Actually, Montgomery County is extending hours on trails, but doing so makes it easier to bike commute on trails without breaking the law.
Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) will issue updated M-NCPPC Park Rules and Regulations effective July 1, 2017. The Rules and Regulations, which were last updated in March 2001, have been revised to better reflect today’s use of the parks, facilities, and amenities.
The comprehensive update to the Rules and Regulations includes numerous changes. Some of the more substantial changes include, but are not limited to:
- Permission to bicycle on paved trails for extended hours (5:00 a.m. – midnight) (but you have to use a light if it is dark)
- Permission to bicycle on all official paved and natural surface trails, unless otherwise posted
Under the previous rules the default hours for trails were sunrise to sunset. Now, as before, "An Administrative Directive may provide alternate hours of operation for a Park Property or Facility, including alternate hours deemed appropriate for any trail or trail segments that facilitate bicycle and pedestrian commuting."
In addition
- It has a separate definition for an electric bicycle
- Removes the specific call-out to obey the helmet law
- Removes the default 20mph speed limit
- Replaces the requirement to yield at all intersections with requirements to obey signs and yield when required by state law
Interesting, the express exclusion (unless permitted) of electric bicycles.
Do these regs include the CCT or is that separately administered?
Posted by: John | June 21, 2017 at 01:42 PM
I believe they do up to the DC line, though am not an authority on the subject. Not that there is any enforcement.
Posted by: Crickey | June 21, 2017 at 02:33 PM
No, there isn't, but heretofore it was hard to identify a definitive statement that they were not permitted.
Separately I confess that I'm sort of getting used to them. At least I don't do the crazy-man shouting at them that I used to.
Posted by: John | June 21, 2017 at 03:35 PM