interstate 495 underpass costing $8.7 million should break ground this year.

 There's more

Rust's letter complaining about a pack of bicyclists "monopolizing an entire lane of the road" on MacArthur Boulevard and surrounding roads and its written response from Montgomery County police Chief J. Thomas Manger have been circulating through the bicycling community.

I don't think I've seen this letter, but yes riding or driving in a lane is the same as monopolizing, in that only you can use the part you're in at that time. That's how roads work.

Thursday Morning Ride - low turnout

I just downloaded Firefox 4 and nothing is where it usually is.

• John W reports that "Montgomery County be installing additional street lights on existing poles along MacArthur Blvd between Goldsboro Road and Maryland Avenue.  This will mean that every utility pole will have a light on it, and this should eliminate the dark areas that currently exist on the road and bike path. The county and PEPCO are also keeping a closer eye out for situations when power lines feeding the lights on MacArthur Blvd. get damaged, resulting in large blacked-out sections of the street."
• Action is still needed on Maryland House Bill 363: Manslaughter by Motor Vehicle. Illinois has the same hole in their laws. There, a couple on a tandem bike was hit from behind by a driver who admitted he was looking in a plat book at the time. One of them died and the other was badly injured. Because they have no negligent homicide law, the driver might be charged with driving recklessly close to a cyclist (a felony meant for harassment) or driving closer than 3 feet (a misdemeanor).
• The Georgia Avenue Walmart plans to include parking for 37 and a Capital Bikeshare station. "But the traffic study points out the fact that Georgia Avenue is a terrible corridor for bicycling, and not that great for pedestrians either–if they want to throw in more community benefits, upgrades to the street for better bike access would be a good place to start."
• Speaking of CaBi, GGW talks about empty CaBi stations and their evil partner full CaBi stations. Alpert calls for infill stations in addition to new stations at the edge. Which is what DDOT is planning last I heard.
• As part of the Chevy Chase sector plan, participants at the workshop asked that "Access, primarily pedestrian and bicycle, from the surrounding residential neighborhoods to both the commercial area and nearby trails should be improved and expanded."
• The family of the comatose cyclist hit in a bike lane in Baltimore is suing the driver for $10M. Lost earnings and lifetime care, my lawyer wife points out.
• The Vienna town council approved safe routes to school plans. "Parents at Vienna and Cunningham Park elementary schools formed School Travel Plan groups and worked with school administrators and Vienna Public Works Department officials to produce the plans, which will be used to solicit grant moneys under the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) “Safe Routes to School” program."
• Woodfield Road Extended in Damascus (photo above) is now open and included an 8-foot wide bicycle path along the eastern side.
• Rockville wants to hear from you about the Rockville Pike plan, which intends to add bike lanes to the road. Turnout at public meetings has been low. Testimony can be sent in writing to the Planning Commission, c/o Long Range Planning, Community Planning and Development Services, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850, or by e-mail to rockvillepikeplan@rockvillemd.gov.

Photo by Brian Lewis/The Gazette

2011: A Look Forward

Though we're well past the time when people are saying Happy New Year's to one another, here is a look at the facilities and projects we are scheduled to (or may) happen in 2011.

Sometime

• Work begins on the section of the the Washington Boulevard Trail towards Ft. Myer and also the completion of the Shady Grove Access Bike Path. 
• The 11th Street Bridges project will continue with the two new freeway spans under construction between the old bridge spans completed in the fall. We'll see if work on the local bridge results in any closures of the bike/ped path.
• The first segment of the ICC is going to open - I don't know if the trail will too.
• The Eisenhower Avenue Bike Trail opens- about one year late - the last bicycle element of the Wilson Bridge Project.
• It will be a big year for the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. Work is underway on two bridges over the railroad tracks (one on each side of the river), a section on the east side between Pennsylvania Ave and 11th Street and a section of the trail in PG County from Bladensburg waterfront park. These could all be finished in 2011.

March - As part of the BRAC process in Bethesda, work begins on a new bike path on the south side of West Cedar Lane between Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike. It should be complete by June.

Spring - Completion of the Humpback Bridge with a wider MVT and trail tunnels underneath. Work begins on the Art Walk development and with it a one block section of the Met branch trail between Monroe Ave and the CUA Metro.

May - Capital Bikeshare expansion in Arlington and DC. Also work begins on the bike path on the north side of Jones Bridge Road from Rockville Pike to Connecticut Avenue - another BRAC project - to completed by December.

Summer or Fall - Work begins on the Washington Boulevard Bridge - to be renamed the Freedman's Village Bridge - over Columbia Pike. One part of the project is to widen Columbia Pike under the bridge, which will make more space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Summer - Muncaster Mill Road Sidepath, part of the ICC project. 

July - The MacArthur Boulevard bikeway's middle section, a13,800-foot segment from Oberlin Avenue to the Interstate 495 underpass, begins. Work also begins on the upgrade to the east-side Rockville Pike path - also part of BRAC - to be finished by September.

Fall - Last I heard, this was the target date of the Rhode Island Avenue Bridge on the Met Branch Trail, but the Design was supposed to be done by now and I haven't heard that it is, so I suspect this is not the target date anymore.

October - The Rock Creek Park Trail Bridge over Vier Mills Road

November - Completion of the Silver Spring Transit Center. This includes the northern trailhead and a temporary section of the trail. The section will be finalized when the Purple line is built through the center.

By the way JTS, you owe me $1.



Montgomery County bike projects moving slowly

With the Bradley Boulevard bike project having recently been presented, it joins a growing list of future bike projects in Montgomery County. But only one project has money budgeted for it so far. That's the MacArthur Boulevard Bikeway project.

