TheWashCycle

Maryland Bikeways funding bill passes house, heads to the Senate

This year, Sen. James Rosapepe (Dist. 21) and Del. Brooke Lierman (Dist. 46) introduced a bill (SB 787/HB 1281) that will increase funding for the Maryland Bikeways Program by $4 million, helping to transform and connect Maryland by funding local bike projects.

As is, the program can’t even fund 8 percent of currently proposed projects.

HB 1281 just passed in the House by a 101-33 vote and is now heading to the Senate. The bill as proposed would have funded the program at $3.8M in 2020 and then escalated to $7.7M by 2025; but unfortunately the bill as amended will keep it at $3.8M per year every year. That's still an improvement over 2019 when the program gave out ~$2M. And the law will also codify the program, which I think has been something the governor was doing on his own up until now and which a governor could choose to stop doing, but now can't (If I'm understanding it correctly).

In 2019, about $500,000 came to the DC area in the form of 3 grants.

• $80,000 to Anne Arundel County for design of the BWI to Odenton Connector. Money will pay for a Feasibility Study for improving a bicycle and pedestrian connection between the WB&A Trail/Odenton Town Center and the BWI Trail.
• $300,000 to Montgomery Count for design of the Emory Lane and Muncaster Mill Road Shared Use Path. Money will pay for Final Design of a half mile long, 10-foot wide shared use path along Emory Lane between Holly Ridge Road and Muncaster Mill Road (MD 115), and along Muncaster Mill Road between Emory Lane and Rock Creek Park. 
• $112,000 to Prince George's Count for design of the Rhode Island Avenue Protected Bike Lane. Money will pay for Final Design of protected bicycle lanes along Rhode Island Ave between Muskogee Street and Greenbelt Road (MD 193). (not $120,000)

Money will also go to Phase 7 of the Three Notch Trail in St. Mary's County and to the Upper Chesapeake Rail Trail in Caroline and Queen Anne's Counties. 

Maryland releases list of 2019 federal grants including bikeshare in PGC

Maryland recently released their annual list of TAP, Recreational Trails Programs and Bikeways grants, and there's much of interest to the DC area as we'd expect. Funded projects in the area include:

• Expand Prince George's County bike share network to implement a portion of Phase 2 and 3B. (See them on the image above)
• Complete preliminary design (35%) for a five foot wide concrete sidewalk and a separated bike lane over approximately 2,700 feet along the north side of Forest Glen Road from Woodland Drive to Sligo Creek Parkway in Silver Spring.
• Final Design of protected bicycle lanes along Rhode Island Ave between Muskogee Street and Greenbelt Road (MD 193).
• Complete a feasibility study for a 1.2-mile shared use path along Scott Drive and Veirs Drive, between Wootton Parkway and Glen Mill Road.
• Feasibility Study for improving a bicycle and pedestrian connection between the WB&A Trail/Odenton Town Center and the BWI Trail.
• Final Design of a half mile long, 10-foot wide shared use path along Emory Lane between Holly Ridge Road and Muncaster Mill Road (MD 115), and along Muncaster Mill Road between Emory Lane and Rock Creek Park.
• Northwest Branch Trail reroute - This project will provide significant trail renovations to severely eroded, damaged, and inoperable trails by constructing new sections of natural surface trail to improve user safety, their ability to explore, and so the user can enjoy the
  natural areas and park facilities. 

Farther away

• Complete design for the 0.8 mile Middle Branch segment located along Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, connecting the Gwynns Fall's Trail to the Inner Harbor Promenade.
• Repair and rehabilitate 10 miles of C&O Canal towpath surface from Nolans Ferry (Towpath Mile 44) to Brunswick (Towpath Mile 54). This project will remove hazards, provide a more durable trail surface, and improve safety.
• Construct Phase 7 of Three Notch Trail alongside Three Notch Road (MD 325) between California MD and Hollywood Road (MD 245).
• Lighting the Borden Tunnel on the Great Allegheny Passage.  Ten LED lighting fixtures will be installed on the tunnel ceiling and a ground pedestal mounted solar array with maintenance free battery system will be placed on the south side of the tunnel.

Meeting about WB&A Trail Extension next week

Things are starting to come together for the WB&A Trail. Late last year it was announced that Maryland has granted $4.7 million towards a long-awaited bridge across the Patuxent, finally linking the Anne Arundel section of the trail with the Prince George's section and creating a single trail from Lanham to Odenton.

