New Initiative Dedicated to Bicycle-Friendly College Park
August 28th, 2007 | by Chris Ellepola | Published in Bicycles, Transportation
A newly revitalized committee dedicated to bicycle issues could bring new attention to bikes on campus in College Park. After several years of inactivity, a newly hired graduate research assistant in UMD’s Department of Transportation is revitalizing the group. Gulsah Akar, an engineering graduate student, recently held a meeting for the group spelling out his goals.
The group hopes to:
- Increase bicycle use
- Increase bicycle safety (both riding and parking)
- Increase bicycle awareness (introduce bike as a viable mode)
- Create a sustainable bicycle program
- Funding
For more information on the Bicycle Committee, contact Gulsah at gulsah at umd.edu.
This is a wonderful time for bicycle issues in College Park. When funding is found, the reconstruction of Route 1 will mean an improvement for cyclists. We hope some of that money will be earmarked for dedicated bike lanes on the entire corridor. Bike lanes will encourage alternative transportation and provide an amenity for current cyclists.
Other useful College Park cycling resources include the College Park Area Bicycle Coalition, the The Washington Area Bicyclist Association, UMD Cycling Club. Another useful contact is campus police officer John Brandt, who specializes in campus biking, who can be reached at jbrandt@umpd.umd.edu.
We have also heard about the possibility of an innovative new bike rental project that could come to our area – stay tuned.
