More News

Bicycle commuters may soon be permitted to pedal legally through county parks before dawn and after dark.

The parks department is working on a plan to issue permits for a minimal fee to a growing number of cyclists who are taking to two wheels to save money on fuel and reduce pollution.

"It just makes sense," said Kate Stookey, park information and customer service office supervisor, referring to what the department sees as good reasons to find a way to accommodate an unknown but substantial number of cyclists who already are making their way to and from work through county parks before sunup and after sundown when parks are officially closed.

The parks department would like to begin the permit program, which may be based on reflective hangtags, around the time that daylight saving time ends during the first week in November, Stookey said.

Hangtags would enable police to identify cyclists in the permit program without stopping them.

Cyclists would bike through the parks at their own risk and the department does not anticipate it will cause any changes in policing, she said.

Registration would generate data to help the county measure how people's transportation habits are changing and shape policy, said County Councilman George L. Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park, who supports the plan.