Category: Biking in Baltimore

To me bike lanes should say that the space delineated by the bike lane has been reviewed and is basically free of hazards. No one would think of making a car lane with a tree in the middle of the lane and if there was a hazard it would be marked and signed in advanced. So what makes engineering bike facilities different?

The down hill section of Kelly Ave where a typical cyclists travels 20+mph will now see a new bike lane complete with a safety barrel in half of the bike lane with NO advanced warnings. This is just wrong especially in light of MD law requiring us to ride in bike lanes (and does not give us the exception of leaving a bike lane when we are going the speed limit. )

Personally I have little tolerance for door zone bike lanes especially on down hill sections where there is without a doubt insufficient time for a cyclists to “scan” vehicles for occupants and AASHTO recommends at least 13′ for parking + bike lane when there is substantial parking as exhibited along this block. The Toronto study showed that dooring was the 4th cause of bicyclists deaths, I do not support putting in door zone bike lanes where ever we can put them. To present one solution; sharrows work sufficiently better for this type of situation as typically a cyclist will ride further away from the door zone with sharrows then with bike lanes. This will provide a separate space to encourage bicycling yet allow the advanced rider clear legal options to ride in a safe position in the roadway. Encouraging bicycling should not not also be a deterrent to those who are already riding.

I am curious what other think where the city should be drawing the line on where bike lanes are appropriate and Is this a good case to say “This is not a good place for a mandatory use bike lane”?

Pics: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29368&l=d59cd&id=513493075

Do You Care About…
Having Trees? – Your property value? – Outdoor recreation?

Make your voice heard!

Baltimore is creating a plan to improve the quality of life in Baltimore now and for generations to come. Participate in a series of community conversations to discuss ideas for a better Baltimore!

In spring 2008, Mayor Sheila Dixon formed the Baltimore Commission on Sustainability, representing neighborhoods, nonprofits, institutions, and businesses, to plan for the future of Baltimore. The Commission on Sustainability holds public meetings the fourth Tuesday of every month at 4 pm at the Baltimore City Planning Department, 417 E. Fayette Street, 8th Floor.

The Commission’s Next Public Presentation Meeting is Tuesday, October 28, 6:30 at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Auditorium, 1400 W. Cold Spring Lane.

Please Join Us

The Commission has formed six Working Groups that will host public community conversations for you to voice your ideas on the future of Baltimore in the following areas:

Saturday, August 16, 2008
10:00 a.m. – Noon

We’d like to hear your ideas on making healthy food accessible to all, making our urban parks and greenspaces safe, active and well maintained for Baltimore’s resi-dents and ecological systems.

Morgan State University
The McKeldin Student Center
4300 Block of Hillen Road
Room 212 A
(near the Christian Center and Library).
Parking is available along Hillen Road

Three Ways to be a Part of Baltimore’s Sustainability Plan

Share Your Ideas – Participate in our public meetings or email us at sustainability"at"baltimorecity.gov
Get Connected – Sign up for email updates on meetings and general announcements. Email: office_of_sustainability-join"at"lists.baltimorecity.gov
Read All About It – Regularly check for updated information on our website. www.baltimorecity.gov/sustainability

Two Fridays ago the day started well – it was a beautiful morning for cycling and the Mayor’s ride to Lake Montebello was very enjoyable. The day, unfortunately, did not end as well.
Continue reading “Another thing for bicyclists to dodge”

On May 27th a kick-off meeting was held to initiate the planning process for the Baltimore City Sustainability Master Plan. The plan will be an amendment to Baltimore ’s Comprehensive Plan, and will serve as a guide for environmentally responsible development in the city for years to come. Led by the Office of Sustainability, this planning effort will include a broad range of stakeholders and will create goals, indicators and targets which will be meaningful to policy makers as well as citizens.

The Sustainability Master Plan planning process is divided into 6 Working Groups; Energy & Air, Water, Waste, Green Infrastructure, Built Environment and Transportation. Each of these groups will hold 3 public meetings to discuss vision statements, goals, indicators and targets.

