BARC Gate Allows Pedestrian Traffic Not Motorcycles

It’s not just people walking or riding bikes that can enjoy the new Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) pedestrian gate at Research Road — it’s also good for strollers and Segways, according to Dan Thessen, BARC area security officer.

The gate is about 3 ½ feet wide, Thessen estimated, adding it was wide enough for persons with disabilities riding Segways.

What BARC doesn’t want is motorcycles. It is a pedestrian access gate, not a motorized vehicle access gate, he specified.

The gate was the solution born after a on October 17, 2011. Many citizens had also come to the public meeting, irate about BARC closing up an opening in its fence that had been long used by Greenbelters for pedestrian and bike access into BARC.

In less than a month after the meeting, on November 10, the new pedestrian gate was installed with a sign announcing the hours as sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. Visitors were also asked to remain on the roadways throughout BARC.

BARC has received a lot of feedback over its roadways limitation. But this has been a long-standing rule according to Thessen, because BARC has research going on, and its fields are sprayed with pesticides, in addition it has public deer hunting.

“So I think common sense dictates — yes, stay on paved roadways,” Thessen said.

He also addressed the issue of employees who want to bike or walk to work and use the gate after sunset. Some employees already do this, and in several instances BARC has given them individual keys to the gate, according to Thessen.

A lot of people have done it and are basically self-serving themselves through the gates, he said. But employees who want keys have to go through the proper channels, the first of which, Thessen stated, is putting in a request to their supervisor. After that it will be elevated up and a decision will be made on a case by case basis, he explained.