Bradley Boulevard Bikeway

The Bradley Boulevard Bikeway is a project to improve Bradley Boulevard between Wilson Lane and Goldsboro Road.

In order to comply with the 1990 Chevy Chase Master Plan and 2005 County Bikeways Plan. the project is in Phase I of facility planning which is scheduled to complete summer 2010, with phase II wrapping up in winter of 2012. The project wouldn't be finished until 2016 at the earliest. At this point all they have are an environmental assessment and draft concepts.

There are three alternatives they've identified of which one, Alternative 1, is no build. Alternative 2 maintains the 12' vehicular lanes and adds 4' bike lanes and a 10' shared-use path along the north side of the road. Alternative 3 (shown below) widens the bike lanes to 6' and the shared-use path to 12' and adds a 5-7' wide sidewalk to the south side. Both Alt 2 and 3 include intersection improvements at Wilson and Goldsboro which include

• Adding a left turn lane in both directions on Bradly at Wilson
• Possibly including No Turn on Red signs along Bradley
• lengthening the westbound merge area past the Goldsboro Road intersection
• Adding crosswalks to the east and south legs of the Goldsboro intersection
• Converting the westbound left turn signal at Goldsboro to an arrow only
• Goldsboro right turn phasing

The traffic study shows 62 crashes over five years, of which 3 involved cyclists. The road has a high volume of cyclists, with over 70 during the peak hour on Saturday.

Obviously, alternative 3 seems best to me. It has good on-road bike facilities, a sidepath for less confident cyclists and those who use scooters, roller blades, etc and a sidewalk. Of course, not everyone is a fan of the bike amenities.

The concept started out several years ago in response to a request to look into a sidewalk along this stretch of road. What has ensued is an elaborate plan to add not a sidewalk, but multiple routes for varying degrees of bicycle speeds, shared pedestrian paths, ditches, and transition strips.

The writer goes on to complain that it is too expensive, will kill trees, it will lower property values, homeowners will be responsible for clearing snow off the path, and it might negatively impact traffic. [But other than that I think they were for it]. Most of the people against the project are those who live along Bradley Boulevard (since this is their front yard, are they NIMFY's? That sounds dirty). They've been calling it a "bike path to nowhere."

Bradley Boulevard is currently 24 feet wide with a varying shoulder. Depending on the option, the street and any accompanying paths could be widened to a total of 27 to 36 feet wide. All changes would fall within the State Highway Administration's right-of-way.

"The county recognizes that there are two types of bike users: the commuter cyclists who use the road and wouldn't use a path, and the recreational ones who wouldn't feel comfortable in the road," said Aruna Miller, a facility planning manager for the county's Department of Transportation. "But this project, overall, supports the County Executive's vision of trying to make the county multi-modal."

Mary Karen Wills has lived on McLean Drive, right off the stretch of Bradley Boulevard being studied, for five years. She said the bike traffic in the area doesn't warrant this type of expansion.

Ah yes, the old "no one bikes here, so we don't need bike lanes" argument. There does seem to be more consensus around the sidewalk. Another letter writer points out, rightfully, that it is early and more discussion is needed.

I do agree with the Shroeders that the county's policy for snow removal on shared paths must be improved. It is one thing to expect homeowners to clear a 4-foot sidewalk; it is quite another to expect them to clear a 10-foot path. The county needs to obtain equipment suitable for plowing a 10-foot path. It can be used to maintain paths like the Capital Crescent Trail immediately, and the Bradley Boulevard path when it eventually is built.

There are a number of issues that require serious discussion. Should the eastern end of the project terminate at Goldsboro Road, or continue another block to Glenbrook Road to link up with the Capital Crescent Trail? What is the appropriate width of the various components that have been proposed? Which components should be included, left out, or even added on? What use should be made of the 100-foot public right-of-way where it has been taken over by adjacent property owners?

I'll second the idea that it is ridiculous to expect homeowners to clear snow from the path. If that really is the law, it is routinely ignored elsewhere in the county.  The comments on the project blog are pretty evenly split with those living along Bradley opposing the improvements (except for the sidewalk) and everyone else supporting them. The public comment period on the plan is technically over, but you can still comment on the project website or by contacting the Department of Transportation. And there will, surely, be additional meetings.

Comments

[Tom]

As we have observed in the past few days, the cleaning the sidewalk, complaint is a "red herring". Hundreds of miles of sidewalk and multi-use paths are still covered with snow without any enforcement.

I don't see why Montgomery county will start with the poor residents along Bradley Blvd.

[Jack]

Bradley bike/ped opponents seem to have been forgotten by the 21st century (or indeed the 1970s) since most people now know that people should be able to walk along public streets. On another sidewalk project in Bethesda, Maryknoll Drive, residents called the parents of a handicapped child selfish for wanting a sidewalk for getting to school. Afterwards though one resident noted, "Even people who opposed it use it all the time". More about selfishness here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/11/AR2008031102893.html

[Jim]

Allow me to speak on behalf of one of the many who oppose the project. The pompous self interest groups (which are namely the cyclists) who are self absorbed, inconsiderate and are thinking only about the minority rather that the majority are really the only ones supporting this project! This really has so much more to do with the fact that you believe millions of tax-payers dollars should be spend to ensure you have a path to ride on for 3/4 mile in the middle of Bethesda. May I ask how you have survived such a hardship for so many years. Stop fixating on the individuals who are directly impacted along Bradley. They are not the only individuals impacted. The children do not care about having an extra 3/4 mile bike path, nor do many of the residents. If you were to properly poll the residents the County and the State considering that Bradley is a State road you would find that the majority of the population would rather spend their tax dollars on: 1. Improving schools and the conditions our children are faced with each day they are forced to be in a portable, without enough help in their classrooms, far too few supplies etc. 2. Ensuring that our Emergency Rescue Services are properly staffed and funded. 3. Many of the roads in the truly poor parts of the county need immediate attention. This is just to name a few major areas that should be cared for before placing millions into a frivolous projects promoted by whining self interest groups. After experiencing one of the countries worst times in economic history is astonishing that you still believe that this is more important than basic public service needs for the county and state. Finally, I would like to mention that in a time of transparent spending the county executives would be willing to back a project by spending this amount of money in one of the wealthiest part of the county rather then ensuring that the entire counties needs are met first.