BIKEWAYS PROJECT

PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT

The Department of Transportation Services and Facilities Planning is excited to announce that we will be kicking off a one-year feasibility study and preliminary design process to thoughtfully integrate separated bike paths/lanes on major campus corridors.  This study and design will assess existing and future conditions of high-use roadways and serve as an instrumental roadmap for constructing bikeways for cyclists and micro-mobility users of all ages and abilities. 

The study segments for this scope include:

• The northwest - southeast connection on Mowatt Lane between Campus Drive Circle and Knox Rd.
• The north-south connection between Presidential Drive and the Campus Drive/Mowatt Lane Circle
• The north-south connection along Paint Branch Drive between University Boulevard and Campus Drive
• The east-west connection via the existing shared use path between Paint Branch Trail and Stadium Drive

If deemed to be feasible, the university will move forward with the design and construction phase of the project.

These enhancements are expected to create safer and more comfortable bicycling conditions, facilitate safer crossings at intersections, reduce conflicts between bikes, e-scooters, motor vehicles, and pedestrians, and increase connectivity to campus by micromobility vehicles over the next 3-5 years.

This project is funded by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Kim Lampier Bikeways Funding Program with matched funding from the University of Maryland.

CAMPUS BIKEWAYS FEASIBILITY STUDY - APRIL 2024

APPENDIX - CAMPUS BIKEWAYS FEASIBILITY STUDY - APRIL 2024

UMD CAMPUS BIKE WAYS STUDY SEGMENTS

PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE

Our campus and region are increasingly multimodal and re-designing our streets is one way we can prepare for the current and future needs of our community. Our market sees over 800 Veo trips taken per day and many more personally owned bicycles, electric scooters, and skateboards. Bike lanes are a proven safety countermeasure to reduce serious injuries. By creating a more friendly environment for human-scaled mobility, we can improve safe travel experiences in our community, reduce stress, and promote greener and healthier ways of getting around.

Given the road width constraints on our campus, adding separated bike paths is not a simple matter of painting 5’ lines on our campus streets, and will involve degrees of construction. This project will allow the campus to deliberately evaluate and plan for traffic and construction impacts and costs and adopt federal and state guidance and best practices.  

PROJECT GOALS & ASSESSMENT FACTORS

• Increase safety and reduce/eliminate conflict between modes
• Greatest number of bicyclists/e-scooters and road users served
• Evaluate Cost and environmental impact
• Understand traffic circulation impacts (shuttle, bus, motorist, pedestrian activity, parking, and flow)
• Connection to planned or existing bikeways (ie. Purple Line campus bike lane, Baltimore Ave bike lanes, etc.)
• Connection to broader transportation network including transit hubs, bicycle parking, trails, and cycle tracks.

PROJECT PHASES

• Phase 1: Kick Off
• Phase 2: Feasibility Study & Technical Review
• Phase 3: 30% Design Plan & Review
• Phase 4: Project Close Out & Next Steps (Final Design + Implementation)

Thanks to all who participated in this process. Your engagement and support is incredibly valuable to the success of this effort!

CAMPUS BIKEWAYS PROJECT PRESENTATION (PDF presentation)

You can direct questions about the project to umdbikeways@umd.edu and follow @dots_umd on social media for communications updates on this project.