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Metropolitan DC Local Politics
New bike lane on Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda
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Anonymous
You're asking why roads in areas with high population densities should accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as motorists. 
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Anonymous
Please enlighten us as to what mode of transportation would replace automobiles? It certainly isn't the bicycle. Bikes don't work for people who have disabilities that prevent them from riding a bike (especially the elderly), moms of numerous children who must take them to activities, people going to the grocery store, people with long commutes, etc. Bikes are unsafe compared to automobiles as you only have the helmet on your head to protect you in the event of an accident -- and accidents will be inevitable regardless of whether you have bike lanes. You will never see our society move to bikes...never. |
Anonymous
There is no way to stop someone intent on jumping into traffic from doing so. The reason last time was that the sidewalk was not well maintained. The excuse next time will be that the bike lane is not well maintained. The answer should be to slow down and be safe. That is what cars are expected to do in risky situations but apparently to you the same should not apply to bicycles. |
Anonymous
State highways, just like interstate highways by their very nature are unsafe for bicycles. The county should be providing these accommodations on appropriate streets that are more safe. |
Anonymous
This exactly. |
Anonymous
You very obviously are not from the neighborhood. The issue with those sidewalks is that there was zero buffer between the sidewalk and the car traffic—no shoulder, no grass strip, nothing. That’s why those boys died when their bikes tipped due to obstructions on the sidewalk. (Because there was no gap the sidewalks also had driveway aprons which made them extra unsafe and likely contributed to the first death.). The bike lane was not the only solution but it was one solution. It is wide enough that is someone’s bike tips, they will not be in traffic. Also, it is flat so less likely to lead to a bike tipping. And the trees won’t overgrown it and create a dangerous invisible obstruction, which is what caused the second death. I’ve actually almost been knocked into the road as a pedestrian on that sidewalk because a branch without leaves is invisible at night—walking into it, it knocked me over, nearly into the path of oncoming cars. Those were literally the most unsafe sidewalks I’ve ever seen, for pedestrians or bike riders. I think the other solution was just to take a lane from OGR to create a buffer and a safe sidewalk (they did something similar along NIH taking some lane from NIH to do so). |
Anonymous
As opposed to residential streets, which are where we live, where our kids play, et cetera. They NEED to be safe. 25 mile per hour speed limits are needed. Traffic calming is needed. Safe intersections are needed. Bicyclists and pedestrians should and must very much be able to be able to coexist with vehicles. The problem is that we have far too many commuters, who view the residential neighborhoods of DC as fly-through areas, they want to barrel through at 45mph, they want to run stop signs and red lights, pass people when it is unsafe to do so, and create an overall hostile, aggressive and dangerous environment. |
Anonymous
All in the name of shaving 5 minutes off of their commute time. :/ |
Anonymous
Great idea. We can start with Randolph Road/East Randolph Road and Shady Grove Road, which are both county roads. Meanwhile the state should slap a 50 mph speed limit on Bradley Lane and widen it to 6 lanes, because after all it's a state highway. |
Anonymous
You know what a lot of disabled and elderly people can't do? Drive. Children, also, can't drive. You're advocating for a transportation system that prioritizes driving, for a society where a large fraction of people don't and/or can't drive. |
Anonymous
Bottom line, bikes should never have been on that road to begin with. Poor judgment. Tragic. Let’s educate parents to guide their children appropriately. Not build ridiculous bike lanes that cause more accidents. |
Anonymous
The problem is that the way that development has taken place in this area, there is no such thing as a 'residential street' that is off limits to commuter traffic. I know that comes as a surprise to people who thought they could have a suburban lifestyle in a semi-urban are, but it's true. (Except in the incorporated parts of CCMD where they've managed to wall off cross-traffic with restrictions and one way streets.) Note the houses on OGR and on many other streets that are designated as state roads: people live there, kids play there too. I live on one that was bucolic until NIH expansion. We want to be able to pull out of our driveways without being killed, we want our kids to be able to walk to school (in my case, only 2 blocks away) without risking their lives. So it's not unreasonable to try to improve on the speedway conditions that have evolved on some streets. But there are better ways to slow traffic and ensure pedestrian/bike safety than what's been done on OGR. And major arteries - like OGR and Conn Ave - need special care to ensure that reasonable safety measures don't have unintended consequences. Because like it or not, for the foreseeable future, cars remain an indispensable part of the transportation network in this area and that isn't changing any time soon. |
Anonymous
We have to keep prioritizing cars because cars are indispensable because we have to keep prioritizing cars because... |
Anonymous
The nanny, the bus stops, the construction worker, and the construction trench should also never have been on that road to begin with. I also don't know why there are churches, preschools, schools, museums, a Y, shopping centers, or an aquatic center on Old Georgetown Road. Or intersections with streets where people live. It's a highway. It should look like 270, or they're doing it wrong. |
Anonymous
Nobody answered my earlier question about how families with young children and disabled elderly get around without cars. I’m waiting. |