Stay tuned for a possible future action alert. The mastered planed bike route on Rossville Blvd has been trashed by a recent widening project over I-95, in violation of state law.
From Baltimore County Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Plan:
Rossville Boulevard
From: Lillian Holt Drive To: Ridge Road
General Information
Existing BLOC*: B
Improvement Recommendation: Bike Lane by Striping
BLOC* with Improvement: A
Potential Funding Source: Capital Program
Time Frame: Short Range
Segment ID: 117
Length: 1.172miles
https://www.co.ba.md.us/Agencies/myneighborhood/mn_bikereadmore.html
oldId.20070830201603259
Barry,
Thanks for keeping me informed of your correspondance regarding this matter.
Unfortunately, unless they’ve (SHA?) designated other areas for improvement, the portion of Rossville Blvd you’re referring to is after the bridge heading northwest.
What is good to point out is that they’ve done some improvement in this area, seemingly more for the sake of the new housing going up in the area between Lillian Holt & Ridge Rd. None of it seems to consider cyclists. The road surface is new from Ridge Rd to Lillian Holt, but they (SHA?) gave motor vehicles two travel lanes. They had plenty of room for a shoulder, but instead, there is no shoulder. It seems someone has decided that NONE of Rossville Blvd or Putty Hill into Towson will have a shoulder, leaving cyclists on the 40 MPH road surface from Essex to Towson. Personally, this doesn’t bother me so much, but it WILL NOT attract new bike commuters. In fact, the area across the bridge hasn’t been as flush with uncaring motor vehiclists as I’ve imagined, but you’ll find new/less experienced bike commuters on the sidewalk.
A change of subject–Route 40 bike lane. I’ve pretty much given up on the SHA maintaining the bicycle lane and I’ve decided that I will no longer travel on it. It used to be one of my favorite routes, until the lack of maintenance (mainly cleanliness) caused it to be a haven for flat tires. It’s a shame. It’s the best corridor for cyclists to go north and east. I used it during my bike trip from Essex to Ocean City, MD and back during the July 4th weekend.
Thanks again.
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iodaniell