After recent fatalities, safety a concern for Anne Arundel bicyclists - Local News - Capital Gazette Communications

[sszi...@gmail.com]

http://m.capitalgazette.com/news/local/after-recent-fatalities-safety-a-concern-for-anne-arundel-bicyclists/article_61712743-c2a2-5640-a168-0a471fab71e1.html?mode=jqm&_dc=945761928567.6628


These are all good things, but there are two problems I never hear being addressed about Anne Arundel and Annapolis:

1. There's no good way to get there from the DC Metropolitan area. No rail trail like the W&OD. Not even an indirect rail trail, which has remained half finished for years. No updates on its progress are ever available. This disconnects the area from its larger, more populated, surroundings. Even the Baltimore Annapolis trail does not really go to Baltimore. What's with all the half-finished infrastructure?

2. There's no way to get over the Bay bridge to the eastern shore. Recent drastic raises in bridge tolls go not to maintaining or paying for the bridge itself, but to other vehicle projects in Maryland. Why hasn't this been addressed? A limousine service that charges $35 each way and requires 24 hours scheduling notice is a crappy solution. I'll likely never use it.

If you bring the Annapolis area into discussions with the surrounding Metro area, the mere increase in ridership will help stimulate improvements.

Sent from my iPhone

[Leslie Tierstein]

Thanks for prompting the memories re: Getting across the Bay Bridge:

>> 2. There's no way to get over the Bay bridge to the eastern shore. Recent
drastic raises in bridge tolls go not to maintaining
>> or paying for the bridge itself, but to other vehicle projects in
Maryland. Why hasn't this been addressed? A limousine service
>> that charges $35 each way and requires 24 hours scheduling notice is a
crappy solution. I'll likely never use it.

Many years ago, the Bridge Authority actually ran a free shuttle service
over the bridge. (We're talking about the time I took a bicycle tour from
Philadelphia to DC via the Eastern Shore for my sister's graduation from law
school, so A LONG time ago.) You called them and they picked you up at the
bridge plaza. I think it was free. So, what's the opposite of progress?
Regression?

More recently, going east to west, I had some luck in calling a taxi, based
in Queenstown. They could pick me up in the outlet mall (where 50 splits
from 301). It was slightly less than $35. In principle, 24-hour advance
notice is not required, but since there is not a lot of demand for taxis on
the Eastern shore, it is definitely recommended.

I have put myself, and my folding bike, on an Annapolis commuter bus, (the
922 run by Dillon's -- http://www.dillonbus.com/ ) which runs from DC out
to Kent Island via Annapolis. Unfortunately (1) the bus doesn't run on
weekends and (2) last time I looked, it didn't have any bike racks attached
to the front of it to accommodate non-folding bikes.

Leslie

-----Original Message-----
From: peda...@googlegroups.com [mailto:peda...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf
Of sszi...@gmail.com
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2013 4:01 PM
To: peda...@googlegroups.com; dcr...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [pedalers] After recent fatalities, safety a concern for Anne
Arundel bicyclists - Local News - Capital Gazette Communications

http://m.capitalgazette.com/news/local/after-recent-fatalities-safety-a-conc
ern-for-anne-arundel-bicyclists/article_61712743-c2a2-5640-a168-0a471fab71e1

.html?mode=jqm&_dc=945761928567.6628


These are all good things, but there are two problems I never hear being
addressed about Anne Arundel and Annapolis:

1. There's no good way to get there from the DC Metropolitan area. No rail
trail like the W&OD. Not even an indirect rail trail, which has remained
half finished for years. No updates on its progress are ever available. This
disconnects the area from its larger, more populated, surroundings. Even the
Baltimore Annapolis trail does not really go to Baltimore. What's with all
the half-finished infrastructure?

2. There's no way to get over the Bay bridge to the eastern shore. Recent
drastic raises in bridge tolls go not to maintaining or paying for the
bridge itself, but to other vehicle projects in Maryland. Why hasn't this
been addressed? A limousine service that charges $35 each way and requires
24 hours scheduling notice is a crappy solution. I'll likely never use it.

If you bring the Annapolis area into discussions with the surrounding Metro
area, the mere increase in ridership will help stimulate improvements.

Sent from my iPhone

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[Harold Goldstein]

At 03:00 PM 10/21/2013, Leslie Tierstein wrote:

So, what's the opposite of progress?

exact opposite is congress.

