New bike lane on Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is not what District 16 delegate Marc Korman said on a community meeting last week. He stated that the traffic estimates are significantly worse than what was estimated for the project. Anecdotal, but I have personally sat in traffic backed up from Pike and Rose to the beltway twice, and many times have had to sit through multiple traffic light cycles at Tuckerman.

How many of the 100 riders today were from the neighborhood, and will a) have to sit in the parking lot that is now Old Georgetown Road when they drive anywhere and b) use those bike lanes on a regular basis?

The project isn't even done yet. Do you think it might be sensible to wait to evaluate the project until after the project is done?

How many of the people complaining about Old Georgetown Road are "from the neighborhood"? Your problem isn't with the bike lanes, it's with everybody who is not from the neighborhood who is driving on Old Georgetown Road. Which, by the way, MIGHT possibly be a "parking lot" for about 30 minutes in the afternoon on weekdays, but otherwise, nope. Meanwhile, all of your neighbors who walk and bike on Old Georgetown Road are so much safer that I don't even have words for it.

It does not matter what you or anyone else thinks. If you bothered to read a single thing about this topic before posting you would know that SHA will be conducting a study.

“Shantee Felix, a spokesperson for SHA, wrote in an email on Friday that a post-installation study of the improvements to Old Georgetown Road is underway, and officials hope it will be completed by the summer.”
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2023/01/08/100-plus-cyclists-use-old-georgetown-road-bike-lanes-to-rally-support-for-changes/

Of course they will be conduct a study. Nobody is disputing this. If it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, why are you even posting on this thread?

I am having such a hard time following you that I have to assume that you are either a troll or a child.

You asked a specific question: “Do you think it might be sensible to wait to evaluate the project until after the project is done?” Why did you asking this question if you now understand and agree that a study is currently underway?

Do you even know who Marc Korman is?

I am sorry that the bike lanes, which have not yet been fully installed, apparently bother you so much.

Thank you for at least answering one question, you are a troll. It is a shame that someone would troll a thread to undermine discussion on such an important topic in our community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is not what District 16 delegate Marc Korman said on a community meeting last week. He stated that the traffic estimates are significantly worse than what was estimated for the project. Anecdotal, but I have personally sat in traffic backed up from Pike and Rose to the beltway twice, and many times have had to sit through multiple traffic light cycles at Tuckerman.

How many of the 100 riders today were from the neighborhood, and will a) have to sit in the parking lot that is now Old Georgetown Road when they drive anywhere and b) use those bike lanes on a regular basis?

But what does the data from traffic reports say?

And another question? Are the traffic lights synced? Because I heard people complain a lack of synced traffic lights also cause problems.

Anecdotal: My mom drove her car to the dentist on OGR in the morning last Tues and said the roads were good.

This debate is really easy to solve. We don't need politicians or 6000 petition signers telling us if these bike lanes are really causing backups.
Everyone needs to watch Google Maps and collect data. Monday through Friday 24 hours a day and find out what is the worst traffic backup during that time period.
Even at its worst, it is probably 1/2 hr on each of those days.

And like someone else mentioned, is the lack of synced traffic lights the real problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much emblematic if everyone at the WABA ride today. Not sure why people who don’t reside or pay taxes in the state of Maryland think the Maryland State Highway Administration should listen to them about anything.

It was nice of him to stop by for his first and only ride in the OGR bike lanes. Pretty weak showing given that they got people from all over the area.

+100. Put these on YOUR OWN streets folks in the pic!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much emblematic if everyone at the WABA ride today. Not sure why people who don’t reside or pay taxes in the state of Maryland think the Maryland State Highway Administration should listen to them about anything.

It was nice of him to stop by for his first and only ride in the OGR bike lanes. Pretty weak showing given that they got people from all over the area.

+100. Put these on YOUR OWN streets folks in the pic!

Connecticut Avenue in DC actually is getting bike lanes.

I would love for there to be bike lanes like this on my street, too. I'm a Montgomery County resident. I'm going to be using the Old Georgetown bike lanes for medical appointments and visits to family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much emblematic if everyone at the WABA ride today. Not sure why people who don’t reside or pay taxes in the state of Maryland think the Maryland State Highway Administration should listen to them about anything.

It was nice of him to stop by for his first and only ride in the OGR bike lanes. Pretty weak showing given that they got people from all over the area.

+100. Put these on YOUR OWN streets folks in the pic!

Connecticut Avenue in DC actually is getting bike lanes.

I would love for there to be bike lanes like this on my street, too. I'm a Montgomery County resident. I'm going to be using the Old Georgetown bike lanes for medical appointments and visits to family.

Congratulations on being one of the 5 people who will use them.

They attracted a measly 100 people which will be the largest number of cyclists ever for those lanes and 95% of them came from outside the area. These bike lanes are 22 ft wide. The Capital Crescent Trail is 10 ft wide and gets 3x that number of a bad day going both directions without the need for rallying the troops. I hope that you enjoy this waste of public resources while it lasts. Because it won’t last long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much emblematic if everyone at the WABA ride today. Not sure why people who don’t reside or pay taxes in the state of Maryland think the Maryland State Highway Administration should listen to them about anything.

