TLC Technical Assistance Projects

Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning

Accessibility and Rockville's TODs: Safer Walkways to Transit: City of Rockville, MD (2011) Rockville/Twinbrook TOD Recommendations

TThe City of Rockville applied for a TLC technical assistance grant to conduct a study that would provide recommendations for improving pedestrian walkways leading to the Twinbrook Metrorail station. This project aimed to enhance public transit an attractive and convenient option for riders. The Twinbrook Metrorail Station is about 15 miles from downtown Washington DC, and is two stops away from the Shady Grove terminus of the Washington Metro Area Transportation Authority’s (WMATA) Red Line. By identifying the major pedestrian routes to the station and studying current safety issues and opportunities, the consultant created a conceptual pedestrian safety improvement plan for the station area. This project was completed for $30,000.

Safer Walkways to Transit: Final Report and Conceptual Plan (4.2 MB)

Assessment of Pedestrian Crossing Options at East Street and Carroll Creek: City of Frederick, MD (2008)

Rendering of the East Street crossing at Carroll Creek

The City of Frederick was awarded TLC technical assistance to study the proposed pedestrian linkage across East Street at Carroll Creek in downtown Frederick. Carroll Creek is the focal point of a greenway park that runs through downtown Frederick. The city is currently working with MDOT on an extension of East Street which will make it the gateway to Frederick by 2009. The purpose of the grant was to create a safe crossing at East Street for pedestrians walking along the Carroll Creek.

The consultants recommended the construction of an at-grade crossing. This type of crossing will be the cheapest and most compatible with its surroundings without jeopardizing the safety of pedestrians. The consultants that an underpass structured much like the other pedestrian linkages along Carroll Creek would also be an attractive option, but it is cost prohibitive given the slope and grade of the East Street Bridge.

In order to determine the safety of an at-grade crossing, the consultants collected data on traffic volumes and speeds on East Street. On average, East Street carries 8,000 cars per day at 35 mph. Additionally, the consultants studied pedestrian and bicycle volumes along Carroll Creek and East Street. To this extent, the consultants identified strategies for ensuring the safety of pedestrians crossing East Street at grade. Among these strategies were refuge islands, pedestrian actuated signals, and different types of crosswalk textures and colors. This project was completed for $20,000.

Please follow the link below to review the recommendations and final report.

East Street Pedestrian Crossing at Carroll Creek (3.3 MB)

Best Practices in Providing Bicycle Facilities in Streetcar Corridors, Arlington County ,VA (2011) Arlington Bicycle Facility Recommendations

Arlington County applied for a TLC technical assistance grant to develop best practices for the design and operation of corridors that include both trains and bicyclists. The county sought recommendations that would be most appropriate for the Columbia Pike and Crystal City/Potomac Yard corridors. The study included a survey and review of domestic and international jurisdictions that have a combination of streetcar and extensive bicycle facilities, a comprehensive review of critical safety factors, as well as key design considerations. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final document developed for this project.

Best Practices in Providing Bicycle Facilities in Streetcar Corridors (7.6 MB)

Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan: City of Greenbelt, MD (2009)

Assistance in the preparation of a pedestrian and bicycle master plan was provided. The citizen-led Advisory Planning Board (APB) has assumed responsibility for preparing the master plan. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.

Greenbelt Bicycle and Pedestrian Recommendations (5 MB)

Central Avenue TOD Corridor Pedestrian and Mobility Study: Prince George's County, MD (2011)

Central Avenue Recommendations

Prince George's County applied for TLC technical assistance as part of the Subregion 4 Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Implementation Project, which has been developed to implement the 2010 Approved Subregion 4 Master Plan and Sectional Map Amendment (Subregion 4 Master Plan). The Subregion 4 TOD Implementation Project encompasses two overlapping areas along Central Avenue in Prince George’s County and envisions a fully integrated multimodal transportation system with TOD centered on the Capitol Heights and Addison-Seat Pleasant Road Metrorail stations. The project focused on a pedestrian safety and mobility study of the Central Avenue Corridor to recommend how to spend limited resources to improve pedestrian safety and retrofit existing roads to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. The study identified implementation funding that will enhance pedestrian safety and mobility patterns in the context of the Addison Road Regulating Plan, and its future Metro Center. The pedestrian element of the study presented the pedestrian environment as a community system of interwoven pathways, sidewalks, and open spaces with an emphasis on improving mobility and safety. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.

