I really don’t understand the utility of this decision. Columbia has tons of pathways, which tend to get you places more quickly than the main roads. Further, most people are biking for pleasure, not to get places like work or the grocery store. A better use of funds would be to improve the bus system. It runs every hour and the mall is the transfer hub. It has been like this for at least 30 years with no improvement.

If you build it, they will come.

That’s the cliché was to say that what you are saying is how it is now. But the point it to encourage change. Maybe more will bike if there are bike lanes?

Not likely. Columbia is very car-centric. People don’t move to Columbia for bike lanes.

I moved to Columbia (from Pasadena) because it was a more bikeable community. But also, maybe people who love here will be encouraged to bike on close errands. I’m only one anecdote, but living in Wilde lake, I only bike to CVS and Whole Food. I’m heading to whatever you call the area by busboys and poets in a few minutes, and I want to bike, but rain.

I think most people who come to Columbia do so because of the schools and safety. I’ve lived in Columbia almost my whole life and the development has really ruined the vibe and culture of the community. Even with the bike lanes, so many people still bike in the streets outside of the lanes. I just wish Columbia would invest in meaningful things.

The big thing for me was the added cross walks and reducing it to one lane of cars. The added left hand turn lanes are a big deal too. It’s a lot safer to cross that road now. The bike lanes are just a bonus.

> I’ve lived in Columbia almost my whole life and the development has really ruined the vibe and culture of the community.

Lol. You just don’t like change. Culture’s just fine. Kids are running around the neighborhood just like before, fields are full of soccer games every week end, etc.

The county did a huge study and found that many sidewalks were not ADA compliant so I absolutely agree with that being addressed. However, reducing to one lane has increased the congestion, even with the turning lanes.

I’d bet the congestion is less about one lane each way and more due to the fact that people can’t go 50mph anymore. I grew up in Sewells Orchard and we knew that you never try to cross Oakland Mills Road because people drive too fast.

Untrue. I’m open to change but Columbia was not supposed to be a developers dream. When I was a kid, the streets were filled with children. Not so much anymore.

People still fly down OM Road! I followed a cop going 55.

What if I told you Columbia is literally supposed to be a developers dream. From start to finish. Who do you think Rouse was? Lmao.

What would you say to old farmers who said all the development in the 70 and 80s ‘ruined the vibe and culture of the community’

Also, the older neighborhoods are increasingly filled with old retirees whose children moved (because they can’t afford houses in Columbia because we stopped building housing). That’s why there aren’t as much kids. Newer places have more kids.

What if I told you I worked at The Rouse Company during the sale to GGP? It was a huge controversy because Rouse fought for diversity and affordable housing. His family chose to sell to a developer for a pretty hefty price, and Rouse’s vision was abandoned. Additionally, the farms were sold by the landowners. That was their choice. This wasn’t some eminent domain kind of situation.

You mentioned the same level of kids, which I refuted, and now you are backing off on that point. I understand the demographics of Columbia because I’ve worked in population health and social services for a long time.

At the end of the day, the bike lane project has been in the works for over a decade and is championed by the guy who runs Merriweather & bikes for fun. This wasn’t about transforming accessibility in Columbia.

Congestion hasn't really been too much of a problem for me on the new road. I do deliveries in Columbia sometimes during rush hour and only had problems at one light. IMO the two lane design makes me feel cramped when other cars pass by. Cedar Lane has this problem too. Some people still speed, but I've noticed that there is much less of that.

Howard County cops don't care about speed lol. I've noticed less speeding though during my deliveries.

I agree, but I think they add some safety for sure. Also I remember this road being utter cancer to cross when I was younger.

Howard County cops are useless in general. The community police officer where I live is afraid to even patrol the community.

Yeah, it’s still not great. Because of the limited visibility due to the hills, it’s not an easy crossing.

I've met 7 decent cops out of the 20 plus I've met, so I can believe this.

Do you really think this place would more affordable if nothing more was built? Really?

> Additionally, the farms were sold by the landowners. That was their choice. This wasn’t some eminent domain kind of situation.

I used farmers as a proxy for anyone who lived here in the 60s. Don’t run away from the point. Why is your idealized Columbia ‘ruining’ the vibe and culture of their community ok while you complain about development “ruining” your community.

> You mentioned the same level of kids, which I refuted, and now you are backing off on that point.

Where? Where did you refute the number of kids in a neighborhood? You said there said there aren’t as much kids in your area. I said the distribution was to newer developments. And you said nah uh I refuted it. So where is the refutation?

Never mind the link between development and your perceived decline in “community character” is pretty nebulous.

