Kids & Family

Bike Lanes Coming to Great Star Drive

The latest project in the Village of River Hill is supposed to make roads more friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians.

 

Crews this week began resurfacing Great Star Drive in the Village of River Hill to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians, while "calming" traffic in the area, according to a press release from the Howard County Department of Public Works.

The driving lanes will be narrowed from 17 feet to 11 feet, to make way for five-foot bike lanes on each side of Great Star Drive, from Guilford Road to Route 108, according to the department.

"Adding bike lanes to Great Star Drive will create an important cycling connection from the western part of Howard County to Columbia," said Howard County Executive Ken Ulman in a statement.

Other parts of the project include modifying the current pedestrian islands to accommodate the bike lanes and painting new left-turn lanes at Moonsails Lane, Blue Point Court, Countless Stars Run and Ascending Moon Path.

This project comes after local residents and leaders expressed concern for pedestrians and bicyclists . Residents expressed opposition to adding a new road that would extend Great Star Drive across Route 108 toward the future site of .

The current pedestrian islands were added three years ago because, according to River Hill Village board chair Tony Miceli, crossing Great Star Drive toward the Village Center was even too much of a hassle for people who lived just across the street.

Once the islands were added, he saw significant improvement.

"Now, you can watch some of River Hill’s older folks maneuver their motorized chairs across Great Star to the village center," .

In April, the Columbia Association with Jennifer Toole, a professional bicycle and pedestrian safety planner.

Toole said projects to increase bike-friendly roadways are "on the rise" across the country.

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