Category: Biking in the Metro Area

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!!BBC 25TH ANNUAL INSTRUCTIONAL RIDE SERIES!!

OUR POPULAR INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM IS CELEBRATING A QUARTER CENTURY!!

The BALTIMORE BICYCLING CLUB’S Instructional Ride Series will begin with an orientation to be held on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ridgely Middle School in Baltimore County.

This series is offered to anyone over 16 years of age interested in learning the basic skills of cycling, including doing minor road repairs and improving as a rider. We want to help people new to our sport find a comfortable riding level and develop so they can at least ride on the BBC casual rides by the end of the series and to permit experienced riders who are new to club riding to meet and to learn about group riding. The ride series will cover both road and recreational trail riding.

At the orientation, we will demonstrate cycling skills and techniques and discuss bicycles, equipment and clothing and answer any questions about the program. We will watch a short, informative video on cycling safety and bike handling. If you bring your bicycle to the orientation, we can check it out for you and show you how to do a pre-ride bike check. The indoor orientation will be held RAIN OR SHINE. Weather permitting, anyone who wants to do so can join us for a short ride following the orientation. You must have and wear a helmet in order to ride.

Continue reading “!!BBC 25TH ANNUAL INSTRUCTIONAL RIDE SERIES!!”

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BikePed Beacon — January 2009

 

The following newsflash from the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board details current news, events, etc. in regards to biking and walking both in and around the Baltimore region.

The information found in the newsflash is informative; it could inspire some to become more involved in the process of improving conditions for biking and walking.

Or it could inspire a bike ride or a walk…

Amber Blake
BikePed ED


 
Upcoming BRTB Committee Meetings 

 
Baltimore Regional Transportation Board 

    Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at  9:00 a.m.

Technical Committee
    Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.

Citizens Advisory Committee 
    Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.

Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Group

    Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 1:00 p.m.

All BRTB Committee meetings are held at the BMC offices (2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore), MD 21224) and are open to the public.

 
>> View Upcoming Meeting Agendas
 
>> Read Recent Meeting Minutes

 



$225 MILLION FOR TRANSIT.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?



Transportation Outlook 2035After several months of public outreach and involvement, the BRTB has recently released for public review and comment, the draft preferred alternative for the amendment to the Baltimore region’s long-range transportation plan, Transportation Outlook 2035.

This draft preferred alternative proposes $225 million in funding for regional transit projects, beginning in 2020, including:

  • Green Line Transit
  • Park-and-Ride spaces
  • Carroll County Transit
  • Intermodal Facilities / MARC stations / Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
  • Dedicated bus lanes

In response to public comment, the projects included in this amendment focus on ways to make the regional transit system more user-friendly and attractive to a broader segment of the region’s population and workforce.

A public input period will run through Friday, January 23, 2009. During this time, public comments will be accepted by mail, fax, or online using our public comment form.

Comments may also be submitted in person at a public meeting on Thursday, January 15, 2009 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. or 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the BMC offices located at 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21224.

STATION NORTH BIKE RACK PROJECT – FINALISTS SELECTED   


Proposed Rendering of Bike ParkingJudges
have selected eight finalists, including three Maryland Institute College of
Art students, to design and build eight one-of-a-kind bike racks to be
installed by next spring in Baltimore’s Station North district.

The
designs were submitted as part of the Station North Bike Rack Project, a
competition held this fall to help raise the bike rack to an art form and make
Baltimore a more bike-friendly city.

A public display of the 79
designs was held on Dec. 12 at 20 W. North Ave. The winners will each receive
$4,000 to execute their designs for locations to be determined.

The finalists are: Sanjit Roy, Ethan Rochmis, Irina Dukhnevich, Chris Shea, Andrea Dombrowski, Daniel Raimond, Paul Capetola and Nick Trincia. Dombrowski, Dukhnevich and Capetola are MICA students. 

 >> See Photogallery

Photo
Source: Urban Palimpsest



BALTIMORE CITY  SEEKS NEW LOCATIONS TO INSTALL BIKE RACKS

 
bikerackAside from “Share the Road” signs, bike racks are the #2 contributor to increased bike ridership.  Baltimore City’s DOT purchases and installs bike racks in conjunction with the development of the bike network to allow bicyclists to park at key destinations and they are seeking new locations for new bicycle racks.  Details are listed below. 
 
Installation & Maintenance process
  1. Property owner requests a rack (or racks) for installation

  2. Bike racks are purchased and installed by DOT on a first-come/first-served basis
  3. If racks require maintenance, DOT will replace the existing rack in kind.

