TAP Druid Hill is excited to share our Auchentoroly / Mondawmin Report. This community-based report identifies the transportation safety and accessibility needs on the west side of Druid Hill Park, specifically between Auchentoroly Terrace and Mondawmin Mall / Metro Station. Below is the Executive Summary. Click the link below to download the full report as a PDF.
Auchentoroly / Mondawmin Report Executive Summary
Druid Hill Park is the most valuable asset for our community. Many residents utilize the many amenities: Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Howard P. Rawlings Conservatory, Swimming pool. basketball and tennis courts, Farmer’s Market, Pavilions for festivals, etc. It’s imperative that residents of Historic Auchentoroly Terrace community have safe, improved, and increased access to Druid Hill Park. Immediate action is needed to improve pedestrian safety. – Ms. Barbara Anderson-Dandy, President, the New Auchentoroly Terrace Association
The Access Project for Druid Hill Park (TAP Druid Hill) is a campaign to better connect residents of West Baltimore with Druid Hill Park. A coalition of residents, city officials, and community partners are working together to increase access to the park through transportation planning, a public health survey, and creating public art for pedestrian safety. We seek to convert the dangerous, five-to-nine-lane-wide barrier highways around Druid Hill Park into calm, liveable streets safe and accessible for all. Census data shows that about half of neighbors living around Druid Hill Park do not have access to cars. As pedestrians, wheelchair riders, transit users, people who rely on bicycles and escooters, and drivers; all of our neighbors also deserve priority access to the park.
TAP Druid Hill envisions a future where residents of all ages and abilities are able to reach the recreational, public health, and cultural benefits of Druid Hill Park using safe and accessible “Complete Streets.”
Complete streets are streets designed and operated to be safe and accessible for all, including pedestrians, transit users, wheelchair riders, and people who rely on bicycles and e-scooters to get to work, school, and family. Each complete street is different and based on the needs of the surrounding residents and neighborhood.
In 2017 the Baltimore City Department of Transportation announced the Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Design Effort. Our goal is to ensure that this planning process is as reflective of community voices as possible and draw additional attention to the transportation safety and accessibility needs of residents who live and work along Reisterstown Road.
This document is based on four years of community engagement, including pedestrian safety walks, resident interviews, a public health survey, community events, and public art projects. TAP Druid Hill has identified the following priorities for improving roadway safety and park access for our neighbors:
- Slow car speeds to 25 miles per hour or less and reduce car wrecks by converting Auchentoroly Terrace and Reisterstown Road into neighborhood boulevards safely accommodating all users.
- Create protected, signalized crosswalks to Druid Hill Park for all side streets.
- Install protected “micro-mobility lanes” connecting residents who rely on wheelchairs, bicycles, and escooters for transportation from Mondawmin to Druid Hill Park and the Big Jump shared-use pathway.
- Complete the West Baltimore segment of the Baltimore Greenway Trail Network.
- Construct sheltered bus stops along Gwynns Falls Parkway and Auchentoroly Terrace serving MTA and Baltimore CIty Public School buses.
- Expand the free Charm City Circulator bus system with a Druid Hill line connecting Mondawmin Mall / Metro Station to Druid Hill Park, including the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and recreational facilities like ball fields, the disc golf course, and the Druid Hill Aquatic Center.
