Chevy Chase West Residents want to be able to bike to Bethesda

From an article about speed cameras on Wisconsin Avenue.

A north-south crosswalk across Bradley Boulevard west of Wisconsin Avenue at Strathmore Street is also unlikely, [Ken Hartman, the director of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center] said, because westbound motorists would have too little time to slow down or stop for pedestrians.

[Michael Replogle, co-chairman of the Chevy Chase West Neighborhood Association's Traffic Committee] countered that narrower traffic lanes and a raised crosswalk were two viable options for Chevy Chase West residents looking to walk or bike from their homes to downtown Bethesda.

"It's imperative that the county take some timely action now to make it safe for the neighborhoods most impacted by that growth to be able to walk and bike to Bethesda rather than drive our cars," Replogle said.

Prospects for a new sidewalk on the east of side of Wisconsin Avenue between Bradley Boulevard and Dorset Avenue appear brighter. The sidewalk could be finished by 2013 but must first be included in the county's Capital Improvement Plan.

The community is eagerly awaiting this new path, said Replogle, although he noted that it would only bolster the case for speed cameras.

"If the sidewalk and bike path is built…more children and adults will want to use it, and will want to have safe access to it," he said.

The area described includes the Capital Crescent Trail so there is at least one route to Bethesda (though it may be far from those near Wisconsin Avenue).

Comments

[Contrarian]

As a matter of law a crosswalk already exists at Strathmore Street; a crosswalk is considered to exist in Maryland any time a street with sidewalks comes to an intersection. So what they are talking about is actually marking the existing crosswalk.

[SJE]

What the residents are talking about is how to use a crosswalk without getting killed. Since people using a crosswalk would, necessarily, force cars to slow down, I do not see how marking it should slow motorists to slow down unreasonably unless the motorists were already travelling too fast.

[Eric Rosenberg]

As one who lives in Chevy Chase DC (east of Chevy Chase Circle), I'd rather see the community's energy spent advocating for a bike lane, wider roadbed or sidewalk on Bradley Lane between Connecticut Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue. This is a VERY dangerous route to ride.

Likewise, a re-paving and/or bike lane striping of Western Avenue between Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues would be a help.

And let's not mention Chevy Chase Circle itself...

[Ray]

Being from California I am so impressed with the Bike lane on the sidewalk in front of Bloomingdales in Chevy Chase while only two blocks this is a step in the right direction and be more like some cities in Europe it is common in many big cities to have bike lanes on the sidewalks.
I live in San Francisco where most people who bike would rather bike in the road instead of making demands for the safest place to be off the road and on the sidewalk.
It is still against the law to bike on any sidewalk in California.