Debate Heats Up Over Bradley Boulevard Bike Path

Is the Bradley Boulevard Improvements Project a true project for the Bradley Boulevard community? If built, new paths would improve pedestrian and bicycle safety in the area, but does the project have support from the community in which it is planned and will it actually serve the people who live there? Those sticking points remain as the debate heats up on a project as it moves along in the facility planning process.

A public workshop on the latest proposed designs was held Wednesday night at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School. Montgomery County Department of Transportation staff laid out various maps showing three design alternatives. All of the options involve placing a sidewalk or path of some sort on the north side of Bradley Boulevard between Wilson Lane and Goldsboro Road. It's perhaps this point that has so many area residents upset, though the land in question is technically owned by the state.

Alternative one calls for a sidewalk on the north side of Bradley Boulevard. Alternative two calls for a sidewalk on both sides of Bradley Boulevard. Alternative three calls for an eight-foot shared use path on the north side and a sidewalk on the south side. All of the options call for bikeable shoulders along Bradley Boulevard.

Those who oppose the project would like to point to another alternative -- the "no construction" alternative -- but they face an uphill battle.

Further compounding the issue, opponents say, is that the initiative started in 2003 as a simple petition request for a sidewalk. It has since morphed into a sidewalk and/or bike path and/or road-widening project complete with new drainage and environmentally friendly features. That has some people asking why such grand plans are necessary.

MCDOT says the project complies with two separate county master plans that call for pedestrian and bike-friendly transportation designs.

That's little solace to those who remain opposed. "These grand plans are overblown," said Jim Audas, who lives along Bradley Boulevard. "Active cyclists drive on the road, so a sidewalk is an over-improvement," he said. "Who is pushing for this project? Who is paying for these professional services with all these pretty posters and graphs?" he asked. Audas said he believed taxpayer dollars could be spent in wiser fashion.

On another side of the debate are cycling and pedestrian safety advocates. "These projects benefit the larger community," said Jack Cochrane with Montgomery Bicycle Advocates. "It increases transportation options. On the pedestrian side, every artillery road should have a sidewalk, so it makes sense to do that as well," he said. Cochrane also shared the sentiment among county staffers that adding such features makes neighborhoods more attractive. In other words, they tend to increase property values, not to mention adding quality of life and safety to the mix.

Safety for both bicyclists and drivers is part of the reason why the county has come up with options that call for widening Bradley Boulevard. The busy roadway has seen its fair share of accidents. According to the county, there were 62 vehicle crashes along that stretch of Bradley Boulevard between 2003 and 2007. One option essentially widens the shoulder of the road, giving bicyclists plenty of room to ride, and less of a chance drivers will get into an accident for having to swerve into oncoming traffic. It should be noted, however, that according to the county, there were just three bicycle related accidents on that stretch of Bradley Boulevard between 2003 and 2007. Still, bicyclists do use Bradley Boulevard often, and would not complain if there were a wider shoulder to ride on.

As for the meeting itself on Wednesday, there were times when things got a little heated between residents and some of the MCDOT staffers. Some wanted a more formal question-and-answer session with the county and were quite disappointed when they learned staffers had something more informal in mind. Project manager Pat Shepherd said they wanted residents to instead focus on tables showing the individual alternatives and how the options would impact residents depending on where they lived. "The idea was to show the community the modifications that we've made to the plans and sections that we presented a year ago," she said. "The intent is for them to be able to have a one-on-one consultation with us so that we can address any concerns they have based on where they are located along the stretch of Boulevard," said Shepherd. After an introduction that got a little out-of-hand, things did calm down.

The public comment period on the Bradley Boulevard Improvements Project is sure to draw opinions from advocates of both sides. Residents now have one month to submit comments to MCDOT. After evaluating the comments, staff will come up with a recommendation to move forward. It will be presented to the planning board, then to the Montgomery County Council for approval to be included in the Capital Improvements Program, which could happen as early as next spring.