Now, Prince George’s Park & Planning wants to discuss extending the trail south along MLK highway (built on the same railroad right-of-way as the trail) possibly as far as Seat Pleasant and Washington, DC. They're hosting a meeting on this on April 10th, from 7-9pm at the Woodmore Town Centre Community Room

As WABA wrote:

This is Martin Luther King Jr. Ave (MD 704) in central Prince George’s County. As you can see, it is not a good place for a bike ride to school or walk to the nearby park— but with your help, it could be.

Prince George’s County is taking the first step to extend the WB&A (Washington Baltimore & Annapolis) Trail to DC along MD 704 to complete a 6+ mile missing spoke in the region’s trail network. \

This would be a great addition, especially if it had sensible connections to the Marvin Gaye and the Central Avenue Connector Trails.

Beyond that, the trail could be further extended and improved. Anne Arundel could finish the South Shore Trail to connect it to Annapolis and the WB&A trail could be extended north to and along WB&A Road all the way to the BWI Trail. Then that would really be an amazing trail. 

Speaking of Anne Arundel Trails, they're planning to start construction of Phase II of the Broadneck Trail this spring. 

Opening day for the newest section of Jones Falls Trail

Though the latest section of Baltimore's Jones Falls Trail opened in the fall, the dedication ceremony didn't happen until late March in hopes of better weather. 

Saturday morning's event was billed not only as a celebration of the latest section of the 10-mile Jones Falls Trail, but also as an "opening day" to mark springtime and the best weather for bike riding on trails in Baltimore and beyond.

The new section of trail runs between Cylburn Arboretum and the Woodberry neighborhood and cost $3.1 million. 

The newer portion of the trail has unique assets, he said, including views of the Jones Falls and historic mill valley buildings, as well as access to Druid Hill Park and its often-overlooked Grove of Remembrance honoring World War I veterans.

With the newest extension complete, the Jones Falls Trail now runs from Cylburn off Northern Parkway south to the Inner Harbor. Much of the trail consists of dedicated paths away from roadways, though some southern portions are along roads.

The next section will connect from Cylburn north to the Mount Washington light rail stop. That leg will cost $6.6 million, and will tap city, state and federal funds. That section will include a trail bridge over Northern Parkway and two 40-foot-long timber bridges over streams and wetlands.

Boosters hope the Jones Falls Trail can eventually connect with theTorrey C. Brown Trail — also known as the Northern Central Railroad Trail — in Baltimore County, which runs to the Pennsylvania state line.

On the southern side of town, there are hopes of connecting the city's trails with the BWI Trail and the Baltimore-Annapolis Trail in Anne Arundel County.

MTA now allows full-sized bikes on weekend MARC trains

Last month, the Maryland Transit Administration began allowing full-sized bikes on  select weekend MARC trains. At the time the Sun reported 

The agency's new "bike car" — capable of accommodating 16 full-sized bikes — will only be available on certain weekend Penn Line trains. Riders will notice a "bike symbol" next to those trains on MARC schedules moving forward, the MTA is expected to announce Friday.

The new bike car is a refurbished single-level car that was taken out of regular service as the system has introduced newer multi-level commuter cars.

Foldable or collapsible bikes are allowed already on weekday MARC trains on the Penn, Camden and Brunswick lines. Riders will not have to pay any additional fees to bring their bikes aboard the new car.

Depending on customer demand for the new bike car, the MTA said a second car may be added next year, also to weekend Penn Line trains.

The addition of the bike car falls short of the service expansion for bicyclists that some advocates have called on the MTA to provide for years, including on weekday trains to facilitate easier commutes between stations and riders' places of work and residences.

The addition of the bike car comes about a year after the MARC weekend service was first introduced. The MTA said ridership on weekends has grown steadily, from about 4,000 riders its first weekend in December 2013 to about 6,000 riders last weekend.

This means people in DC can take their bikes to Baltimore (or places in between) on the weekends - and vice-versa making for a great way to spend the day in either city.

It also means that the BWI/B&A Trail (both reachable from BWI station), WB&A Trail (Seabrook, Bowie State or Odenton stations), the Gwynn Falls Trail (West Baltimore station)  and the Jones Falls Trail (Penn Station) can now be easily accessed without a car, which opens up a variety of options for weekend rides. [And the Metr Branch trail at DC Union Station for those from outside DC] Though it looks like some last mile work for many of these stations could better integrate the bike trail system and the Penn line.

Until gaps are closed on the East Coast Greenway, the Penn line could even work as a workable alternative.