Central Avenue TOD Mobility Study: Pedestrian and Bicycle Access and Circulation (5 MB)

Community Charrette on Pedestrian Trail Feasibility to the Bowie MARC Station: City of Bowie, MD (2008)

Proposed alignment for pedestrian trail in Bowie

The City of Bowie applied to the TLC Program for technical assistance to study alignment options for a bicycle and pedestrian path connecting Old Town Bowie to the Bowie State MARC commuter rail station and Bowie State University. The City also asked the consultant to review the recently completed trail feasibility study for the railroad avenue corridor and other relevant issues facing trail connectivity in Bowie.

The consultant analyzed the several alignments for the trail and summarized the comparative advantages for each alignment. The consultant recommended one alternative alignment to the City Council, but it also provided detailed information about the possibility of implementing other alignments for the trail.

The proposed alternative connects the greatest number of residents to Old Town Bowie, the MARC Station at Bowie State University, and the WB&A Trail. The report details the next steps the city should take toward implementing the trail plan and pays special attention to the near term possibilities. This project was completed for $20,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final report.

Recommendations for Proposed Railroad Avenue Hiker/Biker Trail

Complete Streets Policy, City of Rockville, MD (2009)

Complete Streets Comparison

The Complete Streets policy of the City of Rockville was developed to provide guidance for its residents, decision makers, planners, and designers to ensure that multi-modal elements are incorporated into all transportation improvement projects. The graphic to the right shows current conditions above proposed enhancements that meet Complete Streets standards.

The concept of Complete Streets provide streets that have facilities for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists, to the extent appropriate for the land use or the context of the street. Under the Complete Streets framework, minimizing traffic delay for private motor vehicle transportation should not be the only goal of the roadway and could be undesirable depending on the surrounding land use and needs of other roadway users. Other characteristics of Complete Streets are features that create a pedestrian friendly environment, such as narrow traffic lanes, median refuges, curb extensions (“bulb-outs”), accessible pedestrian signals and countdown pedestrian signals.

Like many suburbs, some areas in Rockville were designed for automobile transportation, and lack facilities such as sidewalks, bus shelters, and bicycle lanes. With implementation of Rockville’s Pedestrian Policies, Bikeway Master Plan and the Sidewalk Prioritization Policy, key improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists have been made. As gas prices fluctuate and demand for walking, bicycling and transit facilities grows, safe and accessible transportation accommodations for all modes becomes even more necessary. Additional modal choices for roadways users can also help in improving the air quality and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions by reducing vehicle trips and miles travelled. Complete streets have also shown results in improved health in communities that provide multiple mode choices. In addition, Rockville is committed to serving its residents – children, elderly, and persons with disabilities – by providing safe and accessible transportation facilities in the public right-of-way. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.

Proposed Complete Streets Policy (2.8 MB)

Fort Detrick Area Transit and Non-Motorized Transportation Access Study, Frederick (City/County), MD (2008)

Location of Public Comments received on Access to Fort Detrick

The City Frederick and Frederick County applied jointly for technical assistance to assess multimodal access to the Fort Detrick area. Fort Detrick is one of the largest employers in the county and has many transportation impacts on the surrounding community. Through the TLC grant, the City and County are striving to improve pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access to the Fort Detrick area.

The consultants identified problem areas for non-automotive users of the transportation network and developed a list of potential solutions. Some of the suggestions for improving the bicycle and pedestrian network were bike lanes/sharrows, encouraging crosswalks on all legs of an intersection, and more frequent pedestrian crossings of major roadways. As a part of the study, the consultant mapped the sites of accidents involving bicycles and pedestrians. Additionally, they identified gaps in the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, including signalization issues and crossing opportunities. The consultant identified major generators of bicycle and pedestrian trips and future developments likely to influence those types of trips.

Public input played a large role in the project. The consultant set up a website where citizens could pinpoint problem areas on a map and describe the issues. Additionally, a public meeting was held which yielded much feedback on the recommendations the consultant developed for improving bicycle, pedestrian, and transit access to Fort Detrick.

The City of Frederick has accepted the documents received to date and are assessing the feasibility. The City will move forward with the implementation of many of the consultant recommendations as well as the public comments. This project was completed for $20,000.

Please follow the links below to review the consultant recommendations, consultant presentation, and specific public comments.

Summary of Work Products and Recommendations

Consultant Presentation at June 28, 2008, Public Meeting (4.2 MB)

Solutions Toolbox for Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements

The following images show locations where public comments were registered. The consultant has included recommendations to address many of these concerns (For optimal quality, download the graphic before viewing).

