There have been no pedestrian- or bicyclist-involved crashes on Old Georgetown Road since bike lanes were installed on the state road in October, according to a report released Monday from the Maryland State Highway Administration. Travel times increased by about 7% to 13%, the analysis found.
Last fall, after the agency studied the roadway, crews resurfaced much of Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda, narrowed lanes, planted flex posts along the bike routes, and installed high-visibility crosswalk markings at many intersections.
Over 8,000 people have signed an online petition opposing the changes, while over 2,000 people have signed a rival petition supporting the changes. More than 100 bikers convened in January as part of an organized bike ride along the road to show support for the bike lanes.
Some residents have criticized the lanes for extending their commutes and said the changes were poorly designed, leading to confusion among motorists. Others have voiced support for the changes, saying they prioritize the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
Between Oct. 1, 2022 and March 15, after the resurfacing and lane reallocation began, the MD 187 corridor experienced 35 crashes, according to the SHA interim analysis. Among the 35 crashes, nine resulted in injury and none resulted in a fatality. None of the crashes involved pedestrians or bicyclists.
From January 2022 to October 2022 prior to the bike lane installation, the corridor experienced a total of 40 crashes – one fatality and 17 of which resulted in injury, according to the report. Six of the 40 crashes were pedestrian or bicycle related, including the fatality. 18-year-old bicyclist and Bethesda resident Enzo Marcel Alvarenga was killed in a collision with a vehicle in Bethesda on Old Georgetown Road in June 2022. The other five crashes resulted in injury.
“The focus of this project was to improve safety for vulnerable users of the system as well as motorists while balancing mobility along the corridor,” the report says.
Travel times increased immediately following the implementation of the road diet and have fallen slightly since then, according to the report. Travel times for drivers driving in the northbound morning off-peak direction have increased by about 7%, or about 0.5 minutes, since the bike lane reallocation, according to the report. In the northbound afternoon peak direction travel teams are currently 13% higher, or about 1 minute higher, than they were before the road diet.
In the southbound morning peak direction, travel times did not see an immediate increase following the implementation of the road diet, likely due to lower traffic volumes during the holiday season, and increased significantly the week following the holidays. Travel times have since reduced and are now comparable to what they were before the road diet. In the southbound afternoon peak direction, travel times increased the week following the implementation of the road diet and have since reduced to pre-road diet levels.
At most intersections, the length of time for traffic cycles increased by thirty seconds, from 150 to 180 seconds. However, traffic cycle times have reduced to 120 seconds at the I-270 ramp terminal signals.
Del. Marc Korman (D-Dist. 16) said further information is needed—including more comparable crash data for the interim report and then the full post-installation analysis.
“But the data provided confirms the obvious: There are trade-offs when we make these safety improvements. Finding the right balance is obviously the challenge,” Korman said.
Korman represents parts of Bethesda, North Bethesda, Potomac and Rockville.
“[Increased driving times] are a concern, but that’s where the trade-offs come in. Bike lanes were added between Ryland and Cedar and to most—not all—drivers the impact was imperceptible,” Korman said. But, “That has not been the experience here. You can’t totally gridlock the road in the name of safety but we also can’t make it the Indy 500. It’s all about finding the balance.”