Maryland Incremental Changes Updates

In addition to the Mt. Airy parking improvements, we have

Along Laurel-Fort Meade Road (198) between the BW Parkway and the Fort

Among the Route 198 improvement options are an estimated $162 million and $182 million extensive widening and improvement of bicycle and pedestrian paths on the road’s southern side.

Resident Helen Kozireski said she favored alternatives that call for bike path improvements.

‘‘It looks like the most cost-effective and with the bicycle pathways it would be great because of gas prices the way they are,” she said.

In Bowie, the SHA is interested in widening Coffington Road (197) between Annapolis Road and US-50

The SHA planners supported the inclusion of both a 16-foot-wide on-road bicycle lane and a $2 million to $3 million five-foot-wide sidewalk along the western side of the road, despite earlier protests from both residents and the council.

‘‘There are two different communities of bicyclists, those that want to operate on-road and those that are recreational,” said Alan Straus, a transportation planner contracted by the SHA, of the need for the on-road bike lane.

The article is a little short on details but it sounds like the Bowie City Council would like to see the sidewalk removed. They say "for a smaller carbon footprint." Huh? How does discouraging walking reduce your carbon footprint. Especially when they "voted to make recommendations...promoting pedestrian safety." They claim the sidewalk is too expensive, that it goes nowhere and that crossing 197 to use the sidewalk is too dangerous (what about the people who live on the west side of 197? And why not insist on making changes to 197 to make it safe to cross?) But then we see the real reason...

Council members said they would like SHA to further consider shrinking the width of the footprint to limit impacts on residents’ who live adjacent to 197

So this is about taking people's yards. Which is a reasonable concern, but be upfront about it. Don't BS us about carbon footprints and safety. If truly concerned about carbon footprints, why not ask to put the street on a road diet to make room for the sidewalk and bike lane without taking yard space? Update: Of course that isn't what they did.

The State Highway Administration staff has been asked to develop several alternative options for the planned Route 197 expansions to accommodate the Bowie City Council's requests for a reduction of the expansion's footprint. Staff will develop expansion options that include the narrowest possible median width allowed by state and federal requirements, median closures at the 197 intersection with Faith and Lyle lanes and Lerner Place and Foxhill Park, the narrowest width for bicycle lanes, and the addition of a five-foot-wide sidewalk.

After SHA completes the additional plans, the city will hold another public meeting to seek input.

If you live in Bowie and don't want the narrowest width for bicycle lanes allowed by law*, you should attend.

As for other possible bad news, Symphony Park - a 112-townhouse development next to Strathmore, not a park - was unanimously approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board. Despite

The space between ASHA and Strathmore was originally to be used for a large lawn for the historic Strathmore Mansion, which sits next to the Music Center at Strathmore, Eliot Pfansteihl, Strathmore executive director said. Strathmore has presented outdoor concerts on the lawn for the past 24 years, and movies for the past eight years, he said.

‘‘This is two-thirds of that [lawn],” he said. ‘‘It has become the village green of Montgomery County in many ways and the neighbors, the neighborhoods and the surrounding communities have come to expect that there are free, outdoor events on that lawn in the summer.”

‘‘It would be nice to see this as part of Strathmore. We don’t always get what we want in this life, I guess,” Planning Board Commissioner Jean Cryor told Centex representatives on Thursday.

And

Residents of nearby neighborhoods are still concerned that walking and bicycle paths that cross the Symphony Park site and link nearby neighborhoods to the Metro and music hall remain open to the public.

‘‘This public path is not part of the internal pedestrian connectivity of SP, and we’re concerned it would be a low priority when the homeowners association takes over [the property],” Goldberg said.

But,

A 10-foot wide bike path and series of eight-foot-wide walking paths run from the future neighborhood south to the Strathmore center and Metro station, according to current site plans.

* Reminds me of Chris Rock's joke about being paid minimum wage. "Y'know what minimum wage is? It's saying to someone 'we would pay you less, but it's illegal.'"

Comments

[does it even matter?]

Montgomery County Planners... you are a bunch of spineless tools and should be ashamed of yourselves.

[TWK]

One reason the city of Bowie and many residents want a narrower foot print on MD197 it that SHA's ultimate motives are not clear. With all the wide lanes and wide median, there would be enough room for a furture 6 lane road right through a residantial area. No one in Bowie wants that.

This would also destroy the existing multi-use trail (MUT). The MUT would be reduced to a 6 foot wide path between a busy road and sound walls. Currently it is separatred from the road by a nice island of mature trees, which provides nice shade.

I have been to most of the meetings and never heard any issues about carbon foot prints, just realestate foot prints. With the wide road option SHA would be taking people's property. SHA has not been convincing in the need for such a wide road.

It might be possilbe to preserve the MUT pretty close to it curret state if the road and median was narrowed. Might end up being a choice between separated MUT and on road bike comptible lanes. The bike compatible lanes are NOT bike lanes. There would be no stripe or road markings. It is just a wider lane that is supposed to allow enoungh room for cars to pass. Nothing more.

As it stands SHA has been told to go back to the drawing board due to not addressing the city's or citizen's concerns. In any event they have no money beyond planning work. This kind of back and forth has been going on since 1988.

The 197 upgrade plans are very car centric, despite the bike compatible lanes.