For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 16, 2016
Third ‘Great Montgomery Bike Summit’
to be held Saturday, June 18, in Rockville
Organized by County Councilmember Hans Riemer, WABA and M-NCPPC,
event will seek ideas to ensure infrastructure
is in place for County’s growing bike future
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 16, 2016—Montgomery County, home to some of the region's most avid bikers and a community where biking is a growing form of transportation, will get input from residents on what the next steps should be to improve the County’s bike infrastructure at the third “Great Montgomery Bike Summit” on Saturday, June 18, in Rockville.
The summit, which will include activities and discussions from 9:15 a.m. to 12 noon, was organized by Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
The event will begin at 9:15 with a group bike ride from the Grosvenor Metro Station to the County Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. Starting at 10 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building, there will be presentations by policy leaders to update current plans for bike infrastructure in the County. At 11 a.m., representatives from Park and Planning will lead a discussion on the County’s bicycle master plan.
The summit will seek to find the County’s greatest needs for improving bicycle experiences in Montgomery County and also will be looking for innovative ideas on how to improve bicycle infrastructure.
Presenters will include Greg Billing, executive director of WABA; Al Roshdieh, director of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation; and Dave Anspacher from Park and Planning.
"The third Great Montgomery County Bicycle Summit will be a great chance for residents to interact directly with elected officials and transportation planning leaders to help shape the future of biking in Montgomery County,” said Councilmember Riemer. “I invite bike enthusiasts to join us to assess the County’s progress on bicycle issues, get an early glimpse of future projects, learn how to advocate for change, and of course, network with fellow transportation enthusiasts.”
This year’s summit is devoted to looking at the past, present and future of biking in Montgomery County, including a look at the next generation of bicycle facilities.
Safety also will be an emphasis of this year’s event. Within the past year, the County has joined the national movement of “Vision Zero,” which is working to decrease accidents involving vehicles with bicyclists and pedestrians.
“We know that concerns for safety keep people from using bikes as transportation,” said Councilmember Riemer. “We want to put more emphasis on biking infrastructure that makes people feel like they have a safe ride.”
At last year’s summit, the M-NCPPC team showcased the “stress test” model that planners and bikers are using to inform the Bikeways Master Plan, currently in development. The emphasis on protected lane networks, and the summit, led to proposals from Councilmember Riemer for protected lane networks in White Flint and downtown Silver Spring. Planning for the Silver Spring network is underway, with construction funds included in the recently approved Fiscal Years 2017-22 County capital budget.
Two years ago the County launched Capital Bikeshare with more than 50 planned stations throughout the County. In addition, there are a number of regionally significant bike paths under construction.
“These bike summits are part of the positive momentum that is clearly getting results in Montgomery County and at the Council, and we need to keep it going,” said Councilmember Riemer.
For more information about the summit, go to http://www.councilmemberriemer.com/bike/ or call 240-777-7964. On the day of the event, information can be obtained by calling 269-330-3850.
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Release ID: 16-191