The project will include an 8-foot-wide shared-use hiker/biker path running parallel to MacArthur on the south side, Miller said. The shoulder of the road will also be widened to provide a 2-foot shoulder on each side of the road for faster cyclists.

The project has been divided into three segments due to cost concerns, Miller said. The middle 13,800-foot segment from Oberlin Avenue to the Interstate 495 underpass will be constructed first. The segment will cost $8.7 million, and construction is expected to start as early as July, Miller said.

That's a few months later than we were told in February.

Meanwhile other projects are waiting for funding.

A hiker/biker path along Falls Road has been under design for several years but has been stalled since March 2008 because of budget concerns

Additionally, a hiker/biker path along Seven Locks Road in Potomac is still in the facility planning phase needed to justify the project,

Miller said that hiker/biker projects can get stalled in land acquisition, and they also face delays from allowing time for community feedback as well as the overarching funding problems facing the entire county.

"The budget crunch — it's affected everything; it's not just hiker/biker paths," Miller said. "It has hit road programs, it's hit maintenance projects — everything.  It didn't discriminate."

Jack Cochrane has some opinions about the order in which things get done and why they're important.

Even though they are further down the queue, Cochrane believes the Seven Locks Road and Bradley Boulevard projects are of a higher priority than the Falls Road project, because they would help serve as main arteries for cyclists traveling between major parts of the city.

For Cochrane, funding biking improvement projects is vital to solving traffic congestion in the area.

"I think there's frustration in the pace of projects," Cochrane said. "I don't think we're so concerned that each project takes so long, it is that it takes so long between projects."

The budget issues are unfortunate. If only there were some federal program to get people back to work by investing in America's infrastructure while creating jobs. If only.

Montgomery Planning Board Recommends More Bike Funding, Accelerated Schedule

Silver Spring Trails has a link to a staff report that the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to send to the County Council. It was written by their Transportation Planning Division and recommends more money for bike projects and spent sooner. It calls for

• Accelerating the Metropolitan Branch Trail with work to start in FY11 and to include the planned bridge over Georgia Avenue that would replace the 6 foot wide one pictured here.
• Increasing funding for the Bikeways Program. At $550,000 it's $4.5M less than what was called for in the County Bikeways Plan.
• Treating the Glenmont Metro Bikeways program as one of the highest priorities
• Pursuing a targeted approach to complete bikeways around business districts and the new Walter Reed.
• The BRAC Bicycle and Pedestrian project should be updated to recognize the new scope that includes a path on West Cedar Lane between Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike and on Cedar Lane to just east of Rockville Pike; improvements to sidewalks and bike paths on Battery Lane and Glenbrook Parkway; a sidewalk on the east side of Rockville Pike and a shared-use path on Jones Bridge Road between Rockville Pike and Connecticut Avenue  - as opposed to the bike lanes called for in the Bikeways Plan.

In addition, it highlights some other projects

• Narrowing the Cedar Lane bridge over Rock Creek Park from four lanes to three, widening the sidewalk on the east side and adding a multi-use trail on the west side. The trail would connect under the Beltway to the Elmhirst Parkway Trail, which connects to Rockville Pike and future BRAC planned trails. This would start in Fall 2010 and last 6 months.
• The Bethesda Bikeway and Pedestrian Plan is on hold until 2013 when Lot 31 is developed
• An 8 foot wide path along Falls Road from River Road to Dunster Road. Not to be done until 2016.
• The MacArthur Avenue Bikeway, completion pushed back from 2012 to 2014.
• Shady Grove Access Bike Path - completion pushed back from 2009 to 2011 because of delays getting a WMATA permit. 
• Silver Spring Green Trail - project on hold pending an MOU between the County and MTA to include the trail in Purple Line planning
• Capital Crescent Trail - the trail is included in the Purple Line project, but the County has to fund the trail work.
• Shared use paths along Needwood Road, Travilah Road and Snouffer School Road.

Photo from Silver Spring Trails

Phase I of MacArthur Avenue Bikeway Work to Begin in Spring 2011

After much discussion and work, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has recommended that $8.63 million be designated as part of the fiscal year 2011-2016 Capital Improvements Program budget to complete design of the first segment of the MacArthur Avenue bikeway and to begin construction in spring 2011.

The project would widen the road by 2 feet on both sides and reduce the width of the driving lanes by a foot, creating a 3-foot shoulder designated for on-road bicyclists on each side. It would also add a shared use hiker/biker path that is separated from the roadway. A shared use path already exists in some stretches, but because it is not separated from the road, cars can often mistake the path for an extra driving lane

While I do think the additions will make the road safer and reduce conflict, as long as Maryland has its mandatory shoulder law it will, at least, lead to misinterpretation or, at worst, relegate cyclists to the 3 foot shoulder. This shoulder will be 4 inches narrower than where Curtis Leymeister was killed.

A segment of the path, which would stretch from Oberlin Avenue in Glen Echo to the Interstate 495 underpass in Cabin John, is in its final design stages, according to Aruna Miller, a facility planning manager for the county's Department of Transportation. Two other segments are planned, and the path would eventually stretch for 7.3 miles from the District Line to Old Angler's Inn in Potomac, pending approvals, Miller said.

Similar bikeways in the Bethesda and Potomac areas are in initial phases, including one along Seven Locks Road and Bradley Boulevard. The Bradley Boulevard plan would span a half-mile between Wilson Lane and Goldsboro Road, and transportation officials are in the early stages of developing concept plans, presenting them to the public and gathering feedback. A similar project is in the early stages for Seven Locks Road, which would span 3.3 miles from Montrose Road down to Bradley Boulevard.

Photo by Dan Gross/The Gazette