Bikeways Program

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.

Current Projects

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

• Ongoing
  • Advance engineering design plans for the New Hampshire Avenue Bikeway  to final (100%) designs for Section A and final (100%) designs for Section B; Preliminary designs for Section D, to connect to Washington DC bike infrastructure.
  • Maple Avenue Connectivity Project prioritizes pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users in order to provide safer, more convenient, and more comfortable travel for all roadway users. Preliminary designs completed; awaiting additional funding to advance project.
  • Coordinate with Montgomery County Planning Department on the implementation of the new Montgomery County Bike Master Plan.
• Completed
  • 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 Bike Master Plan. Completed in May 2019.
  • Installed 1/4-mile of new bike lanes along East-West Highway (MD-410) as part of the Ethan Allen Gateway Streetscape project. Completed in Spring 2019.
  • Extend the Met Branch Trail from Piney Branch Road NW to Takoma Avenue (DDOT) MBT Eastern Avenue, Full 100% Plans. Completed in September 2020.

Program Manager

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

Quicklinks

• Planning and Community Development
• Takoma Park Demographics Interactive Map
• Takoma Park Social Vulnerability Map
• Bikeways Program
• Bus Stop Improvements
• Maple Avenue Connectivity Project
• Minor Master Plan Amendment
• New Ave Bikeway
• Public Space Management Plan
• Safe Routes to School
• We Belong Here: The Takoma Park Equity Walk

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.

Montgomery County Bicycle Master Plan

Montgomery County approved a Bike Master Plan in 2018, with many helpful resources for new and experienced riders, including:

• Bicycle Stress Map
• Find A Bike Rack
• Bicycle Master Plan Toolkit
• Bicycle Parking Guidelines
• Enjoy the Ride coloring book

Dockless Bikeshare & E-Scooters

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.

Feedback about the dockless bikeshare and e-scooter programs can be sent to 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. If a company is unresponsive to concerns, please file complaints through the Montgomery County 311 system so they may be documented.

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 Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program (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)