Bike Rack options

  1. Standard 36″ x 30″ powder-coated inverted “U” racks, typically installed in sidewalks and parking lots. Each rack holds 2 bicycles.
  2. “Meter racks” installed on top of parking meter poles once meter heads are replaced. Each rack can hold 1-2 bicycles.
  3. “On street parking” converted an existing on-street car parking place to accommodate 8-12 bicycles.  On-street bike parking is reserved for commercial areas.

Please contact Nate Evans in the Department of Transportation’s Planning Division at 410-396-6586 or
nevans@baltimorecity.gov if you are interested.

CITY OF BALTIMORE
TO HOST BICYCLE SUMMIT
IN SPRING OF 2009


 
A million bikesThe City of Baltimore Department of Transportation (DOT) has been working hard to implement the May 2006 Bicycle Master Plan.  Bicycle lanes and sharrows are being integrated into city streets, storm grates are being improved, and bicycle racks are being places, along with other improvements.     
 
Now that Baltimore is becoming more bicycle friendly, it is necessary to inform citizens and visitors about safe bicycling practices and the city plans to do just that at a bicycle summit, to be held in Druid Hill Park this Spring. 

 
The summit will bring together both public and private partners and include discussions on:

Teaching safe cycling practices
Encouraging bicycle commuting through mentoring and other programs
Getting people on bikes including new information on how to find the right bicycle for you!
Fostering public/private partnerships to promote bicycling and active livingIf you are interested in volunteering at or sponsoring the event please contact Traci McPhail at
traci.mcphail@baltimorecity.gov or Nate Evans at

nate.evans@baltimorecity.gov. 

>;> View Baltimore City’s Bicycle Master Plan

 
NEW DVD TEACHES BICYCLE SAFETY, COMPETENCE AND CONFIDENCE



Cyclist on Bridge

A 5 minute preview of the recently released DVD – Geared Up
The Essentials of Adult Bicycling – is now available on the
AdultBicycling.com web site.

With so many adults bicycling, this DVD is very
timely. Competence, Confidence and Safety is the message. Please take a moment
to view the video or share with others.



TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT


Transit Oriented Development Summit II - January 27, 2009On Tuesday, January 27, 2009 from 7 to 9 p.m. several area organizations will host a 2nd Transit Oriented Development Summit at the Thumel Business Center Auditorium (11 W. Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201).  

Topics to be discussed include Central Maryland’s opportunities and challenges for TOD, new initiatives and advances in local TOD planning, and an emerging national agenda to promote smart investment in infrastructure and innovation.

The event is free and open to the public and is accessible by MTA Bus Lines 3, 11, 21, 61, 64, Light Rail and MARC Train.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Brian O’Malley at

bomalley@cmtalliance.org or 410-332-4172 ext. 122.


>;>> Download a flyer

In The News

 
Join Our Mailing List
 


BMC Logo             
              Amber Blake
              Baltimore Metropolitan Council
              410-732-0500 x1030 
              ablake@baltometro.org
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Howard County survey

Some of you may know the BAHC president, Jack Guarneri. We are trying to get a survey going to rate roads in Howard County. Participation is not quite what we hoped for. If any of you ride Howard County roads, can you give us some feedback? (the survey is Howard County only…we are trying to stay focused.)

Continue reading “Howard County survey”

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“‘Cross my Heart” and the SUPERBOWL of SINGLESPEED CX

image

“‘Cross my Heart” and the SUPERBOWL of SINGLESPEED CX

Presented by
Proteus Bicycles

College Park, MD

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Online Registration Will Open
Thursday, January 01, 2009 at 8:00 AM ET

  CATEGORY DISTANCE START TIME   FEE   PRIZES
Men’s 1,2,3
 45
minutes 
10:00 AM 
$25
merch top 3 
Men’s 2,3,4
 45
minutes 
11:00 AM 
$25
merch top3 
Men’s Cat 4
 45
minutes 
12:00 PM 
$25
prizes top 3 
Women’s 1,2
 45
minutes 
1:00 PM 
$25
merch top 3 
Women’s 3,4
 45
minutes 
1:00 PM 
$25
merch top 3 
Under 16
 3
laps 
1:02 PM 
$10
prizes top 6 
Singlespeed only
 45
minutes 
2:10 PM 
$25
merch top 3 

The
Race:

It’s
always a sad goodbye when cyclocross season ends. We’re having a post-season race for fun to keep things rolling a little longer.  But we’re doing things
a little bit differently: The Elites always get to sleep in, so we’re
going to run the race order backwards so the “little guys” can catch a break for once.  In addition to the “normal” categories, we also added a Singlespeed
only category. Now, this isn’t Portland, so there won’t be
any Tequila shots on the course or anything like that, but this is
still your chance to show why Singlespeed Cyclocross is a special
kind of riding reserved for only the extremely strong, stubborn or
stupid.

