Category: Biking in Baltimore

(BALTIMORE, MD) – The Baltimore City Department of Planning, Office of Sustainability, has launched its Climate Action Plan process for the City. A kick-off meeting was held on January 10th, where close to 50 citizens, advisory committee members, city department leaders, consultants, and other stakeholders rolled up their sleeves and got down to brass tacks to identify and articulate strategies for reducing Baltimore City’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 10 to 20 years.

Four working groups have been formed — Building Energy; Land Use & Transportation; Adaptation; and Waste, Water, and Green Infrastructure. All of the working groups have met and outlined a shortlist of existing and proposed strategies for inclusion in the Climate Action Plan that can reduce GHG emissions.

The CAP process will entail looking at trends in greenhouse gas emissions and create emissions forecast scenarios through the next 20 years; identify building energy, transportation, waste, water, and green infrastructure strategies to achieve short- and long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; recommend strategies for adaptation to identify climate change impacts; and develop procedures for tracking implementation and effectiveness of recommendations. The CAP process also includes holding a public town hall meeting early this Summer to present a draft CAP plan to the citizens of Baltimore.

Baltimore City has hired AECOM, Design + Planning Division, an international U.S. firm, to develop its CAP. AECOM has prepared over 70 climate change adaptation plans for municipalities, utilities, and businesses throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Continue reading “It’s On! Baltimore City Begins Climate Action Plan Process to Address GHG Emissions”

By Brew Editors, Baltimore Brew

Bicyclists who generally use their bikes for transportation and pleasure turned them into vehicles for mourning and advocacy Sunday, as they gathered to remember fallen Baltimore cyclist Nathan Krasnopoler.

On the one-year-anniversary of the accident on a city bike lane that claimed the life of the 20-year-old, about a dozen cyclists toured Baltimore wearing orange vests that said “Nathan’s Ride.”

Their seven-mile memorial ride took them along Guilford Ave. designated as the city’s “bike boulevard,” and along Mount Royal Ave., where cycling advocates are pushing the city to resist pressure to kill a planned bike lane.
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“We hope to make Maryland roads safer,” Cohen said, reviewing the legislation the family has been promoting in the Maryland General Assembly.

The bills they’re pushing would require Maryland drivers to pass competency tests and would increase penalties for failure to remain on the scene of a serious accident.
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https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2012/02/27/family-friends-and-cyclists-remember-krasnopoler-and-pledge-to-fight-for-him/

“These bike lane arguments are ridiculous. People need to learn to ride their bike with auto traffic and shut up about having bike lanes everywhere. When I ride my bike, I ride with traffic. When it’s safe, I move to the right hand side to let cars through. When it’s not safe, I take the lane and let the cars deal with it. . .”
– Richard

“Some of the commenters here . . . are expressing a weird bias/entitlement: Apparently pedestrians need to be prepared to modify their traveling behavior and/or walking patterns so as not to inconvenience motorists. Apparently bicyclists need to be prepared to modify their traveling behavior, cycling routes, and/or cycling patterns so as not to inconvenience motorists. But GOD FORBID the precious motorists ever be asked to change their driving behavior or traffic/commuting patterns!”
– Marc

“‘Crashed.’ Exactly what’ll happen when you mixed undergrads and cyclists on a busy, narrow thoroughfare like Mt. Royal Avenue. What’s wrong with Park Avenue? Why couldn’t it be a bike boulevard like Guilford Avenue is (or will be soon)?
– James Hunt

“Nothing’s wrong with Park Avenue, but we’re talking about Mt Royal. Many cyclists ride here everyday, students and others, without the added protection of a bike lane. Cars continually speed here and nobody stops for pedestrians in crosswalks. Reducing Mt Royal to a bike lane and a car lane would solve all these problems.”
– Liam Quigley

“No, it would just p*ss off motorists trying to get to and from the JFX on an even more jammed up Mt. Royal. . . Fred Lazarus, who knows the area as well as anyone, is right to put the brakes on this proposal.”
– James Hunt

“Park Avenue is great, and undoubtedly the best way to get to Reservoir Hill and Mondawmin Mall from MICA. The problem is Mt. Royal Avenue and Park Ave don’t go to the same places. The MICA student body needs a safe connector to Mt. Vernon, and by extension to the city’s bicycle infrastructure network.”
– Dukiebiddle

“We ought to be doing what we can to make college campuses both bike and pedestrian friendly. I say that as the husband of a MICA alumni and a former resident of Bolton Hill, currently living on Park avenue in Reservoir Hill.”
– guest

“Is it possible to do something actually nice – like sidewalk, 8-10 foot two-way bike lane, median, 4 moving vehicle lanes, sidewalk?”
– Bmorepanic

“Lazarus may be a wonderful college president, but he doesn’t know anything about traffic.”
– Dukiebiddle

https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2012/02/20/best-of-brew-comments-16/

Hello all,
The Poly environment club is going to be running a bike collection for Bikes for the World
March 31st, 9 am- 1 pm
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Parking lot
1400 West Cold spring lane
Baltimore, MD 21209

Volunteers and donors are needed.
If you donate a bike, a $10 dollar monetary donation is recommended to help defray the cost of shipping the bikes.
Contact me for more information, joshuaspokes@aol.com

Bikes for the world’s mission is to assist poor people overseas become more productive through providing affordable bicycles for personal transport to work, school, and health services. Secondarily, provide satisfying community service opportunities to Americans—collecting bikes and spare parts–towards realizing this primary goal of helping others overseas.

