Biking in Baltimore
Flickr photo by Gavin Baker.
Since the average car trip is around 16 miles, lets put exits on the freeway every 16 miles.
Sounds crazy right? So why in many places are the pedestrian crossings a mile apart with the average pedestrian trip at one mile?
[B’ Spokes: A big thanks goes to Google News Alerts for finding this, as you may know the State is not very good at communicating with the cycling community, more on this at a later date but first a few notes on the data: Keep in mind the report is generated through a general template, so some info will not be relevant. The report opens with 2005-2009 crash, injury and death information (by crash not by person as the rest of the report.) Then goes on to report road type (for crash, injury and death; this repeats though the rest of the report without titles), Month, day of week, time of day, DRIVERS age, gender (again with injury chart ,) the DRIVERS safety equipment, passenger of the CAR info, passenger of the CAR gender, passenger of the CAR safety equipment, passenger of the CAR seating position, cyclists age (that’s the SECOND age chart that is relevant to us,) cyclists gender, cyclists location, cyclists movement (note the riding against traffic category.)]
Continue reading “Summary Bicycle Crash Information by County Is Now On-line”
By Doug Miller
Gil Penalosa hit it right on the head.
“It’s a political problem,” he said, referring to the difficulty encountered by those who try to get around this county on foot or on bicycles. Penalosa directs the advocacy group called 8-80 Cities. He was here last week as part of the Columbia Association Speaker Series.
“We need to inform our leaders, build partnerships with them,” he said.
That’s begun to happen, particularly among cyclists, who have been galvanized by martyrs like Nathan Krasnopoler. The Johns Hopkins University sophomore from Ellicott City has been in a coma since he was struck by a car as he rode his bicycle on University Parkway in Baltimore. He is not expected to recover.
Cycling advocates won a victory in Annapolis this session in getting a bill passed that would allow prosecutors to seek stiffer penalties against drivers whose negligence kills cyclists. They have begun to feel their oats as a political force.
But politics is about conflict, remember, and motorists who see cyclists as a self-important impediment to the daily commute are pushing back, railing in print and online against their presence on roads built to accommodate auto traffic.
And if that backlash ever coalesces, watch out, riders. Such a force would be to the bicycle-riding public as the Republican Party is to the Greens.
If politics is the art of compromise, some artistry is called for here.
Continue reading “Wheel politik”
by Jess Leber
With a huge win last night, the state of Maryland took one leap closer to preventing many senseless bicycle deaths.
During the waning hours of the last day of the legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly approved House Bill 363, which provides a new jail term option for “grossly negligent” drivers who cause fatalities on the road. Previously, even reckless drivers’ who should’ve known better were getting off with a traffic ticket for causing someone’s death (seriously, a traffic ticket). The new jail penalty available to prosecutors won’t only serve in the name of justice–public education about these serious consequences will also deter reckless behavior and prevent deaths, in a way similar to strong drunk driving laws.
Victims families and cycling advocates, such as Bike Maryland and the Washington Area Bicycle Association, have been lobbying for passage of this vehicular manslaughter bill for seven years. The American Automobile Association also threw its weight behind passage. But each year prior, the bill remained stuck in one single committee without going anywhere. Today, after some stayed up in last-minute lobbying late yesterday following versions of the bill that ricocheted from the Senate and then back to the House until 10PM last night, all of these hard-working advocates are celebrating. (Read TheWashCycle post here for more details). All that is left is for Governor O’Malley to sign the bill into law, as he is widely expected to do.
That includes long-time Change.org member Kenniss Henry, who is behind the petition in support of the bill that attracted more than 5,000 signatures in the last few months (These signatures were directly emailed Maryland’s elected officials, and were also included in Senate testimony submitted for the bill two weeks ago). Ms. Henry became a significant force in personally lobbying for the bill this year, after she tragically lost her only child, 30-year-old Natasha Pettigrew, in a hit-and-run accident last September. The investigation for that case remains open, but Ms. Henry was appalled when she learned about Maryland’s lax penalties for drivers’ on this issue.
