Greenbelt resident Laurie Lemieux, co-owner of Proteus Bicycles, doesn’t use the bike trails throughout College Park only for recreational activity. She can also be found biking to grab a bite to eat or to get groceries, as well as to commute to work.
“I went to lunch at Fishnet and rode the Trolley Trail down to Hyattsville to get coffee. … I’m out there a lot,” she said. “We use the trails to commute to D.C., so I’m a regular commuter on the trail system and we use them for our recreational bike rides out of our bike shop.”
Soon, Lemieux and other area residents could see improved connections and amenities along the trail system, said Aaron Marcavitch, executive director of the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, who is working to improve the status of the trail, along with officials from College Park, surrounding municipalities and Prince George’s County.
But before discussing new amenities, including potential lighting and signage, the county hopes to address a few existing gaps in the trail system, said Dannielle Glaros, a Prince George’s County councilwoman.
“The first thing the county and Parks and Rec is most involved in is with the linkage,” Glaros said. “We’re still wrapping up getting the trail fully connected and that’s priority No. 1: making sure we have a full trail.”
Signage is an important element for cyclists and trail users, as people don’t always pay attention to where jurisdictions begin or end, Marcavitch said. The Anacostia Trails Heritage Area is looking into funding opportunities including state grants and business sponsorships, which could account for these features.
“We want to make sure we don’t have a situation where someone is riding in College Park … but then, when they get to the end of a street, realize the street they were supposed to be on to continue on the bike path is two streets over,” he said.
One of the larger remaining gaps under construction is between the city and the upcoming Whole Foods site located in Riverdale Park, Marcavitch said. With this connection, which should be completed “sometime this year,” the Trolley Trail will run straight from Greenbelt to Franklins Restaurant in Hyattsville without this “gap in the middle.”
“It’s a very good trail network — a nice straight shot. When the Whole Foods and everything finishes, it will be a nice connector from north to south through all our communities,” Marcavitch said.
Mayor Patrick Wojahn said the Trolley Trail is a “great amenity” and “critical” for the city in terms of transportation and recreation.
“It’s a great part of our community, and it only became more apparent recently during the snowstorm when several people from the community were asking the city to plow the [trail],” Wojahn said. “People rely on it to get to work and to get to class. It’s a recreational feature for the city, but it’s also an important way to commute and get around.”
The trails, Wojahn said, will be an even safer and more effective mode of transportation once the gaps are bridged. The city is working on these gaps, one of which is located along a trail in Berwyn, he added.
“That’ll greatly enhance the ability for people to use the trail and increase the amount of people that commute to College Park from other places and to other places,” Wojahn said. “I myself like to bike when the weather is warmer, and it will enhance my ability to get to work safely.”
A connection is also being built between the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, located in Washington around Yards Park, and the Anacostia Tributary Trail. This link, expected to be completed in October, is important in connecting cyclists in Washington to the city, Marcavitch said — and could potentially bring people into local businesses.
“We are already seeing significant interest in bikes and bike tours and people using bikes, so we know there’s going to be a significant values,” Marcavitch said. “Each of the towns recognize that this is the alternative to Route 1. People don’t [always] want to get into the car; this is going to be more relaxing and a little bit more healthy as well.”
