Baltimore's 'Big Jump'

A temporary bike and pedestrian path is changing the street design game in Baltimore.

1 minute read

November 26, 2019, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Last August, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (BCDOT), working with a local bike advocacy group called Bikemore and a national group called PeopleForBikes, installed a rather unusual mobility path using only water-filled traffic barriers," according to an article by Alex Holt.

The Big Jump, as the multi-modal trail is called, is located along a 1.4-mile stretch of Druid Park Lake Drive, 28th Street, and Sisson Street in North Baltimore. The trail also has proven "incredibly popular," and could provide a model for street design in the future, according to Holt.

The article provides additional historical context for the trail's popularity (mostly centering on the construction of the Druid Hill Expressway, which cut working class neighborhoods from Druid Hill Park) and also details the process that produced the popular final product. Next steps for the Big Jump include converting the trail to more permanent forms of infrastructure and landscaping.

Thursday, November 21, 2019 in Greater Greater Washington

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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