Bikes

Cycling on the C&O Canal towpath has become an important part of Brunswick’s draw.

Because of that, it makes sense for Brunswick to be as bike-friendly of a city as its terrain will allow.

That terrain will only allow so much. As much as we would like cyclists coming in off the towpath to explore town, our hills are going to discourage most visitors from venturing far beyond downtown. A lot of Brunswick’s streets are narrow, and a lot of residents rely on street parking, so creating bike lanes won’t be practical everywhere.

There are a few things we could do, though. The simplest is to install more bike racks downtown, so that people can lock their bikes when shopping or eating in town. Another is to build a bridge over the railroad tracks so that cyclists can reliably get on and off the towpath.

A lot of Brunswick’s streets are narrow, and a lot of residents rely on street parking, so bike lanes won’t be practical everywhere.

Another thing is to build a bike path along Gum Spring Road. That would connect Galyn Manor and Woodside Station to downtown and connect the canal towpath to road cycling routes on Point of Rocks Road (MD 464). Parts of Gum Spring Road are narrow, but it has no street parking and the slope is relatively gentle.

If elected, I’ll pursue those goals and also work to get bike lanes on Petersville Road and Souder Road, which are maintained by the State Highway Administration. I’ll also keep bike options in mind when considering Brunswick’s future development. I’m still a relatively inexperienced cyclist myself (I bought a new bike for the first time in decades after moving here) so I’d be glad to hear others’ ideas.

---