Seven Locks Road Design in Phase II

GGW links to an article in the Potomac Almanac on the slow and steady Seven Locks Road sidewalk and bikeway project. This was first mentioned here back in March 2006, and then again later that same year followed by a large debate in the letters of the Gazette. The project has now in the second phase of development, but the basics of the project (bike lanes, two trails) remains the same.

THE PROJECT suggests reducing the existing 12-foot lanes on Seven Locks Road to 11 feet, eliminating the varying shoulder and adding a five-foot bike lane. Additional bus stops and turning lanes at intersections are proposed for the 3.3-mile stretch, but the main focus of the project is the eight-foot shared-use path to run the length of Seven Locks Road on both north and southbound sides, offering a safer means of travel for those choosing to leave their cars behind.
"It’s really a bike and pedestrian project," said Project Manager Jon Hutchings, who works for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. "The main focus, and purpose, is the dual bike-way."
Hutchings says the push for improvement stems from the Potomac Master Plan and a history of accidents where cars have struck bikers and pedestrians along Seven Locks Road. The project also contributes to the countywide initiative to take cars off roads and provide alternative means for transportation.

Not everyone loves it

"They have the mentality if you build a bikeway, [pedestrians] might come. That’s no way to plan a project," said Potomac resident Ron Brigish. "We would like to see it done properly with adequate consultation, otherwise they’ll be moving the drains and electricity poles into our living rooms."

That's actually Phase III of the project....

Most people do seem to support it though.

Robert Gross, president of the Montgomery Square Citizen’s Association, says he represents 400 homes that have reached a general consensus favoring the continuous bikeway they view as a necessity for the road.
"Anything would be an improvement to Seven Locks," said Gross. "We’re in dire need of bike paths and sidewalks."

Addendum: There is a little more info here.

When it comes to cycling along Seven Locks Road, "I'd say the situation it sketchy," said Jack Cochrane, chair of Montgomery Bicycle Advocates, a group that supports the project. "There are pinch points where a road bicyclist has to move over into the traffic lanes."

Comments

[Mike]

Thanks for your posting.
There's so much progress happening here in DC. It amazes and excites me at the same time.
There are not enought bike and pedistrian paths!

[Drew]

I am glad to hear that the county is improving the bikeability and walkability of Seven Locks Road. However, the project addresses only the portion from Montrose Road to Bradley Boulevard, which is already relatively bike-friendly, in my opinion. The portion south of Bradley is bike-hostile and deserves attention in the future.

The northern section of Seven Locks is hospitable to biking, though not ideal. The shoulders are usually wide enough to provide a cushion from traffic. Sometimes parked cars narrow or eliminate this cushion, but this is only a problem between Montrose and Tuckerman Lane. Traction on the shoulder can be an issue due to the accumulated grit and the steepness of the slope.

Biking the southern portion of Seven Locks between Bradley and MacArthur, however, is a totally different story. There the shoulder is mostly nonexistent, and you are left with the unpalatable choice of sharing the main traffic lane with cars or taking the side path, which has dangers of its own, as it is narrow, frequently bumpy from tree roots and driveway transitions, occasionally obstructed by overgrown shrubbery, and shared with pedestrians. Plus the path is on only one side of the road for most of this stretch. Still, I consider it better than riding in the road with cars, especially when traffic is bad.