7th Street Comments, Military Road Comments, Opossumtown Road North Comments, Opossumtown Road South Comments, Rosemont Avenue North Comments, Rosemont Avenue Central Comments, Rosemont Avenue South Comments

Interim Pedestrian Safety Improvements: Prince George's County, MD (2010)

New Carrollton Station Area

The focus of this TLC project was to locate and synthesize appropriate pedestrian safety tools and apply those tools to enhance the pedestrian experience around the New Carrollton Metrorail Station. The consultant documented how interim pedestrian solutions should be applied and offered ideas for transitioning these measures into permanent solutions. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.

New Carrollton Interim Pedestrian Safety Improvements (5.3 MB)

Multi-Use Trail Traffic Control Study: Arlington County, VA (2010)

Arlington Trail Recommendations

This project analyzed traffic control signage, markings, and signals on two of Arlington’s busiest shared-use trails. The consultant proposed modifications to create a more consistent, rational, predictable, and ultimately safer traffic control environment for all trail users and those crossing the trails. The recommendations from this project will be used by transportation engineers to better design Arlington’s non-motorized facilities. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the links below to review the final documents developed for this project.

Arlington County Shared-Use Trail Traffic Control Study - Best Practices (4 MB)

Arlington County Shared-Use Trail Traffic Control Study -

Arlington County Shared-Use Trail Traffic Control Study - Custis Trail Recommendations (4.7 MB)

Arlington County Shared-Use Trail Traffic Control Study - W & OD Trail Recommendations (8.3 MB)

Non-Motorized Transportation Study, Town of Cheverly, Prince George's County, MD (2009)

Strategies for improving non-motorized transportation in the Cheverly area were developed. The project concentrated on ways to improve connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists to major destinations within Cheverly. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.

Town of Cheverly Non-Motorized Transportation Study (3 MB)

Pedestrian Facility Standards for Mixed-Use Development Centers: Prince William County, VA (2011)

Naylor Road Station Area Recommendations

The project updated the current inventory of pedestrian facilities, developed a pedestrian facility gap analysis, and created a set of new standards and typical sections for sidewalks and streets in the County’s newly adopted activity centers. The consultant completed research of facility precedents to better understand how to incorporate successful streetscape elements, such as through lane widths, parking requirements, intersection treatments, sidewalk widths, landscape panel widths, bicycle facilities and median treatments. The project created a new street typology for the Activity Centers and developed typical street cross-sections and plans for the public rights-of-way, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities and landscaped tree panels. The County will implement the strategies in the newly adopted Transportation Plan by examining were pedestrian facilities are needed to connect the transit system, activity center, and other significant destinations. This project was completed for $60,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final documents developed for this project.

Presentation: Street Standard Recommendations

Pedestrian Trail System, Phase I Concept Development: City of Bowie, MD (2009)

This project involved further refinement of a pedestrian trail system study developed in 2008 through previous participation in the TLC Program. Plans were developed for the highest priority segment of the trail system, helping stakeholders to focus on the details of this first segment of the overall project through concept development, visualizations, and sketch renderings. Objectives for this conceptual study included:

  • Providing opportunities for input from residents, Old Town business owners and public officials on various trail design issues;
  • Developing a set of visual images for the potential trail alignment between Zug Road and 10th Street which illustrate the recommended design solutions;
  • Creating a trail advisory committee, trail vision, implementation strategy and name.
Bowie Trail Graphic

This study was conducted between April and August 2009, and it included five public meetings, to which a diverse set of project stakeholders were invited. As a result of the public input, a consensus vision of the Bowie Heritage Trail emerged. This vision includes a name for the trail - Bowie Heritage Trail. The goal for the trail is creation of a railroad heritage greenway that serves non-motorized transportation and recreational trips between the WB&A Trail, Old Town Bowie, BSU and other points along the way, such as Tanglewood Park, Adnell Woods, Jericho Park, the BSU MARC station, and planned new town center. Key themes that emerged from this planning effort included:

  • Segment C of the Bowie Heritage Trail (Railroad Avenue) should be designed and developed as a destination in and of itself.
  • A railroad heritage greenway offering experiential learning opportunities will support the educational mission of the Railroad Museum, serve children, youth and families and attract the types of visitors sought by Old Town.

