Bicycle advocates have started their latest push for protected bike lanes along a busy Bethesda street.
The Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) will host a community walk along Arlington Road on Sunday, part of its effort to get Montgomery County to install on-road improvements for bicyclists.
WABA and other local bicycle advocates have long argued that adding bike lanes to the four-lane road would serve as a key connector of the northern and southern sections of downtown Bethesda, as well as the Bethesda Trolley and Capital Crescent Trails.
Montgomery County Department of Transportation officials said last year they studied marked bicycle lanes on each side of Arlington Road, but determined converting the four-lane road into one lane each way with a center-turn lane for vehicles would result in too much traffic congestion.
MCDOT officials told Council members they were looking at building a two-way buffered cycle track along Woodmont Avenue instead.
WABA feels otherwise:
Arlington Road has history of safety issues for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. Many pedestrians have been struck by drivers including a mother with a baby stroller in a crosswalk. Walking to Bethesda Elementary School is unsafe. Drivers weave frequently between lanes due to the lack of left turn lanes, and this increases the risk of crashes. The nearby Capital Crescent Trail and the Bethesda Trolley Trail are two of the busiest bicycle routes in the County. Although only two miles apart, all potential on-road connections between the trails are congested and risky for cyclists and pedestrians. Capital Crescent Trail is heavily used by cyclists, pedestrians, dog walkers and families. Multi-use is great, but also it increases risk for conflicts and injury.
The group is asking for a protected bicycle lane — sometimes known as a cycle track — that would go both ways on the west side of the road.
Vehicles would travel in one lane in each direction with the center turn lane.
“Arlington Road defines a transition border between urban and more suburban density in Bethesda,” WABA argued. “It’s current design acts as a barrier for people walking and biking, and still fails people driving due to lack of dedicated center turn lanes.”
It also pointed out that there is “no dedicated bike link” from NIH to downtown Bethesda and suggested a protected bike lane along Arlington Road would help boost Capital Bikeshare ridership.
The “Arlington Community Walk” is set for 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Sunday, starting at the Bethesda Swimming Pool (6300 Little Falls Parkway).
Image via WABA