It was nice of him to stop by for his first and only ride in the OGR bike lanes. Pretty weak showing given that they got people from all over the area.

+100. Put these on YOUR OWN streets folks in the pic!

Connecticut Avenue in DC actually is getting bike lanes.

I would love for there to be bike lanes like this on my street, too. I'm a Montgomery County resident. I'm going to be using the Old Georgetown bike lanes for medical appointments and visits to family.

Congratulations on being one of the 5 people who will use them.

They attracted a measly 100 people which will be the largest number of cyclists ever for those lanes and 95% of them came from outside the area. These bike lanes are 22 ft wide. The Capital Crescent Trail is 10 ft wide and gets 3x that number of a bad day going both directions without the need for rallying the troops. I hope that you enjoy this waste of public resources while it lasts. Because it won’t last long.

The bike lanes are not 22 feet wide. I don't know where you got that idea from.

The ride yesterday was great. I'd had my doubts about the bike lanes, but they're much better than I had expected. I will definitely feel comfortable riding in them from now on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much emblematic if everyone at the WABA ride today. Not sure why people who don’t reside or pay taxes in the state of Maryland think the Maryland State Highway Administration should listen to them about anything.

It was nice of him to stop by for his first and only ride in the OGR bike lanes. Pretty weak showing given that they got people from all over the area.

+100. Put these on YOUR OWN streets folks in the pic!

Connecticut Avenue in DC actually is getting bike lanes.

I would love for there to be bike lanes like this on my street, too. I'm a Montgomery County resident. I'm going to be using the Old Georgetown bike lanes for medical appointments and visits to family.

Congratulations on being one of the 5 people who will use them.

They attracted a measly 100 people which will be the largest number of cyclists ever for those lanes and 95% of them came from outside the area. These bike lanes are 22 ft wide. The Capital Crescent Trail is 10 ft wide and gets 3x that number of a bad day going both directions without the need for rallying the troops. I hope that you enjoy this waste of public resources while it lasts. Because it won’t last long.

The bike lanes are not 22 feet wide. I don't know where you got that idea from.

The ride yesterday was great. I'd had my doubts about the bike lanes, but they're much better than I had expected. I will definitely feel comfortable riding in them from now on.

You are not well informed. The road has two bike lanes going each direction, each 11 ft wide. That is a total of 22 ft for both directions of travel. The CCT has at total of 10 ft width for two directions of travel and is the most used path/lane for cyclists in the region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much emblematic if everyone at the WABA ride today. Not sure why people who don’t reside or pay taxes in the state of Maryland think the Maryland State Highway Administration should listen to them about anything.

It was nice of him to stop by for his first and only ride in the OGR bike lanes. Pretty weak showing given that they got people from all over the area.

+100. Put these on YOUR OWN streets folks in the pic!

Connecticut Avenue in DC actually is getting bike lanes.

I would love for there to be bike lanes like this on my street, too. I'm a Montgomery County resident. I'm going to be using the Old Georgetown bike lanes for medical appointments and visits to family.

Congratulations on being one of the 5 people who will use them.

They attracted a measly 100 people which will be the largest number of cyclists ever for those lanes and 95% of them came from outside the area. These bike lanes are 22 ft wide. The Capital Crescent Trail is 10 ft wide and gets 3x that number of a bad day going both directions without the need for rallying the troops. I hope that you enjoy this waste of public resources while it lasts. Because it won’t last long.

The bike lanes are not 22 feet wide. I don't know where you got that idea from.

The ride yesterday was great. I'd had my doubts about the bike lanes, but they're much better than I had expected. I will definitely feel comfortable riding in them from now on.

You are not well informed. The road has two bike lanes going each direction, each 11 ft wide. That is a total of 22 ft for both directions of travel. The CCT has at total of 10 ft width for two directions of travel and is the most used path/lane for cyclists in the region.

Oh, 22 feet TOTAL. Yes, probably. The road is absurdly wide, that's how it's possible to have four lanes for cars and still have space for the spatially-separated bike lanes. Even without any bike lanes, you'd still need to have at least 6 feet of separation on both sides between the sidewalks and the cars. I think a lot more people are going to be walking on Old Georgetown now that the sidewalks aren't rightupnextto cars and trucks zooming by at 50 mph.

The CCT is nowhere near wide enough for the usage it gets, plus the bicyclists and pedestrians on the CCT don't need the spatial separation to protect them from cars and trucks going by.

[Anonymous]

I will say, also, that it's nice to be able to ride two people next to each other in the bike lanes and walk two people next to each other on the sidewalks that are now separated from traffic, just like people can ride two people next to each other in cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will say, also, that it's nice to be able to ride two people next to each other in the bike lanes and walk two people next to each other on the sidewalks that are now separated from traffic, just like people can ride two people next to each other in cars.

Thanks for confirming that the buffer is not so essential for safety after all since you gladly ride in it without concern for your safety. I think we know what is going to be the first thing to go. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is not what District 16 delegate Marc Korman said on a community meeting last week. He stated that the traffic estimates are significantly worse than what was estimated for the project. Anecdotal, but I have personally sat in traffic backed up from Pike and Rose to the beltway twice, and many times have had to sit through multiple traffic light cycles at Tuckerman.

