By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The Worcester County Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition continues its efforts to make Worcester County a more walkable community.

The group has secured measures to maintain the welfare of bikers and walkers, like crosswalks and signage in Ocean Pines. It will continue to prioritize projects that help protect all who access the area’s roads and highways, not those just in vehicles. As such, the organization, led by Patti Stevens, looks to push forward further safety initiatives heading into 2025.

The Worcester County Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition helped gain support for the Worcester County Greenway and Trails Master Plan, a project aimed at connecting local destinations and scenic landscapes via trails and bikeways. The group assisted in grant application processes and provided input at meetings to strengthen the initiative. Stevens said that the master plan is expected to be presented to the Worcester County Commissioners during an upcoming January meeting.

 The Greenway and Trails Master Plan hopes to propel Worcester County as a leader in “active transportation with healthy, equitable, and sustainable greenways,” the official document reads. The outline defines greenways as “corridors through natural areas connecting people walking, biking, or using other non-motorized ways to travel and reach destinations.” The goal is that these paths will serve people who take regular casual strolls, non-car commuters, runners, cyclists, and hikers.

“The nature of Worcester County is that many people come here to visit for both recreation and economic opportunity,” Stevens said. “We have a lot of people who live here full-time or part-time to enjoy the ocean, and there are many recreational opportunities at the state and national parks as well as the lovely small towns. Providing access to people to those places will have both an economic and health and safety impact.”

Stevens added that there is a “tremendous” amount of bike and foot travel in the summer, particularly by seasonal workers, and as that season continues to lengthen, taking steps to improve pedestrian safety is imperative.

“We see in Worcester County, similar to the rest of the state, that the death and serious injury due to collisions of those who walk and bike on our roads is rising,” she said. “It is critical to begin to work on creating safer ways for people to get around as development continues along Route 50, in West Ocean City, in Berlin, and in Snow Hill,  and to create alternative routes for people to get to and from those places safely.”

Stevens added that pedestrian efforts must be prioritized at the intersection of Route 5o and Route 589 in light of the proposed Giant shopping center and a 168-unit apartment complex. According to Stevens, that intersection is one of the most dangerous on the Eastern Shore as bikers, individuals on scooters, and walkers travel to reach the existing shopping. As development continues, it will only worsen without proper precautions.

“To do that kind of development, bike and pedestrian planning for that intersection should be required to improve that area,” Stevens said.

The coalition has also worked to improve walkability in Berlin. Stevens noted that the pedestrian advocacy group worked with the town on a grant submission for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program, created through the Inflation Reduction Act in an amount of $1.2 million for the design and planning stage of the Bridging the Highway that Divides Berlin: Reconnecting Neighborhoods Split by US 113 project. The initiative aims to improve the town’s walkability by constructing connectivity elements like a bike and pedestrian bridge over Route 113.

The Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian organization also garnered letters of support from the area’s participating coalition members and nonprofits like Lower Shore Land Trust and Beach to Bay Heritage Area for the Berlin project. Stevens said her group will continue to be involved in the initiative as it progresses.

Additionally, Stevens added that Worcester County Public Works Director Dallas Baker, a coalition member, has taken the lead in securing grant funding, conducting a feasibility study, and planning a shared-use path from Route 50 to Assateague along Route 611.

Stevens said that the feasibility study, which the coalition consulted on, has been completed, and the preliminary planning and design stage is next.

“The trail will greatly improve access for people who want to go to one of the highest demand visitor locations, Assateague, as well as for the residents that live along 611 that want to get into West Ocean City and Ocean City on bike or foot,” the coalition representative said.

The coalition has advanced many projects to make Worcester County safer. Earlier this year, a crosswalk from the South Gate Pond to the Racetrack Road and Manklin Creek intersection was completed in Ocean Pines.

The State Highway Administration, a branch of the Maryland Department of Transportation, and the local organization partnered with the Ocean Pines Association on the project, ensuring the connection was placed at a heavily trafficked spot. As half the community’s residents live on the south side and may wish to access Food Lion or the other surrounding shops by foot or bike, a safety precaution must be constructed to advance the neighborhood’s walkability.

“We observe many people walking and biking that path,” Stevens said in February. “Both employees and residents. Some people who work at Food Lion, Plaza Tapatia, and Dunkin Donuts need to get across. There needs to be safe access. Currently, there are a lot of illegal and dangerous crossings. That’s something we’re trying to combat.”

The group plans on continuing this safety work into 2025.

“We have seen tremendous progress in identifying opportunities, securing grant funding, and beginning progress toward creating more walkable and bikeable communities,” Stevens said.