Do you like irony? Then here's one for you:
An 18.8-mile bike path that's proposed to run alongside a toll road in the Washington DC suburbs is in danger of being blocked because it could damage environmentally sensitive parkland.
Never mind that the $2.4 billion, six-lane toll road follows the same route. In fact, the bike trail was originally proposed as an ecological offset for environmental damage caused by the new road between Gaithersburg and Laurel.
Eric Gilliland, executive director of the Washington Area Bicycle Association, told the Washington Post:
“We really don't understand the rationale behind dropping a bike trail for environmental issues when they're already running a big highway through there.”
Those whose job it is to protect parks in Maryland say the 10-foot-wide bicycle path would cause additional bad effects to the sensitive parkland. They're suggesting that instead of laying more concrete in the parks, the bike route could be detoured onto local streets and sidewalks, like those along New Hampshire Avenue.
According to the Post:
Bike advocates say riding on a separated parklike trail is far safer than navigating parked cars and driveways on streets. A continuous, off-road path along the connector route, they say, would provide a vital east-west link in the region's trail network that would enable people to ride or jog safely between Gaithersburg, Rockville, Clarksburg, Silver Spring and Laurel.
The issue is currently before the Montgomery County Planning Board, which will make a recommendation in a few weeks to the County Council. Let's hope that planning board members can see the big picture and allow the bike path.
Thanks for the heads up from theboy
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