In addition to benefitting a good cause, Baltimore Bike Works will give a 10% discount with a receipt from the collection.
Continue reading “Used bike collection in Baltimore, MD”

Fred Lazarus says lane might have "ripple effects" on car congestion and pedestrian safety.

B’ Spokes: The following are my comments on Mark Reutter’s article in the Baltimore Brew https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2012/02/17/mica-president-not-convinced-bike-lane-on-mt-royal-makes-sense/

First I’ll say if government gave guarantees that gas will remain under $3 gallon for the next ten years, I would throw my hands up and surrender to not inconveniencing cars in the slightest. But we have no such guarantee, in fact it looks like we will see over $4 a gallon* this summer and the result will be less car traffic and more bike traffic. (I could go into child obesity, air quality, quality of life, making Baltimore attractive for more people to live here and so on but this will do for now.)

Next, while I respect anyone to make comments on behalf of the organization they represent and on the subject how this will effect their members of that organization but to make a case that MICA’s mission is to be a on ramp for I-83 and MICA is THE expert on the subject is absurd. That would like giving me the final say on funding stem cell research, not that I don’t have an opinion but I am not an expert on this topic nor is it part of the issues of those I represent. The same goes for Mr. Lazarus, clearly he is grasping at straws to hide his anti-cycling bias.

Re: “What I need to be convinced of is that a bike lane would not impede the safety of pedestrians” – Fred Lazarus IV, president.

Really??? Baltimore City represents a whopping 32% of the states pedestrian crashes (with cars), over 5 years that’s 4,547 pedestrians hit by cars in Baltimore City** and he is concerned that calmer traffic will make that number worse? Again just more anti-cycling bias.

Conclusion: I am sick and tired of unfounded idle speculation killing bike lanes in this city. One third of New York City bike lanes took space from cars and there is no significant difference in New York City’s car traffic. New York City does metrics before and after installing controversial bike lanes and they can say these are the benefits and this is the down side we have measured (any change in the roadway will have pluses and minuses) but Baltimore City does no such thing, it is as if who can tell the most outlandish hyperbole wins. We have to put an end to this! Demand proof of outlandish claims. Where in the world have bike lanes impeded pedestrian safety? Where in the world has removal of a travel lane caused a "ripple effect"?

My compromise position: We need a one year study to give us some real numbers to talk about. Sure it might cost us dearly if the numbers do not pan out favorably and we will have to remove the bicycling facility but then we will have a better idea what works and what does not. This approach is preferable then letting any and all anti-cycling hyperbole win every time.
Continue reading “MICA president not convinced bike lane on Mt. Royal makes sense”

by James D. Schwartz, The Urban Country

After revealing that the average American works about 2 hours a day to pay for the cost of automobile ownership earlier this month, I was asked to participate in a radio interview for the Edmonton’s CJSR 88.5FM on Full English Breakfast with Peter Chapman to talk bicycles (listen to the full 13 minute segment here: [MP3 download]).

For fun, the show hosts Peter Chapman and Karly Coleman crunched the numbers and determined that they work 3.5 minutes each day to pay for their bikes.
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Continue reading “Americans Work 3.84 Minutes Each Day To Pay For Their Bicycles”

[B’ Spokes: Nice interview of one of our cycling commuters.]
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By Fern Shen, Baltimore Bew

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What has your experience been with Baltimore drivers and others you encounter on the road?

It’s like anything else Baltimore – you can find anything and everything. On balance, Baltimore drivers have been courteous and safe. If there’s any criticism I’d offer, it’s simply the speed. Baltimoreans speed a lot.

Have you had any close calls? Bad experiences? Great experiences?

I’ve had a few close calls with people passing too close, or honking and yelling because they think I have no right to be on the road. I haven’t been hit on a bike since I was a kid.

What’s it like biking on Mt. Royal, and and do you think a dedicated bike lane there would be a good idea?

It’s one of the busiest roads I encounter on my route, especially during rush hour. I think bike lanes are always a good idea, but I recognize that there are challenges in where to put them without disrupting traffic and such. Longer term, I support efforts to reduce the volume of traffic through smart development, increased public transportation options, and yes, bike lanes.

Frankly, I wasn’t aware of the controversy until the article. With the expansive median, there’s plenty of real estate space there, so I’m hopeful they can find a way to put one in.
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https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2012/02/15/qa-city-cyclist-rev-andrew-foster-connors/

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[B’ Spokes: Kudos to the riders that participated in this. I love the right hook scenario, well played!]
Continue reading “Baltimore Police Department: PSA: Bike Safety Video”

[B’ Spokes: For those who have never seen me using my bike just like others use a car or those who have and thought they did not have the strength then check this out!!! This bike is crazy awesome and is electric assisted so you don’t need my strength.]

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from Baltimore Bicycle Works

You may not know it yet, but the cargo bike revolution is coming to Baltimore. In the last year, we have helped four people find their bliss on these extra long wheel base cargo bikes. The latest to hit the streets is our very own, ultimate cargo hauling shop bike, the Stoke Monkey electric motor-assisted Yuba Mundo.

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[B’ Spokes: Even with a passenger the bike moves.]

https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BaltimoreBicycleWorks/~3/XyILBwc_r08/

[B’ Spokes: Sometimes I wounder if people in Planning talk to DOT?
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By Stacy Lipson, Smart Planet

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Overall, we would like to reduce traffic congestion in the city. We finally have tools in place to not be so auto-dependent.
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Continue reading “Q&A: Thomas Stosur, city planning director, Baltimore”