Ms. Henry is so incredibly thrilled that this bill passed, and she seems to have caught the lobbying bug. She noted on the phone to me this morning how much there is still to do to make the roads better for cyclists and educate everyone on how to share the road, and she intends to keep working on these issues. In the meantime, she sadly awaits the results into the investigation of her daughter’s death. At least she is not waiting idly.
Here is a really sweet note Ms. Henry wrote about the victory:
“No words, big or small, can adequately express my gratitude. Last September when I said that I would be going to Annapolis I was naive and idealistic. I had no idea the amount of dedication, commitment and hard work that would be required but I always said I would run the race to finish line. The passing of the Vehicular Manslaughter Bill is a major milestone, a phenomenal accomplishment and speaks to the heart of true teamwork.
No one person could ever have done this; all of the petition support, all of the long-term advocates, family and friends who became as much a part of the fight deserve the credit. When I first became a member of Change.org I did so because of some wrong that needed to be corrected but I never dreamed that Natasha’s death would spark a movement that currently has over 5100 signatures. Certainly, I was happy to get 100 signatures but thanks to the staff at Change.org this movement grew and definitely brought our cause added exposure.
I have learned so much about the process to get a bill signed into law but more importantly, I have learned just how much more needs to be done to assure that we respect all of our shared resources, especially our roads. Thanks for all of your support to make this more than just a dream. “
Continue reading “Victory! Maryland Enacts Stricter Penalties for Reckless Drivers”
from TheWashCycle by washcycle
Photo by M.V. Jantzen
There used to be just a stop sign, but that didn’t work. So if one sign doesn’t work, the answer is two.
As one traffic engineer writes:
Doesn’t marking the crosswalk and having STOP signs on the trail confuse the right-of-way assignment?
Yes. For more on this, see this post.
Our previous coverage via Washcycle https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20110406163738881
The driver’s response: https://lefthandview.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/04-08-11-bikes-cars-lessons-learned/ (also found via Washcycle)
Highlights:
04.08.11 Bikes & Cars: Lessons Learned
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• Cyclists have every right to be paranoid and hostile: any interaction between a car and a bike is inherently more dangerous for the cyclist than for the driver. Not only that, but they face the indifference and outright hostility of drivers all the time. Who could blame them for seeing cars (and drivers) as enemies?
• After I came close to the cyclist at the first intersection last week, he moved purposely leftward, so that – even as I was touching the while line to my left – he was coming closer and closer to me. I interpreted his move as purposely aggressive. Cyclists have since pointed out to me that what he was probably trying to do was to “take the lane”: cyclists moving toward the center of the lane are trying to force cars to stay behind them as they approach an intersection, rather than come up alongside. They do this because it puts them in a safer position. I never heard of this idea before, but – whether it is the law or not (which isn’t clear to me) – I intend to respect it from now on.
• Cyclists assume that all drivers know that the law requires cars to stay three feet away and that everyone knows the take-the-lane principle. They view any driver who does not abide by these guidelines as purposely and provocatively breaking the law, i.e., the interaction and their reaction to is not only about safety for them (legitimate as that is), but also about hostile fire in an ongoing war.
• Many cyclists seem unwilling to consider the possibility of flaw among their own, just as they seem unwilling to accept any driver as a potential ally.
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• His “taking the lane” may have been a reasonable attempt to communicate with me, but it backfired, because I didn’t speak that language. (This was not something covered in drivers ed 35 years ago!)
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Just the same, I think reasonable cyclists and reasonable drivers could come together to find ways to reduce inbred hostility and to recognize that at least some of the warfare going on is due to misunderstanding and ignorance, as opposed to ill will.
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By Kim Brown – ABC News
Cyclists and pedestrians are commuters too. While pedestrians do not always have the right of way when crossing the street, there are more rules protecting cyclists rights to the roadway than I knew.
According Maryland state law, the responsibility is on the driver of a vehicle to ensure cyclists are not struck, and not the responsibility of the cyclist to stay out of the way of the driver. The punishments for drivers who injure cyclists include a $1000 fine and up to three points on their license.
