Wouldn’t it be great to air a public service announcement saying why cyclists don’t stay right all the time?  After all, this blog can’t reach everyone.  How’s this?

[Sound of driving]
MAN: Hey, there’s a bicyclist.  Why is he riding so far to the left?  Shouldn’t he move over?
WOMAN: Not if he wants to be safe.  There are a lot of cars parked along the street.  Cyclists should always stay well away from parked cars because a driver might suddenly open his door.
MAN: Even if there’s a bike lane?
WOMAN: You bet.  A cyclist might also leave the bike lane to avoid leaves or potholes or to get ready to turn left.
MAN: I get it.  Look, there’s another bicyclist up ahead.  There’s no parking but he’s in the middle of my lane.
WOMAN: That’s because the lane is too narrow for cars to pass him in the same lane.  But some drivers will try anyway and it’s very dangerous.  If the cyclist rides in the middle of the lane, drivers will have to change lanes to pass or else wait until there’s more room.  Everyone is safer.
[pause with more sound of driving]
WOMAN: And one more thing Mike.  Drivers must always keep at least three feet to the left of cyclists when passing.  That’s the law.
MAN: Wow.  There’s so much I didn’t know.  I’ll definitely keep an eye out for cyclists in my lane now.

To be honest it should be broken up into a couple shorter PSAs.  For the next couple installments, maybe this:  1. Why aren’t cyclists using the bike path? (and what’s the difference between a bike lane and a bike path).  2. What are those funny bike markings with arrows in the middle of the road?

Maryland is reportedly getting a TIGER grant to wide Route 175  where it passes through Fort Meade. 

Work along Route 175 between Disney and Reece Roads will widen the road to six lanes, as well as adding sidewalks, on-road bicycle facilities in widened right lanes and a multiuse hiker-biker trail. 

The trail will go farther south than that via another project

The state has already approved $27.9 million to improve the intersections of Route 175 at Reece Road and Mapes Road in Odenton. That work will include stormwater improvements, new turn lanes, a raised median and a hiker/biker trail. 

It appears the project  will add 5' bike lanes and a 10' hiker/biker path along the south side of Rotue 175.

http://www.thewashcycle.com/2014/09/maryland-tiger-grant-will-widen-route-175-add-bike-facilities-and-trail.html

STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION BUILDS NEW HIKER-BIKER PATH ALONG MD 51 NEAR C&O CANAL’S PAW PAW TUNNEL IN ALLEGANY COUNTY

Half-Mile-Long Shared Use Path is Part of $3.2 Million Resurfacing Project along MD 51

(July 17, 2014) – This fall, bicyclists and hikers will have a safer way to access the MD 51 (Oldtown Road) Bridge over the Potomac River from the C&O Canal Towpath near the PawPaw Tunnel in Western Maryland. The State Highway Administration (SHA) partnered with the National Park Service to design a new shared-use path along the south side of MD 51, between the towpath trailhead and the Potomac River Bridge.

“A popular side trip for hikers and bicyclists on the towpath has been to leave the trail and follow MD 51 about half a mile to the bridge to stop in town in Paw Paw, W.Va., or use the river access there, but as a winding, two-lane road without shoulders, MD 51 was not particularly friendly to bicylists or pedestrians,” said SHA District Engineer Anthony Crawford. “We are pleased to partner with the Park Service to design a safe, attractive and environmentally-friendly solution.”

SHA is constructing the 1,700 foot-long, 10-foot-wide shared-use path as part of a resurfacing project on MD 51. The path will be separated from the roadway with a concrete barrier topped with fencing. Weather permitting, it will be complete in October.