Route 82 Bike Lane Plan Moves Forward

According to the Chester County Daily Local East Marlborough Township Officials have agreed to continue funding the final design of 1.1 miles bike lanes and 2 miles of sidewalk along Route 82 in the Unionville section of the Township.

While an isolated bike lane through a rural township might not seem like a priority, Route 82 hosts a large regional school complex along with several developments on the west side of the road. At the north end of the project the bike lane will terminate at a modern roundabout. Roundabouts are rare in Pennsylvania but these smaller cousins of the NJ traffic circle slow down cars, improve pedestrian safety and produce better traffic flows than signalized intersections. Route 82 may be seen as a model for complete streets in suburban/rural areas.

There are still many hurdles to clear. The region has a huge backlog (>$80 million) of bicycle and pedestrian projects that have been stuck in various stages of development for many reasons. And it remains to be seen if PENNDOT will require a Bicycle Occupancy Permit (BOP), which mandates that municipalities assume liability and maintenance of bike lanes on state roads. Let's keep our fingers crossed and if you live East Marlborough thank your Board of Supervisors for keeping this project alive.


View Route 82 Bike Lane Project in a larger map