We want to invite you to the upcoming public meeting for the Transportation Group:

Thursday, August 21, 2008
Transportation Community Conversation
Orleans St. Public Library ( 1303 Orleans St .)
5:45 to 7:45 p.m.

During this meeting, we will discuss transportation goals, objectives, and indicators to measure the city’s progress in achieving a more sustainable transportation network. We look forward to seeing you there.

Mark R. Brown
Transportation Project Planner
Baltimore City Department of Transportation

“It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished.” – William Whyte

[Follow up on the Tour du Greater Homewood / Baltimore Bike Pageant]

Parade gives the community a chance to show off its thriving ‘Main Street’

By Kevin Rector | Sun reporter
…
A local marching band and dancing troupe passed by, as did Miss Maryland – Alicia Taylor, who grew up down the block – Mayor Sheila Dixon, McGruff the Crime Dog and a slew of local residents riding bikes and walking their pets. Balloons lined the street, and shop owners and residents lined the sidewalks, taking it all in.
…
Kindseth, who smiled as bikers and pet owners gathered after the parade at St. John’s Church in the Village at Greenmount Avenue and 30th Street, said she would like to see Waverly Main Street designated as a national historical district. Like DiMauro, she doesn’t want Waverly to change completely, but for its historic character to be able to shine through.
…
Baltimore police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, who was at the parade, said he views all the community involvement as "a clue that we’re really moving forward. This is a clue that people are engaged.

"It’s an incredible shot in the arm to see this many people energized and committed," he said. "These people are prepared to take care of their own community, and what you really need is communities taking care of communities."

Dixon agreed, and pointed to the parade and National Night Out as opportunities to revitalize communities like Waverly across the city.

"This is to really bring the community, the Police Department and other partners together to talk about how to better the area," she said. "It’s really all of us collaborating together."
Continue reading “Neighbors celebrate Waverly’s renewal”

By John Fritze | Sun reporter

Mayor Sheila Dixon kicks off Baltimore’s new sidewalk improvement campaign, called "Sidewalk Sam." The mayor stands on sidewalk poured yesterday as she uses a hand float to smooth freshly poured cement in the 1200 block of S. Clinton St. (Sun photo by Kim Hairston / July 31, 2008)

Hoping to clear a waiting list for sidewalk repairs that stretches back four years, Baltimore officials said today they will focus more attention – and an additional $2 million – on smoothing the way for foot traffic.

City transportation contractors will increase by two-thirds the number of sidewalk repairs completed in the city in this year, resurfacing nearly 650,000 square feet of cracked, washed out and uneven walkways.

"We get a lot of service calls for our sidewalks and our streets," Mayor Sheila Dixon said yesterday. "Some people think that we only drive cars in this city. But more and more people are walking."

Dixon’s push on the sidewalks comes a year after the city Department of Transportation increased its budget for road improvements by about 70 percent – an effort paid for largely with bonds – and added more than 20 miles of bike lanes.

Baltimore plans to resurface 200 lane-miles of streets this year, a slight increase over last year and more than double what was paved in 2006, Dixon has said.

City Councilman James B. Kraft, who represents Southeast Baltimore, said fixing up sidewalks is a small thing the city can do to improve quality of life and make neighborhoods more attractive to pedestrians.

Dixon pointed to a recent ranking by a Seattle-based Web site called Walk Score that deemed Baltimore the 12th-most-walkable city in the country. The site noted Federal Hill, Fells Point and the Inner Harbor as particularly walkable.

"People look in neighborhoods. They see how they are, they see how they feel," Kraft said. "When they’re clean and green, people want to stay there. They want to move there."
Continue reading “Easing way for foot traffic – City sidewalk repair blitz begins”

by Dan Rodricks –

David Schapiro, the Roland Park resident profiled in this space a few weeks ago because of his determination to take a bicycle to work in Hunt Valley, has inspired others – or, at least, one other.

