DPW HWYS Jim Barker assigned this issue to DPW HWYS M. Wolf

This issue was recategorized from Trails and Pathways to Curb repair or replace.

Howard County, MD (Tell HoCo) assigned this issue to DPW HWYS Office

DPW HWYS Jim Barker assigned this issue to DPW HWYS M. Wolf

The asphalt placed between the sidewalk and the road at that location was placed by CA for their convenience to permit their vehicles to access the path for maintenance.

It was never intended to serve as an accessible path and should not be considered as such chiefly due to sight distance deficiencies as the road curves heading back towards Etta Ct.

Ramp upgrades are being provided at the intersection of Bluecoat Ln and Bright Hawk/Sleeping Dog to accommodate pedestrian traffic crossing Bluecoat in a far more suitable location for both pedestrians and motorists.

Back in 2020, my earlier Tell HoCo request #6852833 received a Howard County comment that this curb cut was on the ADA-compliant list. I can't imagine anyone wishing to walk, bike, push a stroller, or travel by a wheelchair who would travel to Sleeping Dog to cross the street. I regularly use this "unintended" pathway and have for years. Many of my neighbors do as well. This Howard County solution seems to favor automobile traffic to the detriment of other forms of traffic, contrary to Complete Streets Policy.

The solution noted in #6852833 seems to have been reversed. This posting should be open so that the many users of this very popular bike/ped trail can post comments.

This is an essential pathway connection for safely traveling under route 175. The CA path exits here. Asking pedestrians, bicyclists, stroller walkers, and wheel chairs to travel an extra quarter of a mile up to Bluecoat and back is ridiculous. If the traffic situation is unsafe on this road, then the traffic needs to be addressed. I travel this path by bicycle every day and never have an issue with traffic. Please give non vehicle drivers equal rights as drivers.

I've been using this trail for years, and while I'm old and just a bit lame, I've managed to get past this intersection without any issues so far. That said, I believe that it is an important alternative for Columbia residents who consider the Thunder Hill/175 intersection unsafe for their pedestrian traffic.

I believe that the Howard County Government should take the safety of its elderly taxpayers into consideration and reverse its decision to not consider this path an "accessible" one and make this curb cut and every other part of the path ADA-Compliant as soon as possible.

While I haven't had issues with vehicles at this location, perhaps signage and pedestrian crossing markings should be added to the curb correction project as well.

I would like to see the curb cuts for this path on both sides of Bluecoat Ln. While the initial placement of the asphalt may have been for the convience of CA, it now has evolved to become a desired and used addition to the path by the bike, stroller and walking community. We now consider this an accessable path and would like the curb cuts added accordingly. The blind sight lines would make for a more compelling reason to not put the curb cuts in were this street not a deadend and this were not a tirtiary residental road. Please add the curb cuts. Striping the crosswalk would be a nice added touch.

The sidewalk is too narrow to allow more than one pedestrian or cyclist at a time. As a regular user of this path, this location really deserves a curb cut.

I concur with several of the other commenters: this paticular path is the main connection between Thunder Hill and Oakloand Mills town center, and goes on to conenct with the downtown Columbia area. As such, it is well traveled and should be prioritized for ADA curb improvements.

Good afternoon - after further discussion and review, our Traffic Engineering Division offers the following:

"ADA ramp installation to be made in coordination with and pending Columbia Association pathway realignment. In its current location, there is about a 6-ft offset between pathway termini on each side of the roadway. Coordination is to be made with Columbia Association for their realignment of portion of pathway to tie-in to an appropriate location for ADA ramp landings.

As this will be a new ramp installation project, it will not be done as part of the current ramp/curb repair project and the project will be assigned to a County requirements contractor as a separate task.

Advance pedestrian crossing signing will be included in that project as well as other signing mitigation for limited sight-distance in the northern approach."

Wonderful news! Thank you for exploring and creating a solution suitable for all means of transportation.