With some very sad stories in our state during the past year: the Hopkins student severely injured while struck on his bike and the Green Party candidate who was actually killed while cycling , the state legislature is working to enact stiffer penalties for drivers who cause major injury to bicyclists.
Click here to see the full list of rules for sharing the road with cyclists.
[B’ Spokes: I also found this video that kind of captures the “cyclists must stay out of the way” attitude. Was the driver’s “intent” to harm the cyclists, as some have insisted should be part of prosecution of unsafe drivers? Not really but look at the standard of due care exercised here vs what other drivers were doing, and that is what we are going after. Also note how much space she gives the car vs the cyclist, for me this is one of the fundamental changes in our culture, “it’s OK to pass a cyclist within inches even though a small mistake could kill but another car give plenty of space as you might get a dent or a scratch on your car.”]
Continue reading “Stay in your lane”
From WABA
Here is an explanation of the Senate Committee’s amendment to House Bill 363.
H.B. 363 is based on the Model Penal Code, a suggested criminal code developed by the American Law Institute. Senator Brian Frosh (D–Montgomery) has consistently maintained that he is concerned that the proposed version of House Bill 363 might unintentionlly subject relatively ordinary behavior to criminal penalties. WABA’s testimony before his committee showed that the states that have enacted some variation of the Model Penal Code have only upheld convictions for egregious conduct resulting in death, not ordinary negligence. (Our testimony before the House focussed on the inadequacies of the existing law in Maryland.)
Mr. Frosh noticed that H.B. 363 used different adjectives than the Model Penal Code. The original version of House Bill 363 included the following language
SECTION 1…. § 210 (c). For purposes of this section, a person acts in a criminally negligent manner… when… (2) [t]he failure to perceive constitutes a substantial deviation from the standard of care that would be excercised by a reasonable person.
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That it is the intent of the General Assembly that the term “substantial deviation from the standard of care” in § 2–210(c)(2) of the Criminal Law Article, as enacted by
Section 1 of this Act, be interpreted synonymously with the term “gross deviation from the standard of care” under § 2.02(2)(d) of the Model Penal Code of the American Law Institute.
After some negotiation, the Senate Committee changed one word:
SECTION 1…. § 210 (c). For purposes of this section, a person acts in a criminally negligent manner…when… (2) [t]he failure to perceive constitutes a substantial gross deviation from the standard of care that would
be excercised by a reasonable person.
Because Section 2 of the bill already defined “substantial deviation” as “gross deviation” this amendment does not seem to change the bill’s meaning. If the Senate passes the amended H.B. 363, then sponsors in the House should be able to explain that the Senate’s amendment is purely technical.
Maryland Residents: Please CLICK HERE to email your state senator expressing your support for House Bill 363, as amended. [Don’t forget your full name and address. You have till midnight on Monday.]
Continue reading “Frosh Amends, then pushes Bill Forward in Maryland”
From Michael Hart…
Continue reading “Homicide: Guns vs Homicide: Auto”
By Ashley Arnold
At just 24 years old, Brian Boyle of Welcome, Maryland, has become an outstanding endurance athlete. In 2007, six weeks after his first Half-Ironman triathlon, he completed the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii with hardly two months of training. In August 2009, he competed in the Louisville Ironman followed by five marathons in just over five weeks. Then, this past November, two weeks after crossing the finish line of his third Ironman (Florida), he ran his first trail ultramarathon, the JFK 50 Mile, without having completed a single off-road training run. What makes these endurance feats even more incredible is that on July 6, 2004, Boyle was pronounced clinically dead, eight times.
About a month after his high-school graduation, while driving home from a swim workout, Boyle was involved in a car accident in southern Maryland. A dump truck slammed into the driver’s side of his black Camaro, pushing his heart to the right side of his chest, shattering his pelvis, crushing his ribs and collapsing his lungs. He lost 60 percent of his blood and all recollection of what happened. Boyle spent the next two months in the Intensive Care Unit at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland.
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Continue reading “AN IMPOSSIBLE LIFE: A True Story About Cheating Death and Pushing Limits”