There are many better ways to spend $16k.

And that turn lane has been misused since it was painted.

Why not eliminate the crazy road divider on Edmondson??. The sign is always being knocked down and then replaced. Can't imagine how much money has been spent on the repairs!!

Mary, thanks for commenting. Are you talking about the small island at Rosewood and Edmondson? That was brought up last night, but I think that is referred to a 'traffic calming' mechanism by the county, since there is a crosswalk there. It does look pretty battered though, that's for sure. I looked closely at it as I drove by this morning.

I think keeping the turning lane and removing the parking lanes would be safer. Without the turning lane, cars will venture into the bike lanes to go around vehicles waiting to turn. Parked cars also block the view of kids crossing the road.

Jeff, I think removing the parking on Edmondson would be unfair to the homeowners who bought their residences with the understanding that they would have on-street parking as well as whatever is available to them for off-street parking. This would be an especially big deal to the Academy Heights residents.

I'd be happy if they just got rid of all the steel plates that have started springing up around Catonsville. Did someone get a special deal on these things and feel they have to use them???

One more thing - signs advising the drivers on Edmondson (and South Rolling between 40 and Crosby for that matter) that it's a one lane road in each direction would be great. If there's not a line marking the road as two lanes in one direction, then it's one lane, no matter how wide it is! Geesh, some people need to go back to driver's ed and learn this.

I agree with Mari's last note. Drivers sometimes assume Edmondson is a four lane road. What we need is a white line designating one-lane on each side which would create a wide "shoulder" for bikes and parked cars. I too think that removing the turn lanes will push traffic into the shoulder/parking/bike lanes. Edmondson Ave will become a nightmare in the mornings with traffic stacked up behind a turning vehicle.

Kristen, while I don't know the exact dimensions, county planners and residents talked last night that by taking away the center turn lane and adding parking and bike lanes would narrow the road, which would likely slow traffic. I agree with you about the fact that Edmondson appears to be a four-lane road. I'm working on getting a digital copy of the maps from the county, which I will post on the site once I get the file sent to me.

I heard from county planner Kathy Schlabach this morning and if anyone wants to send direct feedback to the county on this project, you can email her at kschlabach@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Thanks!

I would like to address a few questions from the above discussion (2 parts)
1) Bikes lanes(2 stripes) will make Edmondson an "obvious" single lane road. If the county puts a single stripe(parking/bike shared lane) then cars will continue to use it as a 4 lane hgwy.
2) Removal of center turn lanes will reduce speeds, this has been shown in many public works studies.
3)Traffic jams may occur BUT cars may legally cross over the bike lane to go around a turning vehicle HOWEVER MUST yield to cyclists. Thus backups will not happen any more than they happen now. Plus major intersections will still have turn lanes(Beltway for instance)

Part 2
4) Removal of parking along Edmondson Ave....only in my dreams. This has been happening in major cities(Chicago, NY, LA, Seattle, Baltimore city) with excellent results but alas we live in Baltimore county. In fact some of the cities(NY and Chicago ) have closed some streets to cars completely, again with excellent results.
5) Cost: This may sound like a lot of money. Many of the other local counties and cities have been going after lots of federal and state grants for bike and pedestrian travel. PG, AA, Mont, Annapolis, Balto city have been seeking Md Bikeway grants of 300,00-1,000,000. Balto Co. is way behind in this area.

The big picture is get people out of their cars and onto their bikes or feet for local travel to stores, schools etc. Making traffic jams/ parking issues a non-issue.
FWIW: I am a long time bike commuter and local bike ride leader for CRTT
Thanks, Charlie Murphy

If the center turn lane is removed by royal farms it will only make it that much harder to exit that awful parking lot. I'm all for the bike lanes if it doesn't cause more traffic..and if people actually use them.

I agree with Charlie (^above^). We need to get people active by walking and biking again. Sure go get some ice cream at Opie's...just ride a bike to get there. Plus the speed limit on edmonson is 30 (which I can't seem to maintain without getting passed by a car in the center lane). I'm sure most people would rather see thinner lanes and bike traffic to speed cameras, chicanes, and raised crosswalks.

There was some discussion at the meeting last night about what the speed limit on Edmondson Avenue was and many people emphatically said 35 mph. But as I drove down the street today and looked carefully at the speed limit signs and saw 30! You're right Nick, that's a speed that so few people actually drive on the road.

Just what we need ... more bikers that don't know they are supposed to follow the same road rules as motor vehicles.

I agree that removing the center turn lanes could be dangerous. My father was killed on a road with no turn lanes because someone was impatient and couldn't wait for a turning vehicle. We all know there are plenty of aggressive drivers out there. Hopefully a solution can be found that will keep everyone safe. That should be the priority not money and convenience.

Widening roads, center turn lanes etc....are highly overrated in most cases. More space gives speeders and reckless drivers more confidence to test their limits. Of course the real sadness with Edmondson is the disruption of "Continuity of Community". The most consistent compliment I get from non-Catonsville residents is how walkable our community is. This "walkability" is not just a function of sidewalks...it is also a function of perception of continuity. When I go for walks...I cross Rolling Road fairly regularly although it is a busy road. I rarely cross Edmondson....it is like it is some other world over on the other side of that big wide road. Transforming the extra space into bike lanes will in essence shrink the width....it will slow traffic a bit but the reckless drivers will have no place to go. As far as people who live there and need to turn....turn lanes are not to your advantage....all they do is encourage more traffic in front of you homes....at HIGH SPEEDS!!!

@ Mari: It does cost us but at least it keeps the money local and helps get rid of our oil dependence. According to the 2008 Foreign Trade Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau, United States annual oil debt has reached $386 billion, which is greater than our $266 billion debt with China. One in five barrels of oil imported into the U.S. comes from countries that the State Department considers to be hostile to the U.S., and “dangerous and unstable”, therefore directly transferring large amounts of funds to these hostile regimes. The statistics come from the Truman Project, check them out for yourself.

I am so happy to hear that we will get bike lanes on Edmonson. There is lots of evidence for the health, economic and social benefits of bicycling. Not to mention its fun! I love it that Baltimore County is advancing infrastructure for cyclists. We are making progress and at the same time there is lots more we can do.

I live on Edmondson Ave and agree that a continuous turn lane creates a false impression that it is ok to blow past turning traffic at 50 miles an hour. Part of reverting Edmondson Ave back to a calm residential artery and not "Alt Rt. 40" will require removing the turning lane at all areas except at the traffic lights and junction at 695. My hope is that this will also retain room for badly needed sidewalks along Edmondson Ave. As stated in the approved 2020 Master Plan this area is highest priority for both sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides. We need both these improvements. Although we need improvments as soon as possible I do not want to see the quickly applied bike lanes end or prolong any chance at getting the needed pedestrian safety. Fed and State govs TAX us anyway lets get some of it back to the local level and implement the whole plan.