In addition to railroad history, the trail presents an opportunity to interpret the history and heritage of educating African American youth and the role of BSU as a Historic Black College, and to demonstrate and educate about environmental best practices for dealing with stormwater runoff, often referred to as low impact development (LID). This project was completed for $20,000.

Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.

The Bowie Heritage Trail (5 MB)

Purple Line Bicycle Access and Bicycle Hub Location Study: Prince George's County, MD (2010)Purple Line Trail Graphic

This study identified locations for bikeway and sidewalk locations along the entire segment of the Purple Line in Prince George's County. The consultant also identified complete streets components for the areas surrounding future transit stations. The study provided recommendations to provide better and safer bicycle and pedestrian access to future transit-oriented development locations adjacent to the Purple Line. This project was completed for $30,000.

Please follow the links below to review the final documents developed for this project.

Purple Line Bicycle Access and Bicycle Hub Location Study - Parts 1 - 2 (9 MB)

Purple Line Bicycle Access and Bicycle Hub Location Study - Parts 3 - 5 (5.7 MB)

Purple Line Bicycle Access and Bicycle Hub Location Study - Appendix (3.6 MB)

Recommendations for "Complete Streets" in the Prince George's Plaza Transit District, Prince George's County, MD (2008)

The Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Planning Office in Prince George’s County applied to the TLC Program for technical assistance to develop a plan to improve pedestrian and bicycle conditions in the Prince George’s Plaza Transit District. The project brought multiple stakeholders together to review recommendations that would best implement the concept of “complete urban streets” in a multimodal manner.

Prince George's Plaza

The consultant identified the accommodations needed for bicyclists and pedestrians, proposed new facilities for bicycles and pedestrians, identified gaps in the existing pedestrian and bicycle network, and outlined potential retrofit opportunities to address these needs. The consultant proposed upgrades to an area built for the automobile but which is seeing a renaissance of bicycle and pedestrian use with the construction of new dense, mixed use development.

The report outlines a list of upgrades with cost and ease of implementation. The consultant cited examples of different traffic calming tools used around the nation and identified locations in the Transit District where they could be easily implemented. The consultant recommended improving pedestrian safety at the intersection of East-West Highway and Belcrest Road by reducing turning radii for cars and installing expanded pedestrian islands. To improve access from the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station and pedestrian bridge, the consultant also proposed reconfiguring the parking spaces in the Mall parking lot to create a diagonal sidewalk linking pedestrians to University Town Center and the offices at the Prince George’s Metro Center. This project was completed for $20,000.

Please follow the links below to review the final report, accompanying graphics and presentation materials.

Prince George's Plaza Metro Area Study

Prince George's Plaza Metro Area Study, Figure 3

Prince George's Plaza Positive Attributes (2 MB)

Prince George's Plaza Problem Areas (4.1 MB)

Prince George's Plaza Consultant Presentations (1.6 MB)

Takoma/Langley Crossroads Pedestrian Access and Mobity Study: Montgomery / Prince George's Counties, MD (2007)

This study was a joint effort between Montgomery and Prince George's CountiesMontgomery / Prince George's Counties, Langley Park / Takoma Park Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Study, implemented through the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). M-NCPPC staff identified the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650) and University Boulevard (MD 193) as a high pedestrian fatality area in the most diverse community in both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. The study, which was developed in consultation with stakeholders from the communities, cities, counties and state, presents findings and recommendations that enhance pedestrian safety and mobility patterns in the context of the future Purple Line transit station at the intersection. The study will support planning efforts for the Takoma/Langley Crossroads Sector Plan. The goal of the Crossroads Plan is to produce a joint bi-county plan that will enhance the unique character of this diverse, multi-cultural community and implement both counties’ existing General Plan recommendations for mixed-use, pedestrian- and transit-oriented development opportunities in support of a proposed Purple Line transit station. 

The final report contains an examination of existing pedestrian facilities, gaps in service for pedestrians, proposed short- and long-term pedestrian improvements that take into consideration the proposed Purple Line Metrorail Station, and general recommendations that will serve to inform the Takoma/Langley Crossroads Sector Plan. An important outcome of this planning effort was to convene stakeholders from agencies involved with operations and planning around this intersection. The dialogue that contributed to the final report will inform planning efforts as the Sector Plan moves forward. This project is representative of inner suburban challenges in a diverse area and the results serve to inform other jurisdictions challenged by similar issues. This project was completed for $20,000.

Please follow the link below to review the study developed for this project:

Takoma/Langley Crossroads Pedestrian Access and Mobility Study

 

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