Pint glasses:  Free pint glasses for the first 25 pre-registered participants.  Additional glasses will be available for purchase.  

The
Course:

Expect
some fast pavement, a fair amount of trails through the woods, stairs,
gravel, some off camber portions and a few fun
descents. No promises, but we are also working very hard on getting
a snow machine in case mother nature doesn’t give us any.

Continue reading ““‘Cross my Heart” and the SUPERBOWL of SINGLESPEED CX”

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Bus driver Training

Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Manual

Problem
Currently Maryland’s (and most likely other States as well) the CDL Manual says that bicyclists are hazards and that truck drivers should honk at them (ok, in the manual it says tap the horn lightly but still that is totally bogus safety information.)

The League of American Bicyclists (LAB) in their Bike Friendly States (BFS) program had this question:

In the state driver’s CDL testing and manual are questions and information regarding motorists rights and responsibilities toward bicyclists included?

Which to me implies that there is something better out their then what Maryland has.

We just got this response back from someone at MVA:

Sorry this is a week later, but wanted to be sure I passed along this information with reference to the CDL Manual. It was suggested in the email discussion to update the CDL manual. In fact, Maryland’s CDL manual is modeled on the AAMVA manual (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrations), and the sections mentioned in the email discussion regarding bicycles are actually taken word for word from the AAMVA model. There is a new version being printed this month with changes as a result of national model changes. I double-checked before sending this, and the new version of the CDL manual will have the same language on bicycles.

Because the verbage is basically handed down to us, any updates to the manual are definitely not something that could be easily changed — likely, any request for changes would have to work their way through nationally. It may seem unfriendly for trucks to blow their horn (or tap it lightly) at bicycles to make them aware of a truck behind them (getting ready to pass), and for bicycles to be listed as a potential hazard to trucks, but certainly the national model to teach truck drivers how to drive safely would not suggest harrassment of bicycles. Both of these sections mentioned are from the section on “Driving Safely” — with the first under “Communicating Your Presence” and the second under “Seeing Hazards.”

This seems to imply that Maryland has the “best” standard CDL manual.
Continue reading “Bus driver Training”

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BAHC plans, activities and initiatives.

Happy Holidays to All Howard County Cyclists! Although it is the off season (for many but not all of us) BAHC is planning for Spring and for future activities and initiatives.

Road Survey: Below is a link for a road survey for the bike-ability of Howard County roads. The primary purpose is to identify which roads are unsafe or in poor condition so we can target those with HC Public Works and Highways. We discovered last year that adding shoulders on some roads or modifying existing designs is difficult, but we want the County Government to be aware of our concerns as cyclists.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=A56raaJ3t6bWIho2WbjsiA_3d_3d

Club representatives please post on your message boards and send link to your listserves. If has difficulty with the survey or just wants to provide a an evaluation of the the 3 worst roads (for recreational cycling or commuting) you can also send information in an e-mail to: ichuck"at"gmail.com

Road Rage: Bill Kelly of the BAHC Board has arranged for Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon (who is a cyclist) to attend our next Board meeting on Jan 12th. If you have any questions on how to report incidents with drivers or concern for how law enforcement in the County supports cycling please e-mail me (jackguarneri"at"gmail.com). I’ll ensure issues are brought up and will provide a post-meeting summary of our discussion.
Continue reading “BAHC plans, activities and initiatives.”

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T4 America Ready to Go List

One criteria that the traffic folks use to establish need is the dollar amount of non-funded projects. No projects, no need so no funding. Which for cyclists then means no projects because of no funds and the cycle repeats. So with a envious eye on what is happening not that far away (and hopping to get this kind of energy here) here is what’s happening in the DC area:
Continue reading “T4 America Ready to Go List”

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14-Year-Old Dies After Being Struck By SUV

No Word On If Driver Will Be Charged In Crash

MIDDLE RIVER, Md. — A 14-year-old boy is dead after being struck by a sport utility vehicle on Friday evening.

Baltimore County Police said that Blaine Sunowitz was riding his bike when he was hit by a Dodge Dakota near the intersection of Martin Boulevard and Middle River Road.

