By Greg Ellison

(March 4, 2021) Ocean Pines resident and bicycle enthusiast Patti Stevens is uniting area partners to improve safety and accessibility for two-wheeled peddlers or two-footed pedestrians throughout Worcester County.

Last spring, Stevens teamed with longtime area bicycle advocate, and Pines neighbor, Tres Denk to establish the Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian Coalition.

The group was sparked in February 2020 when Denk, who also serves as president of the Eastern Shore International Mountain Bike Association, traveled to Annapolis for Bike Lobby Day.

During the state house trip Denk spoke to Sen. Mary Beth Carozza about enhancing resources for bikers and hikers on the Eastern Shore.

Stevens said Carozza suggested contacting Worcester County Recreation and Parks Director Tom Perlozzo.

By April, Stevens, who also serves as the Maryland Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Coalition’s Eastern Shore representative, joined Denk and other ESIMBA members to explore partnering with Perlozzo.

“We wanted to connect the different groups that are working on trails and pedestrian safety across the county,” she said.

After Worcester Recreation and Parks agreed to co-sponsor the organization, next steps involved soliciting participation from an array of county entities including the Worcester County Health Department, Worcester County Economic Development, the Lower Shore Land Trust and area municipalities Berlin, Ocean City, Snow Hill and Pocomoke.

Additional partners include Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks, the Greater Ocean City, Maryland Chamber of Commerce and West OC Pedal and Pedestrian.

“We did a survey to those participants who had been identified,” she said.

The responses were uniformly in favor of teaming up, with an outline of collaborative projects quickly assembled.

The inaugural meeting of the Worcester Bike and Pedestrian Coalition was held last June, with total membership growing to 20 after half a dozen subsequent meetings.

Stevens said addressing inequities for access to bike trails and sidewalks in area neighborhoods, including parts of Ocean Pines and downtown Berlin, is a primary driver for the coalition.

“That’s a significant part … to create, improve and expand safe places for people to bike and walk,” she said.

The intent is to assure safe pathways are available both within neighborhoods and communities and between common points of destination.

“Within Ocean Pines there are a lot of places you can ride or walk but if you wanted to go to the grocery store … or even the library from the North Gate … it’s difficult to do safely,” she said.

Stevens said other areas in Maryland and elsewhere have accomplished these goals by developing a complete streets plan.

While, in many instances, protecting younger bicyclists was a primary objective, the benefits also extend to older residents forced to abandon driving for alternative travel means, such as scooters or electric wheel chairs.

“When you create places that are safe for kids to walk and ride [as] AARP says, ‘If it’s safe for an 8-year-old, it’s safe for an 80-year-old,’” she said.

Stevens said online tracking data indicates the number of people biking and hiking for health and recreation across Worcester increased significantly during 2020.

“I think it’s a trend that’s happening across the country because people are not able …. to go to gyms and other indoor fitness activities,” she said.

Stevens said numerous bicycle shops in the area also attested to experiencing a spike in sales and rentals last year.

“It’s been an across the board trend,” she said.

In December, the coalition established priorities for this year, which in addition to developing new trail projects in Berlin, Snow Hill and the Pocomoke State Forest, includes raising awareness of the increased number of people walking and biking.

“We thought a good way to do that would be to have some community rides,” she said.

Several events are currently in production to coincide with National Bike Month in May. The League of American Bicyclists first launched the annual celebration in 1958.

Stevens said the group road rides would average from 10-15 miles.

“We would work with law enforcement to identify potentially risky intersections to have increased visibility,” she said.

Stevens said details are being finalized for a community bike ride in Ocean Pines on May 1, with comparable plans underway in Snow Hill and Pocomoke that month.

“Just to get people out and riding together to show them, perhaps, some trails and routes they haven’t been on,” she said.

Stevens said as more details become available information will be posted on the coalition’s Facebook page, with all events open to confident riders ages 12 and above.

Plans are also afoot between Worcester Recreation and Parks and ESIMBA members for a bike safety-training course at John W. Smith Park in Snow Hill on May 15.

“Teaching kids the basics of how to ride safely and how to check their bikes [to confirm] brakes and tires are in good shape,” she said.

Stevens said participants could register for the safety course by contacting Derek Jarmon with Worcester Recreation and Parks at 410-632-2144 x2509 or emailing djarmon@marylandscoast.org.

The coalition is also a community partner with the Maryland Coast Ride, based in Ocean City set for May 8. For more information visit marylandcoastbikefestival.com.

Looking forward, positioning Worcester County to access greater state funding and other grant opportunities for biking and hiking accessibility projects is the long game for the Worcester Bike and Pedestrian Coalition.

Stevens said the Maryland Department of Transportation’s 2019 Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan highlighted the general lack of strategic planning at the county level for upgrading walking and biking routes on the Eastern Shore.

“They looked to fund and finance projects that were not isolated and that showed connectivity with a larger biking and walking network,” she said.

Stevens said the overarching goal is establishing a master plan in Worcester that prioritizes trail and sidewalk connections as other Lowere Shore counties have previously accomplished.

“We don’t have that in place now,” she said. “In some cases they’ve actually embedded it into their comprehensive plan that’s a requirement for developers and county projects.”