Bicyclists get say on planning paths
State seeks suggestions for connecting existing routes
By MOLLY MURRAY
Sussex Bureau reporter
02/08/2004
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2004/02/08bicyclistsgetsa.html
The great divide for bicyclists in Delaware may be the Chesapeake & Delaware
Canal.
There isn't a bridge across the waterway that a bicyclist can safely use,
said Don Carbaugh, chairman of the Delaware Bicycle Council.
And that isn't the only gap in the network of bike routes in the state.
Del. 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth can be dangerous for bicyclists because
the shoulder is used in the summer as a bus lane. On Del. 9 between New
Castle and Delaware City, there is "a half-mile stretch where the nice, wide
shoulder disappears and then reappears," Carbaugh said.
State transportation officials hope to better identify such gaps this week
during three workshops. Their goal is to develop a statewide master plan
that can be used to connect existing bike routes. The meetings begin Monday
in New Castle County.
"We're trying to identify the routes that people would like to bicycle on,"
said Michelle Robinson, the transportation program manager who is working on
the bicycle master plan.
State officials have already come up with 10 priority corridors, such as a
route between the Pennsylvania line and the Maryland-Delaware line at
Fenwick Island and routes that could connect the east and west sides of the
state, she said.
"We want to come up with 10 or 12 that people think are the most important,
but then add connectors and feeders," she said. "What you really start to
see is a grid."
The plan is not to build stand-alone bike trails along the corridors.
Instead, the state wants to plan improvements to enhance biking as roads are
upgraded and repaired, she said.
The workshop format will be informal, with maps that show possible bike
corridor routes, she said. People who attend will be asked to fill out a
questionnaire and use markers to show route preferences on a map.
Mario Nappa, president of the White Clay Bicycle Club, said there are
several needs, including a good connector between the eastern and western
sides of New Castle County.
There are bike routes for recreational riders, but for commuting cyclists it
can be difficult, Nappa said.
"You really can't go easily from Pike Creek to Wilmington without taking
your life in your hands," he said.
Nappa commutes from Pike Creek to the DuPont Experimental Station on most
days.
"If you can find a shoulder, that's great," he said.
Another major concern is the lack of a safe crossing over the canal, he
said.
"The state is pretty much split in two" for bikers, he said,
The club lost a biker in an accident on the Reedy Point Bridge several years
ago, and there have been near-misses on the Summit Bridge, he said.
Club members say a safe crossing is a priority and will ask that the old St.
Georges Bridge be reduced to three lanes for vehicle traffic, with the
remaining lane devoted to cyclists, Nappa said.
Another connection needed is between suburban subdivisions, Nappa said. If
developments were connected, more families would be able to go out for a
bike ride and go beyond their own development, he said.
Amy Wilburn of Wilmington said the state tries to upgrade bike and
pedestrian ways as roads are improved. The next step should be to develop
hubs and connectors for bikers and provide continuity in the bike routes,
she said.
She said a safe crossing point over the Brandywine also is difficult to
find. Curbing installed to slow down cars and other vehicles in places such
as Harmony Road also can be an obstacle for bikers.
She had one general piece of advice: "Please don't eliminate the shoulders."
Reach Molly Murray at 856-7372 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WORKSHOP
WHAT: Delaware Bicycle Facility Master Plan workshops
PURPOSE: To develop a statewide plan to connect existing bike routes
SCHEDULE: Workshops are scheduled in all three counties this week at:
• Stanton Middle School Cafeteria, 1800 Limestone Road, Stanton, on Monday
• Dover High School Cafeteria (rear entrance), 1 Pat Lynn Drive, Dover, on
Tuesday
• DelDOT Administration Building, South District Conference Room, Du Pont
Highway, Georgetown, on Wednesday
WHEN: All workshops are from 4 to 7 p.m.
http://www.bikemap.com
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