Sunowitz was taken to Franklin Square Hospital for treatment where he later died.
Continue reading “14-Year-Old Dies After Being Struck By SUV”

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BikePed Beacon — November 2008


image
November
2008 
IN THIS ISSUE
StreetSmart Campaign
Cities Struggling to Create Bike-Sharing
Programs
Pedestrian Forum – Fall 2008
U.S. Bicycle Route System
Financial Bailout Includes Tax Break for Bicycle
Commuters
Implementing Smart Growth Streets
Active Transportation for America

A
Regional Bike and Pedestrian
Newsflash

 Greetings!

The following newsflash from the Baltimore
Regional Transportation Board details current news,
events, etc. in regards to biking and walking both in
and around the Baltimore region.

The information
found in the newsflash is informative; it could inspire
some to become more involved in the process of improving
conditions for biking and walking.

Or it could
inspire a bike ride or a walk…

Amber
Blake
BikePed ED

 
Upcoming
Meetings 
 
Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Group
January 7th at
1:00 PM at BMC (2700 Lighthouse
Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore) 
All are
welcome.     
>>See the
Agenda and Past Minutes
 
BRTB meeting with
elected officials
December 2, 2008
at 5 PM at BMC  (2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite
310, Baltimore) 
Agenda will be
posted 2 weeks in advance on BMC site. 

All are
welcome.  Public comment opportunity at beginning
of
meeting.

Focus groupOpening for Citizen
Member on the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory
Group 

The Baltimore Regional
Transportation Board (BRTB) is currently seeking a
volunteer to sit on the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory
Group (BPAG), to represent citizen interests related to
bicycle and pedestrian planning in the
region.   
 
The primary role
of the BPAG is provide advice and assistance to the
Technical Committee concerning bicycle and pedestrian
projects, and update and evaluate the Regional Bicycle
and Pedestrian Plan.  
 
The BPAG
is an appointed committee of the Baltimore Regional
Transportation Board.  The citizen members will
serve a two-year term, starting in February 2009.

 
For more information or to apply to serve
on the BPAG, contact Amber Blake at ablake@baltometro.org or 410-732-0500 x1030 or download an
application at
https://www.baltometro.org/downloadables/TEMP/BPAG/BPAG_Application2009.pdf.

 

 >> Learn
More About
BPAG



StreetSmart
Campaign

StreetSmart


Street Smart is an annual
public education, awareness and behavioral change
campaign in the Washington, DC, suburban Maryland and
northern Virginia area. Since its beginning in 2002, the
campaign has used radio, newspaper, and transit
advertising, public awareness efforts, and added law
enforcement, to respond to the challenges of pedestrian
and bicyclist safety.
 
The Street Smart
program emphasizes education of motorists and
pedestrians through mass media. It is meant to
complement, not replace, the efforts of state and local
governments and agencies to build safer streets and
sidewalks, enforce laws, and train better drivers,
cyclists, and pedestrians.

The program is
coordinated by the National Capital Region
Transportation Planning Board (TPB), and is supported by
federal funds made available through state governments,
and funding from some TPB member
jurisdictions.




Cities Struggling to Create Bike-Sharing
Programs  
 Bike-shareWatching
the success of a massive bicycle-sharing program in
Paris, where more than 20,000 bikes are now available
for public use at self-service racks, several large U.S.
cities have been exploring launching such service.
Enthusiasm to reduce traffic congestion and pollution
through greater bicycle use is being tempered by
questions over funding and liability concerns,
however.
 
Early
bike-sharing efforts involved placing donated or
unclaimed lost bikes around the city and relying on the
honor system that users would return them. Many end up
being stolen, however. So, following the Paris model,
cities are now looking at more high-tech systems that
require swiping a credit or membership card to guarantee
the bike’s return.  

Washington
became the first American city to start such a program
in August. Jim Sebastian, District of Columbia
Transportation Department planner, said more than 900
users have signed up so far with an average of 150 daily
rides among the 100 bicycles in service. Only one has
been stolen and that user was billed $550 for a
replacement bike, USA Today reported. The D.C. program
is funded by Clear Channel Outdoor under an agreement
that gives the company advertising rights on the city’s
bus stops.
 
Transportation
officials in other cities including Boston, Chicago, and
San Francisco are studying the Paris and Washington
programs in hopes of starting up similar services. But
efforts are being slowed in Boston by liability issues
over who would be at fault if a bike-sharing user gets
injured while using the service, in Chicago by funding
questions, and in San Francisco by anti-bicycle
activists who sued the city to halt construction of bike
lanes until the impact on automobile traffic could be
properly studied.

 


Pedestrian Forum –
Fall 2008 
 

Department of Transportation. United States of America  

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has
released the latest issue of its quarterly newsletter
that highlights recent pedestrian safety activities
related to the 4 E’s-engineering, enforcement,
education, and emergency services.