After reading the July 6 column on Schapiro’s healthy and eco-friendly commuting routine, a 43-year-old woman, who describes herself as "overweight, under-exercising [and] suburban-dwelling," decided to put more foot power into her trip to work at the Johns Hopkins University. "My trip consists of a ride on Light Rail, and then a two-mile walk to my office," she writes in an e-mail. "My whole commute takes about an hour one way. … I should be walking four to seven miles every day, depending on whether I walk to and from Light Rail. I’ll let you know whether it is a lifestyle change that, like David Schapiro’s, takes hold!"

You go, woman.
Continue reading “Eco-commuter”

Born of popular interest in the miracle of urban agriculture and the love of a nice sweat followed by a cool breeze, we have arranged a community gardens bike tour of some of Baltimore’s fabulous East Side Food Gardens.

All are invited to attend this inaugural event.

When: Saturday, August 9th. 8am-12pm

Start: at The Rawlings Conservatory in Druid Hill Park.

Middle: See attached map

End: at The Rawlings Conservatory in Druid Hill Park.

What to Expect: We will be visiting 6 sites throughout the day. The overall ride is about 15 miles, and the gardens are spaced with about a 10 minute cycle between each one. We will visit about 20 minutes at each site and hear from a local grower. We will travel in one or two packs depending on the numbers. We will have food and refreshments at the half-way point before we head back.

What to bring: Please bring a water bottle and comfortable shoes.

Continue reading “Community Garden Bike Tour”

For a week, one city resident lets her feet meet the street, bus steps and bike pedals as she tries to live without a car
By Jill Rosen | Sun reporter

I’m wobbling down Light Street toward a busy intersection, clinging perilously yet stylishly to a sleek hybrid bicycle: metallic gray with gears to shift and a beverage holder clearly meant for someone brave enough to pry a hand from the handle bars.

That’s not me.

Normally, I’d be motoring through Baltimore’s morning rush, obliviously ensconced in a Honda – air blowing, stereo humming, coffee in easy reach.

But not today. Today, I’m vulnerable to the gust of each passing sedan, pickup and – gasp – bus. Today, every bump, pebble and cigarette butt on the road threatens my already shaky balance.

Today, I’m doing without a car. It’s part of a weeklong experiment to see how – or if – I could get by in this town without one.

I’m a driver. Like most people in Baltimore, and in America for that matter, I drive to work, I drive to the grocery store and I drive to the mall. I drive to get my hair cut, I drive the cats to the vet, I drive to meet friends for dinner.

A car trip bookends almost everything I do. But with gas at $4 a gallon, and near-constant warnings about global warming and carbon footprints, I wanted to see if I could park the Honda.
…
"Walking or bicycling will save you money, but it’s about the things that are priceless, too," he says.

"Having your health come back to you. Walking to work and seeing and smelling and noticing the cool things in your community. Encased in glass and steel, you never noticed."
Continue reading “Parked”

[This is a good example on what to do when you encounter a person that I would say is recklessly endangering lives.]

On Aug 5th, 2008 at 6:29 PM, I encountered an aggressive driver who came up behind me on 39th St NW and started revving his engine. I had taken the lane and was traveling with traffic which was stop and go through all of the stop signs on 39th St. About 30 seconds later he completely ran me off the road into cars parked on the side and passed me at a high rate of speed nearly striking me and another cyclist who was traveling more slowly ahead of me.

The driver sped off blowing through the next few stop signs to get away but I quickly caught up with him when he got boxed in at a red light and took out my iPhone and started taking pictures of his van. Despite being out of breath I was able to get in a couple of good photos of the driver and his license plates.

A half hour later when I got home I called 311 to report the incident to police. They sent an officer out to my house and took a report. I printed out some of the pictures I had taken earlier and the officer radioed the tags and a description of the driver into headquarters. The officer said they where operating in “all hands on deck” mode so all officers would be on the lookout for the van and pull the driver over and check his ID if they spotted him.

The officer said that was all he could do. There was no incident number and he didn’t even take my name. The officer was glad that I wasn’t hurt. I simply wanted to report the incident and create a paper trail in case his driver would hurt someone in the future.

https://www.natwilson.com/stuff/aggressive_driver/keyway_lock_service/