The West Towson Trail, which stretches from Allegheny to Pennsylvania Avenue and behind the Towson Family Center Y, will be renovated to the tune of $30,000.
The trail is about a mile northwest of Towson’s campus.
The money, received through a Maryland State Highway Administration grant, will be used to stop erosion along the trail. Other grants will go to similar trail projects. Those projects are more regional and complex, such as laying asphalt pathways, according to Baltimore County Councilman David Marks.
“I supported the grant because this is an important neighborhood trail, and the money will go to modest improvements to improve its use,” Marks said. “The only neighborhood comments I have received have been about the use of the trail, which I think will be limited.”
Students said they use the trail for both walking and biking.
Sophomore Madeleine Smith said that she frequently uses her bike on campus to get to classes.
“Bike lanes in downtown Towson would be absolutely amazing. I would most definitely use them,” Smith said. “I would use them to get to the mall or just the town in general, because finding parking is a pain. I think it would also cut down on fuel emissions and inspire people to bring their bikes to campus.”
Marks said he is unsure if students will use the trail.
“[But] I’m sure quite a few will use the Towson Bike Beltway, which the state is providing $100,000 to build,” he said. “This involves designation of bike lanes throughout downtown Towson.”
The Maryland Department of Transportation awarded a grant for the bike lanes last summer.
The project is expected to start by the end of the year, Marks said. The plan will not take away driving lanes. Instead, bike lanes would be painted onto each side of the road.
“The bike lanes will hopefully get people out of their cars and limit congestion,” he said.
Four miles of downtown Towson would have signs and bike lanes and would begin “at Fairmount Ave. and Bosley Ave.” and will then “go south on Fairmount and Goucher Blvd. to Towson Place shopping center,” according to an article in the Baltimore Sun.
The Sun article says from there, the bike loop will reach west on Hillen Rd. to West Towsontown Blvd. and up Bosley Ave. up to Fairmount.
The state gave more than $1 million to fund 41 trail projects in Maryland, and each of the projects received grants between $5,000 and $64,000, according to Towson Patch.