                                                              harold ...
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[Stephen Szibler]

I wonder if there's a bus to Kent like the ones that go to the Davidsonville Park and Ride which can accommodate a bike safely in the cargo hold.

I remember hearing about the free shuttle of the olden days. Even a ferry would work, but the distance is so much further than the local water taxis.

A neighbor recently used the $35 deal, but he also said that route 50 was pretty scary to ride on. I'd chance it, I guess, but am more likely to if I don't have to pay a couple of hours of wages from my part time jobs just to go one way.

I've gotten across the Nice Bridge on a weekend by heading south when the traffic is jammed up and holding up a couple of dollars to pay toll (they took me across in a pick up for free). I've also gotten across heading north by just riding. Once I believe I made it with no hassle. And two or three times I was stopped by the state police and given a ride (I wouldn't want to test this though after recently getting a $130 fine for riding on the GW Parkway near Mt. Vernon). Once I think I tried to hitch hike north and they didn't like that and gave me a ride.

I'm pretty happy that they finally gave us a way to get across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge even though it has some very bad seams and the yellow lines wore away in a few months.

[Bruce Johnson]

Regarding the Nice Bridge, it may be interesting to know that the replacement design will include bicycle/pedestrian facilities. Unfortunately, the letter announcing this a year ago said that while they'd arrived at a design, they didn't have any money to actually build it, and none was on the horizon. (It kind of makes me wonder why they bothered doing the study.)

http://www.mdta.maryland.gov/Nicebridge/nice_index.html

[Jim Quinn (quinnje.1)]

There was money in the “study” budget.

 

Unfortunately governmental study budgets don’t’ start with

item 1 – determine if there is or will be money for construction.  If not STOP!

[Allen Muchnick]

That was then.  The 2013 Maryland General Assembly passed a big increase in the state gasoline tax, so now there's a new stream of state highway funding.  What a difference a year makes.

Allen

On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 1:47 PM, Bruce Johnson <waterfo...@gmail.com> wrote:

Regarding the Nice Bridge, it may be interesting to know that the replacement design will include bicycle/pedestrian facilities. Unfortunately, the letter announcing this a year ago said that while they'd arrived at a design, they didn't have any money to actually build it, and none was on the horizon. (It kind of makes me wonder why they bothered doing the study.)

http://www.mdta.maryland.gov/Nicebridge/nice_index.html

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[Allen Muchnick]

The yellow hazard markings on the Wilson Bridge path would likely be repainted if someone asks!

Allen

[sszi...@gmail.com]

I've commented on this need on some Wilson page and anywhere I could find. If someone knows who will actually respond that would be great, but I've tried to get responses with no success. I get the impression that it's no one's responsibility. 

Anyone know?

Sent from my iPhone

[brinl...@comcast.net]

Call them.

---

From: sszi...@gmail.com
To: "Allen Muchnick" <allen...@gmail.com>
Cc: "Leslie Tierstein" <ltier...@gmail.com>, peda...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 4:19:02 PM
Subject: Re: [pedalers] After recent fatalities, safety a concern for Anne Arundel bicyclists - Local News - Capital Gazette Communications

[Stephen Szibler]

Call who?

[Jonathan Krall]

I've commented on this need on some Wilson page and anywhere I could find. If someone knows who will actually respond that would be great, but I've tried to get responses with no success. I get the impression that it's no one's responsibility. 

 

Anyone know?

Hi Stephen,

Briefly, MD Parks and Planning (MNCPP) does maintenance, such a plowing in the winter (please thank them when they plow), and the State Highway Administration (MSHA) does construction and repairs (please ask them to fix those property-damaging expansion joints).

I got this info earlier this year from Laura Connelly of MNCPP:

"The Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) does all the care and maintenance on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge portion of the Trail.  The M-NCPPC is responsible for policing, mowing grass, aesthetic maintenance and plowing the deckover. But this effort on our part stops at the north plaza as you enter onto the bridge leaving MD.  (Right where the brass plaques are located as you leave the little eyebrow shaped plaza after coming down the north ramp.)

"Additionally, MNCPPC has an agreement with MSHA for long term structural maintenance on the Deckover areas.  While the Agreement does not carry over to the bridge at this time, the MSHA monitors the bridge and the trail for potential structural related concerns."

Here is contact info:

MD State Highway Admin
Shirlene Cleveland <SClev...@sha.state.md.us>

MD Parks and Planning
Laura Connelly <Laura.C...@pgparks.com>

Best Regards,

Jonathan Krall