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Bel Air commissioners send bicycle and pedestrian plan back for edits; vote to review revised plan March 3
Summary
After a presentation on an updated bicycle and pedestrian plan, Bel Air commissioners directed staff to revise language on bike-lane recommendations, remove a proposed path through Major's Choice Park and return the plan for review at the March 3 meeting.
Bel Air commissioners reviewed the draft update to the town's bicycle and pedestrian plan on Tuesday and directed staff to revise parts of the document before formal acceptance.
The board heard a presentation from Laura Bianca Pruetz, who described the update as “an update to the first bicycle pedestrian plan, which, was released in 2013,” and outlined public engagement efforts including an open house in June 2024, outreach at the Bel Air Farmers Market and a 27-question survey that received more than 70 responses. Pruetz said the top priorities identified were new dedicated bike lanes and safer bike facilities.
Commissioners discussed several specific edits they want before final acceptance. Mayor Eddings asked that language proposing a bike path through Major's Choice Park be removed; commissioners agreed. Commissioner Taylor pressed staff to add evaluative language so any proposed bike-lane striping would be preceded by a site-specific study rather than be stated in a declaratory way; Laura Pruetz confirmed such evaluations would occur “each time we would undertake something.”
Commissioners also asked staff to tone down a passage in the plan’s “complete streets” definition that some said risked politicizing the document. Mayor Eddings and other commissioners said they would prefer the plan to use neutral, inclusive language and indicated staff should edit that paragraph accordingly.
Rather than adopt the plan at Tuesday’s work session, the board chose to review a revised draft at its March 3 meeting. Pruetz outlined the report’s 10-year action framework and emphasized the plan is nonbinding and intended to serve as a blueprint and a tool for grant applications.
Discussion/next steps: staff will revise the draft to (1) remove Major’s Choice Park from proposed path alignments, (2) soften the complete-streets language as requested by commissioners, and (3) add clearer language that proposed bike lanes will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis before installation. The revised plan will be on the March 3 agenda for further review.
