We’ve had plenty of discussions here at DCist about city cyclists (Magnificent or menace? Discuss.), but now Maryland is stepping up to slow down two-wheelers along one of the area’s most popular biking trails.

According to the Post, officials at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will soon start installing signs limiting cycling speeds to 15 mph along a 5.5-mile stretch of the Capital Crescent trail from Bethesda to the District line. They say speedy cyclists along the popular stretch connecting Georgetown to downtown Bethesda have provoked a number of complaints from joggers and walkers who share the path. Violators of the speed limit would face a $50 fine.

Predictably, cyclists aren’t happy. Nor should they be. The decision, which was apparently made without much input from cyclists or cycling advocacy organizations, targets cyclists while ignoring other hazards that exist on the path. Joggers and walkers wearing headphones can often be oblivious to the loud warnings of passing cyclists, their speed notwithstanding. Moreover, the 15 mph speed limit ignores the obvious fact that the trail, which serves as a key artery for bike commuters, slants downwards from Maryland into the District. Anyone who rides it, professional-to-be or otherwise, could tell you that hitting 15 mph from Bethesda down doesn’t take much. Finally, the idea of enforcing the speed limit is almost laughable. Short of bike cops riding up and down the trail at the limit and ticketing those who pass them, there simply aren’t many nooks or crannies where they could set up a speed trap. And even if they could, it would well turn into the single most ridiculous posting for any law enforcement official in the region.

Multi-use paths like the Capital Crescent trail don’t require heavy-handed policing. Walkers, joggers and cyclists alike should be courteous towards each other. We’d be willing to guess that most already are, and that the complaints that led to this decision were limited to a few individuals.

What do you think? Did Maryland go too far, or are cyclists just getting what they deserve?

Photo by andertho