MCDOT to Install Pop Up Bike Lane for Bike to Work Day on May 17

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 8, 2019

MCDOT will be creating Montgomery County’s second pop-up bike lane on Bike to Work Day, May 17 in downtown Bethesda. Pop-up bike lanes are temporary, protected bike lanes that create a low stress biking environment. The lane will begin at the traffic circle at Cheltenham Drive and Tilbury Street, extend west on Cheltenham Drive, cross Wisconsin Avenue, continue onto Norfolk Avenue, and then head south on Woodmont Avenue past Bethesda Avenue to Miller Avenue.  The pop-up bike lane will provide access to the entrance to the Capital Crescent Trail at the location of downtown Bethesda’s Bike to Work Day Pit Stop (see map).

The pop-up bike lane will be available from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. for both morning and evening bike commuters. Staff will begin setting up the lane in the early Friday morning hours. Montgomery County Police will assist with traffic control.  Barrels, cones and special bike lane markings will designate the bike lane, and some parking restrictions may be implemented along the route.  Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the designated area, particularly at intersections.

“MCDOT is committed to expanding transportation choices for everyone and the pop-up bike lane is a great way to preview the department’s plans to construct permanent, protected bike lanes on Woodmont Avenue,” said MCDOT Director Al Roshdieh. “MCDOT welcomes the opportunity to partner with the community on ideas to enhance pedestrian, bicyclist and traffic safety.”

The advocacy group Bethesda BIKE Now encouraged creation of the pop-up bike lane for Bike to Work Day, a concept that MCDOT has considered pilot testing in several areas of the County. 

Bike to Work Day is an ideal time to create a pop-up bike lane because the event attracts large numbers of less experienced cyclists who may not be as familiar or comfortable with riding in traffic lanes. In addition, the temporary closure of the Georgetown Branch Trail for Purple Line construction eliminated a low-stress option that many Bike to Work Day participants have used in the past.

Later this summer, MCDOT plans to begin construction of a permanent protected bike lane along Bethesda Avenue and Willow Lane from Woodmont Avenue to 47th Street.  Beginning in 2020, MCDOT will construct a permanent protected bike lane on Woodmont Avenue, from the intersection with Montgomery Lane south to Bethesda Avenue, as part of a future low stress protected bike lane network called the Bethesda Loop. The Loop will include bicycle infrastructure improvements along Woodmont Avenue, Montgomery Lane / Montgomery Avenue, Pearl Street and Cheltenham Drive/Norfolk Avenue.

MCDOT sponsors six of the 15 Bike to Work Day pit stops in Montgomery County, including one hosted by Bethesda Transportation Solutions at the intersection of Woodmont and Bethesda avenues.  Everyone is encouraged to register for a Bike to Work Day pit stop. In addition, MCDOT partners with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association to sponsor City Cycling classes at various County locations to help less experienced cyclists feel more comfortable riding in different environments.

Release ID: 19-069
Media Contact: Maureen McNulty 240-777-7199