Cambridge to conduct bikeway study

CAMBRIDGE, Md. – The city of Cambridge needs your input for a new route of travel proposed to the area.

The city has received funding from the department of transportation to look into bikeways. “The goal is to make it easier for people to use bicycling as a transportation trip,” said Nate Evans, MDOT Active Transportation Planner.

$32,000 awarded to the city of Cambridge to conduct a bikeway study. “To look at a combination of both protected bike lanes and regular bike lanes on select streets through town. The streets that they selected for bikeway improvements we’re going to create a network of interconnected bikeways through town,” said Evans.

The Maryland Department of Transportation says this is to help more people feel comfortable on the roads. “To improve safety for people that are already biking those streets, another goal is to encourage more people to bike on those streets with the added improvements,” Evans explained.

Local business owner Isaac Adams says this is a need in the city as kids could be in harms way when going for a ride. “We gotta a lot of kids that’s out here and when they do ride bikes they ride in the middle of the roads or they riding on sidewalks so it will put some order in the city and it will be safe. I think it will bring out more people because we got safety now and more people will come outside and more people will ride bikes because there isnt no bike lanes no where around here for nobody,” said Adams.

Adams says with these safety improvements this means more foot traffic for his business. “People will be able to stop especially to get sodas, drinks, to do whatever its going to be a great thing. I think people will really get outside and want to experience it because its something new that we ain’t never had around here,” said Adams.

MDOT says this survey comes at a crucial time as the economy across the nation is constantly changing. “We also understand that with rising gas prices, climate changer, traffic congestion, and public health bicycling tends to answer the question for all these questions,” said Evans.

The city encourages everyone to voice their opinions as this directly impacts the community. You can find more details about the project on the Cambridge bikeway study website.

Also if you’d like to see the plan in person, there will be a public meeting Tuesday at council chambers starting at 5:30.