LETTERS: Bicycle access should be part of every county road improvement
With the proposed formation of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the County Council and Councilman David Marks have prioritized alternative modes of transportation within Towson and throughout Baltimore County.
The County Council is on the right path to making our communities more livable, family-friendly and sustainable through increasing opportunities for outdoor exercise, improving air quality and decreasing traffic congestion and enabling commuters and recreational cyclists better access on roadways.
Current construction projects could allow for improvements in bicycle and pedestrian access, by implementing bicycle and pedestrian pathways as a part of these projects.
For example, Towsontown Boulevard and Osler Drive are undergoing a widening project that will benefit the increased travel to growing Towson University.
Many students drive to the campus and park, then navigate their way either by walking, biking or bus.
More students would like to have the opportunity to bike to and within the Towson community, but are faced with limited accessibility to bike paths, and dangerous roadways.
Towson could demonstrate its commitment and be proactive by designing and implementing "greener" pathways during this growth phase.
When I was a seventh-grader at Dumbarton Middle School in 1971, my social studies teacher, Mr. Frye, cycled to work daily via Towsontown Boulevard and Osler Drive, and related the hazards of commuting by bicycle.
Today, I find myself cycling these same routes, hopping on and off the road to avoid dangerous traffic conditions on my way to work at the Towson Center.
Ann G. Greenbaum, visiting instructor, Department of Kinesiology, Towson University
Towson