I’ve been riding my bike around Greenbelt for decades. Over the years, the city has made some improvements, particularly in Greenbelt West. The new roundabout at Cherrywood Lane at the Greenbelt Metro entrance has made things much better for bike riders, walkers and drivers. The new section of the Indian Creek Trail that cuts from Cherrywood Lane and Breezewood Drive over to the Greenbelt Station neighborhood and to Branchville Avenue is a big improvement for Greenbelt bike commuters to the University of Maryland and points south.
However, we have a lot more to do. Here is my Top Five list of additional ways Greenbelt could make bike riding (and walking and bus riding) safer, easier and more dignified.
1. Build a new roundabout at Cherrywood Lane and Ivy Lane, in front of the new Motiva Apartments. This intersection has a lot of speeding traffic and complex turns. A roundabout would help calm traffic. (Note: this should have been done before the apartments were opened – does the Motiva developer have any community improvement funds in escrow?)
2. Install flex posts and “floating bus stops” on Cherrywood Lane. Greenbelt scoped out a visionary “Green Street” concept for Cherrywood Lane years ago, but nothing has been done. In the meantime, we should mimic what College Park has done on Rhode Island Ave. between University Boulevard and the Beltway: double-stripe the bike lanes, use flex post signs to protect the bike lane near intersections and driveways and build out floating bus stops, so the buses don’t need to pull into the bike lanes to pick up passengers.
3. Widen and repair the sidewalk on the north side of Greenbelt Road between Lakecrest Drive and Walker Drive, including adding a floating bus stop near Walker Drive. This is the dilapidated sidewalk that runs in front of the American Legion, under the Beltway, and in front of the new Royal Farms. This would allow access by bike from central Greenbelt and points east to Greenbelt Park. (Again, this should have been done as a condition of opening Royal Farms. Is any developer funding available?)
4. Widen the sidewalk on the north side of Greenbelt Road between Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) and the Greenbelt city limit just past Mandan Road and put speed humps on the right turn ramps. This would mark the beginning of the proposed Greenbelt East Trail, which would ultimately connect Greenbelt with Goddard Space Flight Center and further east to the WB&A trail in Glenn Dale.
5. Raise high-traffic crosswalks throughout Greenbelt, particularly near schools and playgrounds. Speed humps on key crosswalks would force drivers to slow down to about 10 to 15 mph as they approach. In my opinion, speed humps should be more widespread in Greenbelt even between crosswalks. They would slow down traffic in residential neighborhoods, particularly by delivery drivers and cut-through traffic.
I don’t drive my car much, but when I do, I see lots of aggressive and speeding traffic in Greenbelt, both on major roads and residential streets. These five priorities would not only make bike riding and walking around Greenbelt a little safer, but would also calm traffic.
The city can do some of these projects by itself and others with permission from the State Highway Administration, which owns the right of way on our major numbered roads. Let’s take the initiative and make Greenbelt a safer, more accessible and well-connected city.