I met with Secretary Ray LaHood today!

Secretary Ray LaHood heard concerns about Norbeck Road

Great news.  I just returned to my office from a very productive lunch meeting with U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood.  I did not waste any time expressing my concerns about the pedestrian safety problems on Norbeck Road. 

I explained that Norbeck Road is very narrow and curvy with no shoulders, no sidewalks, and no bike paths, all of which creates very dangerous travel conditions for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

I showed the Secretary several pictures I snapped while walking and driving on Norbeck Road and he agreed that it would be dangerous for anyone to walk and bike in the road, let alone drive and have to swerve around pedestrians and bicyclists.  The Secretary said that the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) like all other State DOTs should always include pedestrian and bicycle facilities during the planning of new road and bridges.

I then showed Secretary LaHood a picture of the new bridge that SHA built on Norbeck Road over the Intercounty Connecctor (ICC).  He was surprised to see that the bridge had been built with no shoulders, no sidewalks, or bike lanes.  I explained that SHA had built the bridge without any pedestrian and bicycle facilities because the rest of Norbeck Road did not have them in the first place.  But that shouldn't be an excuse.  Instead, SHA should have anticipated that Norbeck Road would be upgraded in the future with pedestrian and bicycle facilities and built the bridge accordingly. 

I was recently informed that SHA will stripe a bike lane on one side of the bridge, but at a later date in 2012 when the exit/entrance ramps to the ICC are removed.  That's not good enough.  The SHA should have built the bridge with sidewalks on both sides and bike lanes on both sides.  That would have improved connectivity and provided equitable transportation access for those who are car-less and depend on non-motorized travel to get around.

The SHA needs to improve its transportation planning policies and always incorporate pedestrian and bicycle facilities.  Doing so would  be more efficient and reduce labor/material costs upfront by avoiding costly retrofits in the future.

Anyway, the Secretary said that he would be interested in opening a dialogue with SHA to see if anything can be done to address the lack of pedestrian/bicycle facilities on Norbeck Road and on the new bridge over the ICC.  The Secretary's correspondence specialist met with me afterwards and I gave him a two-page letter describing the problems on Norbeck Road along with six full-color pictures of the road's dangerous conditions. 

It appears that the Secretary's office will send a letter to SHA about Norbeck Road.  Yay!  It feels so good to be heard, especially after the disappointing responses from SHA.

The Secretary wants to meet again in 2-3 months to see if anything else needs to be done.  I will also meet with the Secretary's correspondence specialist next week.  And I'm hoping to meet with FHWA staff as that Agency was a partner in funding and planning the ICC. 

Stay tuned for an update.  In the meantime, check out the pictures I showed Secretary LaHood after the jump: