sierra club hosts first-ever bike ride in call for better bike network

The MoCo Sierra Club wants to go on a bike ride with you.

With Capital Bikeshare coming to Montgomery County this year, it's worth looking at whether our streets are ready for more bicyclists. I've been working with the Montgomery County Sierra Club to develop a vision for improving the county's bike infrastructure, and on April 20, we invite you to learn about it while taking a ride through Silver Spring and Takoma Park.

Some time this spring, Montgomery County will roll out 29 new bikeshare stations in Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Bethesda and Friendship Heights. Anticipating an influx of new riders, area bicycling advocates say the county should also improve its bicycling network by adding more paths and bike lanes.

In January, the Sierra Club released its own Bicycle Statement, which I wrote with their guidance. To look at Montgomery County's existing bike network and opportunities for improvement, we're hosting a 5-mile bike ride in Silver Spring and Takoma Park.

We'll meet in front of Veterans Plaza, located at Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street in downtown Silver Spring, at 10am on Saturday, April 20, and return there a couple of hours later. You can click here to see the route. Here's more information from the Sierra Club:

The Montgomery Sierra Club presents a bike ride, with discussion, from Silver Spring to Takoma Park and back again. Hardier riders will continue on to Wheaton. Dan Reed, blogger for Greater Greater Washington, and Jack Cochrane of Montgomery Bicycle Advocates will take us on the Metropolitan Branch and Sligo Creek trails. We’ll also briefly ride on the city streets, exploring a variety of semi-urban biking landscapes.

Along the way we’ll discuss our new Bicycle Statement, filled with ideas to make biking a safe and common activity for teens through seniors. We’ll also show you points-of-interest related to the statement.

For more information and to let us know you're coming, email Ethan Goffman at ethan dot goffman at maryland dot sierraclub dot org. We'll see you on the 20th!