Bikeable Baltimore Region

The Baltimore region will work together to create a bicycle network that expands opportunities for users of all ages and abilities. This connected network will support improved safety, mobility, and equitable access to jobs, schools, housing, transit, parks, and other daily destinations.

We created eight draft project goals to guide the regional bike network.

Advance Equity Expanding and enhancing the regional bicycle network will improve safety and accessibility by providing comfortable bicycle facilities for all users.

Connect People to Places The regional bicycle network will connect people to places by developing comfortable and continuous bicycle facilities that offer opportunities for people to bike to where they live, work, play, or learn. The network will also increase first- and last-mile connections to transit.

Consider Context The Baltimore region is diverse and biking needs vary by jurisdiction. The regional bicycle network will consider context in network design to prioritize the right types of connections in the right places.

Emphasize Collaboration The regional bicycle network will emphasize collaboration by being implemented cooperatively with the community, stakeholders, and local, regional, and state partners. This collaboration will also help facilitate connections to neighboring jurisdictions.

Improve Safety and Accessibility Expanding and enhancing the regional bicycle network will improve safety and accessibility by providing comfortable bicycle facilities for all users.

Maintain the Network The regional bicycle network must be reliable and remain in a state of good repair, which means working with MDOT and local jurisdictions to maintain the network by developing and supporting maintenance strategies and needs.

Set Attainable Ambitions The regional bicycle network will set attainable ambitions by prioritizing a network that can be feasibly implemented by member jurisdictions.

Support Community Development The regional bicycle network will support community development and economic growth by increasing access to transit, job opportunities, daily needs, and recreational and tourism opportunities.

Support Environmental and Health Benefits The regional bicycle network will support environmental and health benefits by increasing opportunities for comfortable and convenient bicycle trips which may reduce the use of motor vehicles assisting in reducing air pollution and vehicle emissions which negatively impact our community and environment, including increasing the likelihood of childhood asthma. The network will also increase opportunities for physical activity to be integrated into daily life.

The existing bike network in the Baltimore region includes a variety of different facility types.

Shared-use paths include paths, greenways, or trails significantly separated from the road by open space.

Sidepaths are separated paths that run adjacent to roads.

Protected bike lanes are separated from vehicle traffic with vertical separation such as concrete curbs or plastic posts.

Standard Bike Lanes are separated from vehicle traffic by a stripe of paint and may include a painted buffer space.

Shared road lanes are paved shoulders or roads with pavement markings and/or signage to show that bikes and vehicles share the road.

In total, there are over 758 miles of existing bicycle and shared-use facilities in the Baltimore region displayed in Chart 1.

Chart 2 shows the number of miles of each bicycle and shared-use facilities per jurisdiction. Hover over the colored bars to see the totals in each category. Below are a few key takeaways of bicycle and shared-use facilities within each jurisdiction:

• Baltimore City has the highest total miles of bicycle and shared-use facilities (183 miles) followed closely by Howard County (181 miles).
• Howard County has the highest miles of shared-use paths in the region (136 miles) while Anne Arundel County has the highest mileage of sidepaths (47 miles).
• There are limited miles of protected bike lanes in the Baltimore region with most located in Baltimore City (15 miles) and the rest located in Anne Arundel County (1 mile) and Howard County (2 miles).
• Baltimore City (46 miles), Anne Arundel County (40 miles), Howard County (39 miles), and Baltimore County (37 miles) have similarly high miles of standard bike lanes.
• Baltimore City (67 miles) and Baltimore County (62 miles) have the largest miles of shared road lanes.

Do you see any bike facilities that are missing or that need the bike facility type updated?  Let us know here. 

To prepare for identifying a regional network made up of comfortable and safe bike facilities and roadways the project team looked at how things are now in the region and asked the following questions.

• Where are people biking now?
• Where could more people bike?
• Where are the region's most vulnerable communities?
• Where are bicyclist-involved crashes happening?

Thanks for taking our survey and contributing to our input map!

If you have any comments you'd still like to send to our project team, you can get in touch with us in any of the ways listed in the "Stay Involved" section below.

Visit the  project website  where you can give additional feedback, sign up for periodic email and text updates on project, view the public meeting flyer ( PDF  and  digital  version), and check out the Frequently Asked Questions section for responses to commonly asked questions about the project.

You can share your thoughts about your vision for a regional bicycle network in a few different ways:

• WEBSITE: Give additional feedback on the  project website 
• EMAIL: Send an email to BikeBaltoRegion@publicinput.com
• VOICEMAIL: Leave us a voicemail at 855-925-2801 x10292
• TEXT: Text the keyword BikeBaltoRegion to the number 73224
• MAIL: Mail a letter to us at Baltimore Metropolitan Council, 1500 Whetstone Way, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21230
• SOCIAL MEDIA: Reach @BaltoMetroCo on social media with #BRTBListens

Need more information or help with something? Email us at  BikeBaltoRegion@publicinput.com  or leave us a voicemail at 855-925-2801 x 10292.

The Bikeable Baltimore Region project is a regional partnership between Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), City of Annapolis, Baltimore City, and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s counties.