I’m planning some new bike routes for the Bolton Hill, Reservoir Hill & Lake Avenue area. Essentially, these routes will be signed with distance and destination markers with limited pavement markings along (relatively) low volume, low speed roads connecting gaps in the Baltimore’s bike network.
Eutaw route will follow Eutaw Pl northbound from State Center/MLK to Druid Hill Park. The southbound route will be Madison/Swan from the Jones Falls Trail to Bloom where it dog-legs left back to Eutaw.
The Lake Avenue route will begin where the bike lanes end on Kelly Ave just west of Mt. Washington and direct bike traffic east to Falls, dog-leg left onto Bellemore to Roland, dog-leg left again onto Lake all the way to Chinquapin with a spur to Belvedere Square off Linton via the footbridge over Northern Pkwy.
The development of these routes is based on their identity in the bike master plan, current use by cyclists and areas where bikes and cars can conceivably “share the road”. While Eutaw may not be for the faint of heart, there’s Park which is quieter. Some prefer Lake Ave over Bellemore when climbing out of the valley, which is all good. Bellemore doesn’t necessarily have the road width, but it has far less traffic. Some avoid Lake altogether, but it does have a wider shoulder toward the west and traffic calming in the east.
If biking in Baltimore is to be normalized, we need to decrease “riding in the shadows” and OBEY TRAFFIC LAWS. Any feedback is encouraged and appreciated! And thanks to everyone who came to the Harford Rd meeting!!!!
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09.03.09 at 4:39 pm
Johnny
This is awesome and great work! I might be crazy, but Bellemore feels steeper than Lake? But it is WAY quieter. But, to tell the truth, I’m too sissy to ride up either of them.
Lake feels like it’s more gradual of an incline, but it could just be the curves fooling me.
But these new East/West routes sound fan-freakin-tastic!
09.03.09 at 6:25 pm
Eric
Thanks Nate. I don’t have much to offer in regard to those routes, but thanks for taking it on.
09.03.09 at 6:42 pm
dukiebiddle
Sissies, you gotta climb Poplar parallel to Bellemore to the south (behind Joe’s Bike shop). At one point, your back tire begins to spin out from such a steep climb. It makes me want to throw up, and I love it.
I prefer Park over Eutaw, but it’s problematic once you get to Druid Hill Park Drive. You can’t turn left and follow the roads all the way to McCullah. There is an old brick path all along that route, but it is nearly overgrown and the street crossings don’t have accessible curbs.
As for Madison or McCullah, etc., I always have huge problems with drug dealers thinking I’m there to buy drugs, and police officers assuming the same thing, but there isn’t really anything the bike master plan can do about that. Bike lane or not, I’ll continue to avoid that area.
09.03.09 at 9:28 pm
Johnny
Bellemore scares me more going down. One time, Dan busted a spoke, and it hit me in the face on that hill (I tell this one a lot, LOL). If I didn’t wear glasses, I might be short one eye.
09.03.09 at 11:29 pm
dukiebiddle
Lake scares me even more going down, to the point where I won’t do it anymore. Since it is so straight, before you know it you’re doing close to 50 mph. Since there’s no traffic on Bellemore I just brake to a more moderate speed of 30 or so.
09.04.09 at 1:09 am
cralls
I live in the Bolton Hill neighborhood, and agree that Park is at least a safer route to follow. I think a lot of motorists unfamiliar with the area become very confused on Eutaw and Eutaw Pl… which I see as a threat to cyclists. Park is much quieter IMO and makes more sense traffic wise. That’s my experience though.
09.04.09 at 11:26 am
Calling North Baltimore Bikers « Life in the Beehive
[...] the Bolton Hill, Reservoir Hill and Lake Avenue areas? Nate Evans, Baltimore’s bike planner, would like to hear from you. And if you’re looking for some good folks to do some low-key (as in, no shiny pants [...]
09.04.09 at 1:04 pm
Palermo Bikes
Bellemore?! Ouch. Never been up Poplar. I think any way you cut it coming up to Roland off of Falls is steep climb. I prefer and routinely ride Lake and think it would see more use. It’s less steep, travels a good distance (eg. Towson/Belvedere) and there is a bike route near Towson that dumps onto Lake. It’d be more of a route that actually goes some where instead of just a route plunked down. I think Lake would go further towards establishing a truly connected bike lane system where point to point travel is possible. Bellemore would not achieve this and it’s one of the hardest climbs in the city (at least to my knowledge).
09.04.09 at 3:06 pm
dukiebiddle
Tough call as to which a steeper climb, Lake or Bellemore. I only climbed Lake once, was in worse shape then and I had to take a breather in the middle. I’ve since switched over to Bellemore, gotten into better shape and no longer need to take a break. Where is the bike route from Towson that dumps onto Lake? I do have a bit of an issue with Lake east of Roland: the lane is only barely wide enough for a single car with no shoulder, there is heavy traffic and it’s going fast. There just doesn’t seem to be enough room for a bicycle in its present incarnation, and I don’t see where they could place a bike lane in the future. But other than that, I’d totally be for the bike route system for the City and County being somewhat integrated.
09.04.09 at 3:30 pm
Palermo Bikes
Bellemore is a steeper gradient for a longer distance. The overall climb is longer on Lake and it does kick midway up. Good point about the narrowness of Lake on the east side of Roland. I hadn’t considered that. I still think Lake is the better connection between Falls and Roland, particularly since there’s a traffic light at both of those intersections.
09.05.09 at 3:37 pm
Tom Rose
I’m 74 now, and unfortunately have not been on my bike for a while. In the ’90′s regularly did Bellemore and Lake in both directions. As time went by, though did give up on Bellemore east-bound. Both are acceptable routes depending on rider’s abilities. Going down Bellemore leads to traffic issues at Falls where traffic has greatly increased since Whole Foods and that complex have become popular.
Am in process of working towards a connection of the Jones Falls and North Central trails and have presented a preliminary outline of how that could work to MDOT personnel. From my house I would take Lake west to Falls and turn right to the Falls Rd. light rail station area where the trail would run.
Of course I’ll never live to see the connection made. But one needs to start sometime.