Building upon the county’s progress in passing its first-ever complete streets policy and bike master plan as well as moving forward with a pilot bikeshare program, the Bikeway poses the next step in prioritizing and accelerating a core network to bring Howard Countians together.
Click to view a conceptual map of the Bikeway
Bikeway By the Numbers
- The Bikeway = 50 total miles including 18.9 miles of existing facilities &
31.6 miles of planned/proposed facilities. - 56% of county residents live within 1 mile of the Bikeway.
- 56% of county schools are within 1 mile of the Bikeway.
- 55% of county parks are within 1 mile of the Bikeway.
- 4 MARC stations (Laurel, Savage, Jessup, Dorsey) are within 2.5 miles of the Bikeway.
- By spending $3 million for 3 years in bond funding, we can build the Bikeway.
At Open Streets, dozens of people expressed their support for the Bikeway on notecards posted on a board at one of the event activity areas.
The event and presentation followed a social media Thunderclap on Friday afternoon in which 114 people and organizations voiced their support for a more walkable and bikeable Howard County, reaching more than 130,000 people on Facebook and Twitter.
Taking place on Little Patuxent Parkway and the Downtown Columbia Trail, the Open Streets event featured several demonstrations of bicycle and pedestrian facilities for residents to experience roads that are reimagined to accommodate all kinds of travel, including walking and biking.
The event was part of the Foundation’s Open Streets Howard County initiative to promote active transportation and support measures that help everyone in the community travel safely, comfortably and conveniently whether by bike, public transit, car or on foot.
The vision for the Bikeway is to establish the groundwork for a countywide bike network that would bring Howard Countians together and allow all residents to walk or bike just as easily as they can drive a car.
More information and details about the Bikeway will be posted in coming weeks.
Watch the Facebook Live video of the opening ceremony and remarks by Howard County Council Chairman Calvin Ball, Columbia Association President and CEO Milton Matthews, Horizon Foundation President and CEO Nikki Highsmith Vernick, and Bicycling Advocates of Howard County President Chris Tsien:
This morning, the Horizon Foundation kicked off the second-ever Open Streets Howard County event with remarks by County…
Posted by The Horizon Foundation on Saturday, October 1, 2016
