Conservation Montgomery Community Strolls & BikeDC

In my writings on walking and biking and sustainable transportation planning more generally, I argue that the next stage in planning is to drill down from community-wide plans, and provide integrated infrastructure and programming plans for sectors, districts, and neighborhoods, to help people make the transition from driving to more sustainable mobility practices, as I said in the WTOP-AM piece, "Riders and leaders working to increase cyclist safety," at last weekend's Montgomery County Bike Summit:

Richard Layman, director of business development for BicyclePASS (Parking and Sharing Solutions), explains, "We take for granted the many years it took us to build a system of roads, gas stations, restaurants and repair shops to support driving. We need to think of biking as a system and make that system work so that it's so easy for people that they don't have to think about it, they just do it."

Bike DC is a community group ride set for this Sunday, May 22nd, that covers DC and Arlington County Virginia. It's actually a bike ride on a larger scale than the kinds of community rides and walks I am thinking about, in terms of "drilling down" to the neighborhood level.

Conservation Montgomery, the parks and environment nonprofit in Montgomery County Maryland sponsors "community strolls" in various parks that get closer to providing walking programming at the neighborhood level, while also doing knowledge and capacity building and civic engagement development at the same time.

Here is their schedule for the summer:

Takoma Park Tree Stroll
TOMORROW, SATURDAY MAY 21
10:30 am -- meet at Takoma Park City Council Chambers, 7500 Maple Avenue

A walk around Takoma, led by the City Arborist, Todd Bolton. Along the walk he'll discuss the city's tree ordinance, the Community Forestry Program, the city's recent tree canopy report, and the city's designation as a Tree City USA municipality.

Parks and Playscapes
June 12th, Rachel Carson Conservation Park, 2pm - 4pm

Topics covered will include land conservation policies, family friendly land conservation, and playscapes.

Underground Railroad Experience Trail invasive plant removal volunteer work project.
July 9th, Northwest Branch headwaters, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, MD, 9am-noon


Stroll from Rileys Lock to Swains Lock along the Potomac River
September 24th

Stroll through Wyngate Community in Bethesda, including the historic Shoemaker Cemetery
October 22nd

For example,