Alert: Tell Anne Arundel: Trails are transportation

Anne Arundel County wants to spend $6 million to connect two segments of the WB&A rail trail, following a circuitous and hilly route with an 800-foot bridge over floodplain wetlands. If they simply followed the old railroad bed, the route would be shorter, flatter, cost half as much, and built more quickly. The Parks and Recreation Department says it prefers the expensive and slow route because “No one has ever suggested that this trail will be used for transportation.” If that is true, we need to fix that now.

The Department is asking for comment on its 5-year plan. If you live or work in Anne Arundel (or ride on its trails) please tell the Department that the WB&A trail will be used for transportation.

1. Go to http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/publicmeetings.cfm
2. Scroll to the form almost at the bottom.
3. on line 4 select Western Planning area
4. Fill out the rest of the form. If you work in Anne Arundel but live elsewhere, provide the Anne Arundel phone number. In the comments (using your words if possible), write something like:

Please extend the WB&A trail across the Patuxent River to Bowie with the shortest route and as few hills as possible. I use my bicycle for transportation. An extra mile on a bike is like an extra 5 miles for a car. An extra hill can be as annoying to a cyclist as a traffic jam is to a driver. Please build a straight trail on or near the old railbed, rather than a hilly detour.

5. If you do not live or work in Anne Arundel, we suggest that your comments mention the places where you spend money when you visit Anne Arundel parks.
6. If you want us to keep you informed, please send a copy of your comments to info@BaltimoreSpokes.org.