Housing is continually blocked in Hoco by people like you who paint Rouse as a Jesus figure. Especially the apartments that would have housed lower income people. I’m over the cult of Rouse.

That’s fine. I’m not here to convince you or change your mind, just provide some insight.

There are tons of kids in HoCo, they just spend their time indoors now. My little cousins usually don't go outside unless it's after school. Screentime is Funtime lol

I will say I was much more cautious driving on the road. Hope that says something, and I hope kids and adults can finally have some peace of mind on that heaping pile of hill called a road.

That’s probably true! My kids play indoors all the time. Kids make up about 25% of the population so I guess that’s significant.

Also, newer developments aren’t Columbia. They are either out parcels or other parts of Howard County (think Clarksville & Elkridge). Columbia is just overpopulated at this point. Development has made that so. There isn’t enough infrastructure to support the population.

Appreciate your feedback, though.

They still need a crosswalk at Loring and Oakland Mills. That has always been a dangerous intersection. So they didn’t completely fix OMR.

I almost got absolutely destroyed on a bike on Oakland mills road. There's not a straight path from Snowden necessarily to the people bridge in Oakland mills to the mall. Oakland Mills road is the fastest route.

From OM Road, there are multiple pathways along it that connect from Owen Brown to OM, where you can get to the bridge. I used to make this trip daily on foot when I was a teen.

There is no “congestion”

Ok

As someone that commutes to Gerwig Lane from EC, when the weather is nice and back again at the end of the work day, the bike lanes are an amazing improvement. That used to be the only scary part of my ride going down that road, and now my whole ride is now on CA paths, neighborhood streets, or bike lanes.

It’s a huge improvement but crossing Snowden river is still problematic

Honest to God don't know how they would fix that road without causing massive congestion and spending tons of money

I used to live next to the movie theater in Snowden and would ride my bike to my parents in Thunder Hill. That fastest route was down OMR.

How long did it take you by bike on OMR?

I just want to add, be thankful we don't have the traffic that MoCo does. I've had family members almost die 4 times in the span of 7 months in Silver Spring and Rockville. My brother bikes here and has ZERO issues with too much traffic and idiots. Honestly just glad they're adding it, even if the majority still rely on cars.

Yeah so they're redistricting school zones? I heard this from a JHES teacher and there was some law or another that districts plan and avoid allowing children to cross two lane opposing traffick main roads over a certain width, and the added bike lane on Oakland Mills addressed that concern.

I really don't know the specifics, so for now it's just gossip.

One of the issues they found in their walkability study for the whole county was that they had to bus students to school, who were otherwise in walking distance. This is a huge burden due to lack of drivers. I think it’s a good thing in general but it has been an annoyance for OMR, particularly because few if any cross that street to get to school.

They finished a new high school (opening this fall) so they had to re-do districts for that. I haven't seen any evidence the school system cares about the safety of walking children.... they recently decided to stop bus service to more kids who live > 1 mile from their school in order to make them walk.

Back in my day... I didn't have to walk over a mile to school because that's fucking ridiculous.

It's nice... But... They(county?) need to factor in some extra maintenance to clear leaves and debris from the bike lanes to ensure they are safe and usable for a cyclist traveling with speed year round. It's past the peak now but still not ideal.

I've already lost count of number of cyclists still using car lane... Right now I'm choosing to believe it's because they don't want to deal with debris in the more wood covered areas closer to Dobbin.

LMAO I passed by two large tree branches blocking the road today. At least HoCo is quick about cleaning the large hazards out of the way tho

The second I was allowed to practice driving I did it, Maryland is horrible for walkability and pedestrian friendly areas. I luckily had good bus stops for school where I lived, but I knew kids who would have to walk half a mile down sidewalk less roads. I'm also not surprised that they are building another school cause I remember atholton being super crowded and annoying. I don't believe they really care tbh.

The only thing I can think of it’s a pedestrian bridge. Snowden is such a wide road the pedestrian signal would take forever

I hope they do something like that. Isn't there a technical school or college on Snowden?

I wish the Little Patuxent Parkway loop had more than one cross walk.

I would love to see something down Dobbin, even if it was just to Wegmans. Dobbin scares me.

I'm glad they added bike lanes but the proportions feel wrong on some parts of the road. Since long stretches in the middle now are basically dead space, I wish they'd narrowed it and left a shoulder on the southbound side

The bike lane is almost unusable in the Fall. All the debris gets blown from the roadway or falls into the bike lane and then it’s a hazard to ride in. Before they “fixed” Oakland mills road, the vehicle traffic would grind up the leaves and break down the sticks, not so anymore. Much like everything, this was a reasonable plan but in execution it pretty much sucks to ride it.

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