Bike Lanes Are Planned For Edmondson Avenue
The county will hold a public hearing next week.
Photos
A long-proposed plan to extend bike lanes that end at the Baltimore city line on Edmondson Avenue into Catonsville is finally becoming a reality.
The Maryland Bikeways Program awarded grants for 2012, which included $15,000 for bike lanes to be installed on Edmondson Avenue. Currently, bike lanes from Baltimore city end at the county line. Bike lanes are not seen again on Edmondson Avenue until it reaches Catonsville Middle School.
The program also included $5,000 for signage and bike racks for the planned route between UMBC and the MARC train station in Halethorpe.
Baltimore County will hold a meeting next Wednesday at Christian Temple at 7 p.m.
Councilman Tom Quirk, who has pushed for more bike lanes in Catonsville, said Edmondson Avenue has been his No. 1 priority.
"I'm glad to see it close to happening," Quirk said. "We have a long way to go, but this is a very positive development."
In This article
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Catonsville Middle School
2301 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD -
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University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
1000 Hilltop Cir, Baltimore, MD -
Community Input Meeting on Edmondson Ave Bike Lanes
5820 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD -
Christian Temple
5820 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD
Meg Tipper
8:24 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
That's great news for us who like to cycle to the trolley trail and down to Ellicott City for a coffee (and treat--after all, we earned it!).
David Hutton
9:22 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
Would have loved it when I lived in Ten Hills, for my rides to Ellicott City and Patapsco Park. Anything that encourages cycling by making it safer is a good thing!
K Q Bankert
9:57 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
What does it mean for those who park on Edmondson? When your home faces the street and you park in front, are you restricted on parking there now?
Mari
10:12 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
I think the space next to the curb will be for parking, then a bike lane, then the motorized vehicle lane. Guess we'll find out for sure at the meeting, but I don't think it at all wise or feasible to remove that parking, even though I don't live on Edmondson.
This is really going to annoy those people who pass on the right hand side on Edmonson, especially in the Academy Heights area, because they don't like the person in front of them going the speed limit of 30 mph. Just an added bonus in my book!
Penny Riordan
10:23 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
K Q Bankert, I don't have the exact locations of where this will be on Edmondson yet, but segments of the lane will be 'multi-use' and a parking lane where parking is permitted along Edmondson. I know when I've talked about this lane to county officials, they said they didn't want to take away parking on Edmondson Avenue. After the meeting next week, I'll have a more detailed map that I'll post on the site.
Jeff Martens
10:11 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
This is excellent. I live in Academy Heights and one major drawback to the neighborhood is walkability. I walk frequently from Academy Heights to UMBC and downtown Catonsville and it would be nice to have a little space between the cars and the curb in sections w/o sidewalks.
Karen
10:11 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
I am in favor of bike lanes anywhere you can put them, so I don't have to put my life at risk on two lane roads where folks bike during rush hour...such as New Cut, Westchester and Oella. I don't know where the bike lanes are on these roads, but they must be there, somewhere... I have been behind a bike several times with about 6 cars behind me, or folks speeding up and having to cross the double line to pass a bike, entering my lane. And cyclists, please remember if there is a stop sign you need to stop too. And if there are two lanes of cars on Main Street, please stay in the lane and don't make your own lane. I think we should all be following the rules of the road.
Jeff
8:05 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
It would be amazing to bike from Catonsville to UMBC to BWI to Annapolis on safe lanes and trails. It is too unsafe to "Share the Road". Great work Tom.
Mark Lundin
10:51 am on Friday, June 8, 2012
I do not like to ride on the road either. I agree that there needs to be more dedicated trails. If I have to ride on the road, I take side roads. Here's a few of the segments that you mention that are fairly major road free.
Catonsville to UMBC: Cut through Spring Grove via Wade Ave. Exit to Valley Rd and cross Wilkens Ave to Walker Ave.
UMBC to BWI: There is no best option here. I've taken Poplar Ave, to Shelbourne Rd, to Sulpher Spring Rd, to Selford Rd and cut through Relay to the entrance of the Patapsco Valley State Park. I have not attempted to go to BWI however.
BWI to Annapolis: Take the BWI Trail and Baltimore and Annapolis (B&A) Trail. This is all road free except for crossings and a stretch at the end near Annapolis on Boulters Way, Ritchie Hwy, and Baltimore Annapolis Blvd over the Severn River. There is a signifcant shoulder marked as a bike lane, but I still don't like cars whizzing by at 60 MPH. I did this last weekend and it was great except for the last stretch.
Mark Lundin
11:03 am on Friday, June 8, 2012
Here's how Google Maps tell you to get from point to point on a bike. I'm posting both the short and regular link in case one or the other doesn't work.
http://goo.gl/maps/HzLA
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Catonsville,+MD&daddr=UMBC,+Hilltop+Circle,+Catonsville,+MD+to:Bwi+Trail,+Linthicum+Heights,+MD+to:Annapolis,+MD&hl=en&ll=39.212837,-76.645775&spn=0.179555,0.339203&sll=39.216561,-76.663284&sspn=0.179545,0.339203&geocode=FXM-VwId9Clt-ylNjA7JPRzIiTGNcyTcDrP1IQ%3BFeD_VgId3X1t-yE9QNuqTZsRBw%3BFZYnVgId7k9u-yn3N0Wju-K3iTFx6SNYP4V_SA%3BFY3DUgIdadJw-ynVL2dwZfa3iTFLJ6jT_VT4Qw&oq=BWI+Tr&dirflg=b&mra=ls&t=m&z=12&lci=bike
Maureen Sweeney Smith
12:12 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
Yeah!! Bike lanes!
Maureen Sweeney Smith
12:14 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
Don't forget that there is a bike ride to Fells Point tomorrow, Saturday June 9 at Atwater's, 815 Frederick Road. Register at 8 a.m. and leave promptly at 8:30 a.m.
Katie Hager
7:23 am on Saturday, June 9, 2012
Now if only Ingleside could also get bike lanes! Between Edmondson and the Gwynns Falls Trail! What an amazing ride historic Ellicott City trolley trail to Gwynn falls all with safe bike lanes rather than having to drive to trail head.
rc
2:06 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I live on Edmondson Ave and am very much in favor of the plan proposed to install sidewalks AND bike lanes along Edmondson Ave between 695 and Beaumont Rd. That area has many walkers and joggers as well as bikers. The county master plan states that this area is to have a sidewalk AND a bike line on both sides. This area is also listed in this plan as priority #1 of three urgency designations. I'm apprehensive about jumping the gun to paint lines on the road for bike lanes for the fear of losing priority for a full revamp of pedestrian safety in this location. My family ride and walk often and know that both are badly needed in this location. Put this grant money into the full project. Narrow the auto lanes slightly, slow the speed limit to 25mph (so people go 35mph instead of 50mph), and there will be room. I’d rather have the total project completed in 2 years rather than have bike lines in six months.