Planning Department’s Bicycle Planning Guidance Provides New Tools for Promoting Bicycling
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will be briefed on the Montgomery County Bicycle Planning Guidance report by transportation planners on Thursday, Sept 4. The document was produced for the Planning Department as part of a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (WCOG) Transportation / Land Use Connections (TLC) grant program.
View the Bicycle Planning Guidance Planning Board agenda item for Sept. 4.
Bicycling in the metropolitan Washington region has changed substantially over the past few years. Changing attitudes toward bicycling, the introduction of bikeshare programs, and new facilities such as cycle tracks and buffered bike lanes that provide bicyclists with greater protection from traffic have led to a growth in bicycling in many communities. Bicycle planning has also changed significantly, with recent research guiding planners and communities to better understand what creates a bikeable network and how different types of bicycle facilities can expand that network.
By developing the Bicycle Planning Guidance document, Montgomery County planners seek to position the County among national leaders in bicycle planning. The tools that are presented will assist planners in identifying how much stress different road conditions create for bicyclists and what types of facilities are needed to reduce that stress and encourage bicycling among the general population. It also provides tools for identifying bicycle facilities that are most appropriate under different traffic speed and traffic volume conditions.
Planning Department staff envisions using the Bicycle Planning Guidance to assist in both the master planning process and facility planning review. It will help planners evaluate network connectivity and identify projects that are likely to have the most benefit in increasing bicycling in Montgomery County.
For questions or comments about the bicycle planning guidance, contact:
David Anspacher, Functional Planning and Policy
david.anspacher@montgomeryplanning.org
301-495-2191