Separated bike lanes and walking and cycling trail will provide transportation alternatives within research park
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is announcing the Planning Board’s support of a substantially enhanced bicycle network and trail recommendations for the Life Sciences Center research district of the Great Seneca Science Corridor.
The Board expressed strong support for the Life Sciences Center Bicycle Network Proposal and approved an amendment to the 2010 Urban Design Guidelines for the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan. The amendment includes detailed design recommendations for the Life Sciences Center Loop Trail, a 2.5-mile walking and cycling path through the research park.
The Draft Life Sciences Center Bicycle Network Proposal will create a network of separated bike lanes and provide long-term bicycle parking stations in the Life Sciences Center. Separated bike lanes (or cycle tracks) create a low-stress environment for cyclists that can make bicycling a mainstream transportation option because they provide physical separation from both traffic and pedestrians.
A complementary project, called the Life Sciences Center Loop Trail, will provide an off-road shared use path for walking and bicycling to connect destinations within the Life Sciences Center area. At the Planning Board meeting on January 28, the Board approved the LSC Loop Trail Design Guidelines as an amendment to the 2010 Urban Design Guidelines for the Great Seneca Science Corridor.
These guidelines will assist developers who are required to implement the trail along the frontage of proposed buildings. They also will help in developing a Facility Plan for the trail, including engineering plans and cost estimates for construction, as recommended in the County Executive’s draft Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for FY17. This plan will allow funding for the LSC Loop Trail to be included in the six-year County Capital Improvements Program as required for the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan to advance to the next stage.
This Planning Board presentation follows a community meeting held on December 15, 2015 to discuss new transportation and recreational networks for people who walk and bike in the Life Sciences Center. View the video recap from the December 15 community meeting.
Bicycle Master Plan Background
The Life Sciences Center cycling lanes and trail are part of the Bicycle Master Plan to develop a low-stress bicycling network that encourages more people to ride a bike in Montgomery County. The Plan will evaluate an array of bikeway types, including separated, buffered bike lanes and bicycle boulevards, as well as how to provide secure bicycle storage facilities at transit stations. The network will be developed using an evaluation of the varying levels of stress imposed by traffic on cyclists along each roadway in the County.
Community meetings held in five locations throughout the County during September and October 2015 allowed participants to record comments on how the bicycle connections in the County could be improved. Those comments were recorded on a digital feedback map and will be taken into account as work continues on the new Bicycle Master Plan. View the feedback map.
Questions or Comments?
Contact: David Anspacher, Planner and Bicycle Master Plan Project Manager
Email: David.Anspacher@montgomeryplanning.org
Telephone: 301.495.2191
Contact: Steve Findley, Planner and LSCP Loop Project Manager
Email: Steve.Findley@montgomeryplanning.org
Telephone: 301.495.4727