Sidewalks maintenance responsibility: Sidewalks alongside state highways in Southern MD are in poor repair. The State Highway Administration (SHA) requires sidewalk repairs to be the responsibility of the local jurisdiction or county. We understand that projects have been canceled because counties refuse to assume future cost liability of maintaining new sidewalks. This responsibility needs to shift to SHA since these sidewalks are all on State property.
E-bike use on shared use trails: For the safety of other trail users, e-bikes that do not require pedaling should not be permitted on any dedicated bicycle/pedestrian facility such as a protected bike lane, side trail or other multi-use trail.
Demonstration/rapid prototype projects: Establishing dedicated facilities for walking and bicycling is a lengthy and costly process. We recommend that Maryland encourage rapid prototyping of bicycle and walking facilities such as protected bike lanes and trails. These can be developed rapidly and at low cost, yet can readily be removed if they prove to not perform as intended. If they do work, the labor and expense of making the changes permanent can come later.
Share the road: Any road segment requiring a “share the road” sign is unsafe for bicycling (and likely getting little bicyclist use), and should be a priority for upgrade.
Sacrifice of shoulder for passing and turn lanes: To improve vehicular traffic flow at new private developments or at intersections, SHA routinely re-marks highway pavement to create turn lanes while eliminating road shoulders. As a result, bicyclists and people on foot must then “share the road” or try to transit the road segment outside the highway corridor. This policy has made it so that highways that were formerly suitable for bicycle use are now totally unusable. This approach needs to stop and such intersections should be priority projects for bicycle accessibility restoration.
Right on red: Pedestrian crossing lights are useless when drivers sail through an intersection to take a right turn against a red light. In addition, on some state highway intersections there are turn lanes with yield signs where they join the crossing road, making it difficult and dangerous for a pedestrian to reach the island where a cross light applies. The turn lanes need lights to stop traffic for people on foot and the right on red should either be delayed by a traffic signal so people can actually cross there with some level of safety– or right on red should be banned.
Project planning to consider connectivity: Too often, infrastructure projects are developed without considering the needs of bikers and pedestrians. Such a failure is evident on the Route 5 project north of Leonardtown in St. Mary’s County. The highway is being upgraded with turn lanes, shoulders, and sidewalks, but the shoulders and sidewalks stop several hundred yards short of an intersection. While there is a bridge to cross at MacIntosh Run, the narrow walkable raised platform that is non-optimal. Creating connections between road segments that are currently bikeable and walkable will greatly expand active transportation opportunities and should be a priority.
Add side paths and multi-use trails: On a rural stretch of two-lane highway, wide shoulders afford a fairly reasonable level of safety for bicycle riders – as long as the shoulders remain after highway upgrades are made. Along multi-lane highways or in congested areas shoulder use is in competition with motor vehicles and is very unsafe – if you bike along these areas your risk of being hit is high. Protected side paths or multi-use trails should be a high priority in these areas.
Bike lanes: Unprotected bike lanes beside high-speed, multi-lane highways are a waste of taxpayer money – no one with a wish to live will use them (and that is why very few people do). Instead of installing narrow sidewalks and/or narrow bike lanes on such highways, make the sidewalk wider to allow mixed pedestrian/bicycle use or protect the bike lane with prefabricated curb stops and flexposts.