How many of the 100 riders today were from the neighborhood, and will a) have to sit in the parking lot that is now Old Georgetown Road when they drive anywhere and b) use those bike lanes on a regular basis?

But what does the data from traffic reports say?

And another question? Are the traffic lights synced? Because I heard people complain a lack of synced traffic lights also cause problems.

Anecdotal: My mom drove her car to the dentist on OGR in the morning last Tues and said the roads were good.

This debate is really easy to solve. We don't need politicians or 6000 petition signers telling us if these bike lanes are really causing backups.
Everyone needs to watch Google Maps and collect data. Monday through Friday 24 hours a day and find out what is the worst traffic backup during that time period.
Even at its worst, it is probably 1/2 hr on each of those days.

And like someone else mentioned, is the lack of synced traffic lights the real problem?

synced traffic lights are a myth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is not what District 16 delegate Marc Korman said on a community meeting last week. He stated that the traffic estimates are significantly worse than what was estimated for the project. Anecdotal, but I have personally sat in traffic backed up from Pike and Rose to the beltway twice, and many times have had to sit through multiple traffic light cycles at Tuckerman.

How many of the 100 riders today were from the neighborhood, and will a) have to sit in the parking lot that is now Old Georgetown Road when they drive anywhere and b) use those bike lanes on a regular basis?

But what does the data from traffic reports say?

And another question? Are the traffic lights synced? Because I heard people complain a lack of synced traffic lights also cause problems.

Anecdotal: My mom drove her car to the dentist on OGR in the morning last Tues and said the roads were good.

This debate is really easy to solve. We don't need politicians or 6000 petition signers telling us if these bike lanes are really causing backups.
Everyone needs to watch Google Maps and collect data. Monday through Friday 24 hours a day and find out what is the worst traffic backup during that time period.
Even at its worst, it is probably 1/2 hr on each of those days.

And like someone else mentioned, is the lack of synced traffic lights the real problem?

synced traffic lights are a myth.

Wouldn’t synced traffic lights allowing cars to go faster be contrary to the premise of “traffic calming” through a road diet.

Is the suggestion by the cyclists that that road diet is to blame? Thats awesome because it means that common ground has been found and there is a ready solution available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say, also, that it's nice to be able to ride two people next to each other in the bike lanes and walk two people next to each other on the sidewalks that are now separated from traffic, just like people can ride two people next to each other in cars.

Thanks for confirming that the buffer is not so essential for safety after all since you gladly ride in it without concern for your safety. I think we know what is going to be the first thing to go. Thanks!

What are you talking about? There was still buffer, even with two people riding next to each other. The cars were not speeding by, which was great. I am very concerned about my own safety, for understandable reasons, and it was perfectly safe. If it had been trucks going by at 60 mph, it would have been different, but it wasn't. You might give the bike lanes a try yourself some time, if only so that you can criticize them with better, first-hand information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say, also, that it's nice to be able to ride two people next to each other in the bike lanes and walk two people next to each other on the sidewalks that are now separated from traffic, just like people can ride two people next to each other in cars.

Thanks for confirming that the buffer is not so essential for safety after all since you gladly ride in it without concern for your safety. I think we know what is going to be the first thing to go. Thanks!

What are you talking about? There was still buffer, even with two people riding next to each other. The cars were not speeding by, which was great. I am very concerned about my own safety, for understandable reasons, and it was perfectly safe. If it had been trucks going by at 60 mph, it would have been different, but it wasn't. You might give the bike lanes a try yourself some time, if only so that you can criticize them with better, first-hand information.

Okay great. So the buffer still isn’t needed because there is enough room for the luxury of two people to ride side by side without it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is not what District 16 delegate Marc Korman said on a community meeting last week. He stated that the traffic estimates are significantly worse than what was estimated for the project. Anecdotal, but I have personally sat in traffic backed up from Pike and Rose to the beltway twice, and many times have had to sit through multiple traffic light cycles at Tuckerman.

How many of the 100 riders today were from the neighborhood, and will a) have to sit in the parking lot that is now Old Georgetown Road when they drive anywhere and b) use those bike lanes on a regular basis?

But what does the data from traffic reports say?

And another question? Are the traffic lights synced? Because I heard people complain a lack of synced traffic lights also cause problems.

Anecdotal: My mom drove her car to the dentist on OGR in the morning last Tues and said the roads were good.

This debate is really easy to solve. We don't need politicians or 6000 petition signers telling us if these bike lanes are really causing backups.
Everyone needs to watch Google Maps and collect data. Monday through Friday 24 hours a day and find out what is the worst traffic backup during that time period.
Even at its worst, it is probably 1/2 hr on each of those days.

And like someone else mentioned, is the lack of synced traffic lights the real problem?

synced traffic lights are a myth.

They're not a myth. However, you can only optimize one thing, so if you sync up the signals on Old Georgetown Road, you will add to the delay for drivers on the streets that intersect Old Georgetown Road.