Bikeways Program

Bikes — COVID-19 Updates

MDOT has posted guidelines for safely and responsibly walking and bicycling on their website. The Washington, DC region’s 20th Anniversary Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 21, 2021 with more than 100 pit stops and social distancing and safety measures in place.

Bike Program Overview

Takoma Park is working to improve and maintain bicycle facilities while promoting a bicycle-friendly culture in the city. Objectives of the Bike Program include:

• Ensure existing facilities are regularly maintained and improved to meet modern standards of safety and convenience.
• Plan for future facilities that the City maintains on its properties, parks, and rights-of-way.
• Leverage Takoma Park’s physical strengths and existing public interest in bicycling to encourage local residents and employees to bike for commuting, errands, and recreation.
• Educate City, County, and State decision-makers about bicycling in Takoma Park with data and studies.
• Coordinate with external agencies and jurisdictions on bicycle planning and projects that impact residents, employees, and visitors in Takoma Park.
• Encourage bicycle education, safety, and ridership for elementary and middle school students through the Safe Routes to School program

The City maintains signed, on-street bike routes connecting commercial districts, the Takoma Park Community Center, and transit facilities with regional trails. Use the updated 2019 Takoma Park Bike Map (PDF) to plan your route, available for free from public buildings and bike shops in the city. To promote cycling, the City coordinates the annual Bike To Work Day and Bike to School Day events. These events are scheduled for 2021, with changes to ensure public safety amid the COVID-19 public health crisis.

In 2013, Takoma Park submitted a Bicycle Friendly Community application to the League of American Bicyclists. The City was designated an ‘honorable mention’, and provided a Feedback Report (PDF) from the League, recommending steps to become more bike friendly.

Capital Bikeshare

The City has seven Capital Bikeshare stations in Takoma Park connecting to those in nearby Silver Spring and Washington D.C. Pick up one of the iconic red bikes in the city and ride to any of Capital Bikeshare’s 370+ stations in the Metropolitan Washington area! A helpful instructional video on how to use Capital Bikeshare is available here.

Dockless Bikeshare

Takoma Park is participating in Montgomery County’s dockless bikeshare and scooter program.

Dockless devices do not rely on fixed stations. Customers use a mobile phone app to locate a nearby bike or scooter with GPS. Bikes and scooters should not block sidewalks or driveways when not in use. A helpful instructional video on how to e-scooters is available here.

Montgomery County has more information on-line, including ways to contact County staff and/or the bikeshare companies if there are problems.

MCDOT welcomes feedback about the program or about a specific company:   mcdot.commuterservices@montgomerycountymd.gov  or contact MC311 either online or by calling 311 from within Montgomery County or 240-777-0311 from outside the County, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Or, follow MC311 on Twitter @311MC311. If a company is unresponsive to concerns, please file complaints through the Montgomery County 311 system so they may be documented.

Contact

City staff welcomes suggestions from business associations, neighborhood groups, and Council-appointed boards and committees on bike projects.

Program Manager

Housing and Community Development
Phone: 301-891-7119
Email: planning@takomaparkmd.gov 

Quicklinks

• Planning and Community Development
• Bikeways Program
• Bus Stop Improvements
• City Planning
• Data-Driven Approach to Disaster/Pandemic Response (Social Vulnerability Maps)
• Development Review
• New Ave Bikeway
• Parking Management Plan
• Public Space Management Plan
• Safe Routes to School
• Transportation Planning

Current Projects

In addition to regular programming in FY20, the following projects are on-going or recently completed:

• Advance engineering design plans for the New Hampshire Avenue Bikeway  to 100% designs for Section A and 60% designs for Section B
• 2021 Maple Avenue Complete Street Redesign to  prioritize pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users in order to provide safer, more convenient, and more comfortable travel for all roadway users.
• Coordinate with Montgomery County Planning Department on the implementation of the new Bicycle Master Plan
  • In May 2019, the City installed 18 sharrows through the Community Center parking lot and up Cedar Avenue to highlight a route to the Takoma Metro in order to highlight Cedar Avenue as a bike route,as recommended in the Montgomery County Bike Master Plan, and increase visibility for cyclists.
• Installation 1/4-mile of new bike lanes along East-West Highway (MD-410) as part of the Ethan Allen Gateway Streetscape project was completed in Spring of 2019.
• Extend the Met Branch Trail from Piney Branch Road NW to Takoma Avenue (DDOT) MBT Eastern Avenue, Full 100% Plans. To be completed in September 2020.

Bikeways Program Budget and Funding

The following funding is devoted to bicycle projects in Takoma Park  FY20 and FY21:

There is annual  funding in the City’s Capital Improvements budget for bike and pedestrian improvements.

The City has also been awarded external funding for bikeway projects from the following sources:

• MDOT Bikeways Program Grant (design and construction)
• Maryland SHA Safe Routes to School (education and construction)
• FHWA Transportation Alternatives (design and construction)
• MWCOG Transportation Land Use Technical Assistance (planning and design)