A Note from Councilman Dick Ladd

 The following is from the May edition of a monthly column written by Anne Arundel County Councilman Dick Ladd (R-5th District), a resident of the Broadneck peninsula.

It is fair to say that the B&A Trail offers one of the best outdoor recreational opportunities in Anne Arundel County.  Whether you ride a bicycle, jog, or walk, this 13.3-mile multi-use asphalt linear trail park also serves as a transportation corridor linking citizens to work and businesses.  It should come as no surprise that the trail can be a busy place.  At many spots on the trail, it can host over 700 users during a 2-hour time period, as it did on three consecutive Saturdays this past September.

The B&A Trail is reaching its 23rd year of existence.  Although it has successfully weathered many challenges, it is important to recognize areas of safety concern.  Intersections between the trails and heavily used roadways have always been areas of concern and require careful planning and design.

Trail users and motorists oftentimes ignore stop signs when intersections are frequent.  Traffic control engineers want to avoid conflicts between motor vehicles and trail users by having visible control signs and other devices.  Last fall I met and worked with employees of the Recreation and Parks Department and the Department of Public Works to review crossing safety at several of the most heavily used roadways, all of which are in Severna Park.

The first roadway and trail intersection observed was Earleigh Heights Road.  This intersection is most often busy with both motor vehicle traffic and trail users during weekends and weekday rush hours.  The discussion began with an official from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Access section from the Maryland Department of Transportation and continued forward with county representatives from Rec. and Parks and the Department of Public Works.

Subsequently, Trails Maintenance staff carefully inspected sight lines from all directions and alleviated overgrowth of tree limbs and shrubs that impeded visibility. Cleaner, clearer, and more easily read signs for motorists approaching the intersections were installed in addition to new double-sided crosswalk indication signs located directly at each side of the crosswalk.

Sight lines were also improved significantly at the intersection of Robinson Road and the B&A Trail.  Department of Public Works staff from Traffic Engineering again replaced worn signs with new double-sided crosswalk indication signs located at each side of the crosswalk.

 It is no secret that this road and intersection receives a high volume of traffic on a regular basis with heaviest volumes seen during the morning rush hour with school related vehicles and afternoon rush hour combined with afternoon school-related vehicles.  Approaching vehicles should see unobstructed, unsoiled signs alerting them of the crosswalk.  Stop signs are posted for trail users and should be obeyed to avoid possible accidents.

The intersection of the B&A Trail and Evergreen Road is challenging with side roads close to the intersection.  This area involves both crosswalks for the B&A Trail and crosswalks for Severn School.  Much like Robinson Road, this too is an area of very high volume of traffic especially in the morning during rush hour and school arrivals and departures.

Sight lines were improved and new double-sided crosswalk signs were placed where the trail intersects the road.  A supplementary sign was placed on Old County Road to alert motorists of the upcoming crosswalk.  Traffic Engineering staff are working with state officials to have signs in place on Rt. 648 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. to bring attention to the crosswalk for drivers making either a left or right turn onto Evergreen Road.  Stop signs for trail users will remain in place.  Both trail users and motorists should use caution when reaching this busy intersection.

Additional measures of safety are being researched and will be considered for testing on the trail.  One such example is a rumble strip (for which there are many designs) to alert and slow bicyclists as they approach an intersection.  Video recording of trail-road crossings and intersections on Robinson Road will be made this spring to better document traffic patterns to see if safety islands are appropriate and feasible.

Trail and road safety is clearly our collective responsibility.  Rolling stops are a common bad habit that can be costly.  Central to safety is adequate line-of-sight.  As a road or trail user, if you cannot see opposing crossing traffic, they cannot see you.  When and if you encounter such conditions on or near road-trail crossings, please let my office know (410-222-1401) or the Park Trail Ranger (410-222-6244) so that the line-of-sight can be restored for the start of another very enjoyable spring and summer of outdoor activity. 

Read more columns by Ladd:

• Ladd Discusses Changes in County Government (April)
• Ladd Discusses Impact of Latest Stormwater Bill (March)
• Ladd: 'Swirl of Events' Facing County Government (February)
• Ladd Addresses Critical Area Bill in Latest Column (January)