From the Archives: Bike Plans during the late 1970's bike boom

A 1976 Washington Post article on the state of bike trails at the time ("New network of bike trails may not find easy rolling", The Washington Post, 22 April 1976, Paul Hodge), and on future plans, shows both how far we've come - Alexandria had one bike trail, less than a mile long -  and where we've missed opportunities - one new trail would "go from Georgetown to Glen Echo on the old D.C. Transit Cabin John Trolley line."

The article notes that while the region and nation are in the middle of a bicycle boom, with sales setting records in 1975 and 1976 sales 40% higher than in 1975, local funding for bicycle facilities was cut in both years due to budget shortages. 

The article gave NPS credit for the local biking boom by paving the horse trails in Rock Creek Park, leading the effort to build the first section of the Mt. Vernon Trail and closing roads in Rock Creek Park and GW Parkway on the weekends. 

The State in 1976

The article claims 120 miles of bike trail built since 1973 (map in 1972 here) at a cost of $2 million, but I'm not sure what they're counting as trails or where that number comes from. The most popular trails in the region were the C&O canal towpath, the "Washington to Mount Vernon Trail" and the "Rock Creek Park Trail". Still the network was disjointed and Fairfax trail planner William Wilkinson said they were mostly used by kids and local commuters. 

Also the region was getting jazzed up about the 6,000 bicyclists expected for the Bikecentenial, a cross-country bike ride to celebrate the Bicentennial. The longest bike trails by county were the 7 mile MacArthur Bike Trail and 5.7 mile River Road Trail in Montgomery County; the 4 mile Northeast Branch Park Trail and 2.7 mile Bowie bike path in PG County; the Arlington Boulevard and Four Mile Run trails, both 4 miles long, in Arlington; the gravel trail around Burke Lake in Fairfax and Alexandria had the 1 mile trail mentioned above. 

The District had built no trails of its own, but had built ramps to connect to NPS trails. They had just finished a bike plan and planned to spend $660,000 on trail construction over the next two years.  Other jurisdictions were planning to spend less. Fairfax, Virginia and Maryland planned to spend nothing.

The 1973 federal highway bill had required states to "consider" bicycle trails in all secondary road projects. That forceful language resulted in a meager $2.8 million in spending on trails over the prior two years. The 1976 act allowed states to spend $2.5 million per year on bike trails with a $45 million national maximum. We've come a long way. 

Lots of cities in the area were competing for a demonstration bikeway program, available only for urban areas, that would pay for 80% of bike trails. Arlington was seen as having the best chance with a $1 million plan to connect the Pentagon, around the Cemetery and Roosevelt Island. 

Plans

In addition to the Glen Echo trolley trail the article highlights something they were calling the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. 

The trolley trail is still just a vision, and a diminished one at that. DC is currently performing a feasibility study on the section in its borders, but Montgomery County recently dropped the section in Maryland from it's plans. 

The W&OD trail has been built, but not as imagined. In the 1976 article it was envisioned as going all the way to Bluemont, VA and connecting to the C&O Canal towpath for a 140 mile loop trail with "hostels, picnicking and camping along the way." [Youth Hostels were one of the primary advocates for bicycle trails through the 1970's]. Alas the trail never made it to Bluemont, and I don't know if it ever will - certainly not on the right-of-way. 

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

I am baffled by the section of Greenbelt Rd labeled as a "major bicycle route" on that map. Looks like approximately the section along Beltway Plaza mall.

[Brett Young]

"Montgomery County recently dropped the section in Maryland from it's plans. "

BUt I think they did keep the connect from CCT to Brookmont in their plans, correct?

Cause if Montgomery County gets that done, then using the rest of the trail to Glen Echo becomes more feasible.
Not that I'm holding my breath. That trestle bridge in front of the sycamore store needs to be fixed now....and there's no movement to save that bridge. Living in DC, it's tough to advocate for a bridge when I don't live in that state and there's a bike path next to Macarthur Blvd.