 

 

Articles
include:

  • FHWA Safety
    Policy Memo Contains Provisions for Pedestrians 

  • Developing
    an Effective Measure of Pedestrian and Bicycle
    Exposure to Risk 
  • Evaluation
    of the Miami-Dade Pedestrian Safety Demonstration
    Project 
  • NHTSA
    Report on the Evaluation of Safety Benefits of Legacy
    Safe Routes to School Programs 
  • National
    Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and
    Behavior Results Finally Released 
  • NHTSA
    Conducts Pedestrian Assessment in Nevada 

  • NHTSA
    Releases National Pedestrian Crash Report 
  • Pedestrian Road Safety
    Audits Conducted in California and New
    Jersey 


A U.S. Bicycle Route
System

 
Bike Routes USAAn official U.S. Bicycle Route
System (USBRS) could help make the United States’
cycling infrastructure more competitive with these other
expansive route networks. Given the sheer size of the
U.S., the USBRS could become the largest cycling network
in the world.

Adventure Cycling Association and
several other organizations have teamed up with AASHTO
(American Association of State Highway Transportation
Officials) to develop such a system.

With staff
support from Adventure Cycling AASHTO’s Tasl Force
on U.S. Bicycle Routes has developed a corridor-level
plan and designation system. The Corridor Plan was just
approved by the Executive Board of Directors at the
AASHTO Annual Meeting. Similar to La Route Verte, the
vision of the USBRS is to create a seamless
rural-suburban-urban cycling experience.

 

Financial Bailout Bill Includes Tax
Break for Bicycle
Commuters  

 
Bike to work
Tucked in the $700 billion bailout
bill intended to help the nation’s financial sector is a
small provision to help promote bicycling to
work.

Starting in January, bicyclists
will be eligible for a $20-per-month tax-free
reimbursement from their employers for bike-related
expenses, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Employers who choose to participate in the voluntary
program will be able to deduct the expenses from their
federal taxes. The money could be used to purchase,
store, maintain, or repair bikes that are used for a
substantial portion of an employee’s
commute.

 
Bike advocates worked for
seven years to get such a provision approved by
Congress. The bicycle benefit was championed by members
of the Oregon delegation, who squeezed it into the
mammoth bailout bill signed Oct. 3 by President
Bush. Supporters estimate the federal government
will lose about $1 million a year in tax revenue as a
result of the new benefit, with the exact amount
depending on how many companies decide to offer the
money to their employees (Source: AASHTO Journal Oct.
16, 2008 Page 10).



 

Implementing Smart Growth
Streets

 

Smart Growth

The U.S.
EPA Office of Development, Community and Environment
(widely known as the ”Smart Growth” office) is
sponsoring a study on ”Implementing Smart Growth
Streets” that is being conducted by ICF International
and Ellen Greenberg. Readers of Smart Growth Online are
invited to participate in this work by bringing
candidate case studies to the attention of the project
team.


The
project, which is in its initial phases, is using the
following summary definition of smart growth streets:
”Smart Growth Streets are roadways designed and
operated to support compact communities while promoting
least-polluting transportation performance and
preserving environmental resources within and beyond the
right of way.”

Study
organizers are seeking exemplary cases that demonstrate
innovation, quality, and replicable results with respect
to one or more of the principles. It is not expected
that each case study will illustrate all of the
principles. The study is focusing on documenting such
examples, as well as on the implementation activities
and institutional arrangements that are leading to
positive
outcomes.


Rails to Trails ReportActive Transportation for America:  A
Case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and
Walking. 
  

A 48-Page Report by
Rails-to-Trails 

 “This report
quantifies, for the first time, the benefits that
America can expect from elevating the priority of
bicycling and walking in our nation’s transportation
system.

This case statement for increased
investment in bicycling and walking infrastructure
evaluates benefits in the areas of transportation, oil
dependence, climate change, and public health, and puts
dollar estimates to the economic value of these
benefits. Benefits from bicycling and walking are
quantified for the status quo, and for prospective
increases in bicycling and walking under a Modest
Scenario and a Substantial Scenario for the future.

The analysis concludes that modest increases in
bicycling and walking could lead to an annual reduction
of 70 billion miles of automobile travel. More
substantial increases could lead to the avoidance of 200
billion miles per year.”  (Excerpt from the
Executive Summary of the Report)

 
>> Read the
Report


In The
News

 
Join Our Mailing List
 


BMC Logo             
            
 Amber
Blake
             
Baltimore Metropolitan
Council
             
410-732-0500
x1030 
            
 ablake@baltometro.org