SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury City Council voted Monday night to approve spending for the planning and design of a new "Rails-and-Trails" bike path.
The path will be built alongside the railroad tracks that run through the city -- starting south by Salisbury University and ending by Naylor Mill Park.
Bike SBY President Matt Drew, who's working on the project, said the new path will be a safer route for bicyclists than the busy streets.
"We had a 3-foot passing law in Maryland since 2014, and I know of many instances where cyclists have been hit by cars or cyclists have been passed very, very close and injured. And we've never had anyone actually prosecuted by the 3-foot passing law," said Drew.
Salisbury University student Joey Pompey, who mainly rides his bike to get around town, agreed.
"Just all the traffic, I don't know. I don't really feel too comfortable, I guess riding around all those cars," said Pompey.
The new route is part of a larger plan to extend bike lanes throughout the city.
An already-developed bicycle master plan will take the city from 18 miles of bike lanes to more than 80 miles over the next five years.
Mayor Jake Day said he expects work on the rails-to-trails path to begin in late 2018.
