B’ Spokes: In brackets is the comparative stat for Baltimore County.
"As we’ve noted here before, Prince George’s has had the pathetic distinction of topping [#2] the regional fatalities list every year going back to 2001. Last year 24 [21] pedestrians and cyclists were killed on county roads, 10 [7] more than in the District and more than [very close to] twice as many than in Montgomery County. Last week we had a nice reminder of how inhospitable a place it can be for pedestrians when a jury found the state of Maryland liable for $3 million in a case in which a woman was killed on Pennsylvania Avenue in 2008. She’d been walking on a stretch of highway that had no sidewalk or guard rails whatsoever."
Continue reading “Prince George’s community groups plead for safer, more walkable streets”
Jury finds Maryland liable for failing to include a sidewalk
From Greater Greater Washington by David Alpert
A Prince George’s County jury found the state of Maryland liable for the death of a pedestrian because they didn’t install a sidewalk.
A driver hit and killed Kelay Smith on Pennsylvania Avenue in District Heights in August 2008. There is a 200-foot gap in the sidewalk, forcing people to walk along the road with fast-moving traffic.
According to the Post, one of the officers investigating the crash said, "There shouldn’t be any pedestrians walking alongside the road," but residents say they have no choice since nearby apartment complex have fences that prohibit walking anywhere else.
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It’s just speeding
Let’s say someone is doing 25mph over the speed limit on a:
A) rural interstate and get caught by a speed trap, fine $185.
B) residential street paralyzing a young boy, fine $185.
When are we going to get that driving near twice the speed limit (B) is by far more reckless/negligent then driving 1/3 over the speed limit (A)?
Continue reading “It’s just speeding”
Bikes, good for jobs and good for the economy but not getting their fair share of Federal funds
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For example, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) will learn that his district is home to 51 stores that sell bikes and that those stores grossed more than $20 million in 2009. Bikes, he’ll be told, are sold by small-business owners, and those sales create jobs.
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They are armed with statistics that show that 1.5 percent of federal transportation dollars are spent to support biking and walking while 12 percent of all trips are on two feet or two wheels.
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Continue reading “Bikes, good for jobs and good for the economy but not getting their fair share of Federal funds”
Another example of Maryland’s "fine" justice
From last December in the Washington Post
Description of the crash:
"He was driving an estimated 56 mph, nearly twice the speed limit, and said the child darted in front of his car. He slammed his brakes, skidded 40 feet and struck the 82-pound boy, who rolled over his hood. Junior, as Luis is called, is now a quadriplegic."
Description of the court outcome:
His department’s investigation concluded that if he had been driving 30 mph instead of 56, he could have stopped in time. The department also faulted Junior for trying to cross the road where he did.
"As soon as I saw him, he was at a full sprint," Cokinos told internal affairs investigators. "By the time I saw him, he ran that fast into the road."
Cokinos repeated the account in several interviews and said he spotted the child as he ran near the double yellow marking on the road.
He was issued two citations: speeding and negligent driving. He pleaded guilty to the former, and a judge found him not guilty of the latter, saying there was no evidence of errant driving beyond speed. Cokinos was fined $160, and he went forward with his career on the force.
Continue reading “Another example of Maryland’s "fine" justice”
Better With Less Award
The Comptroller of Maryland is offering an honor, called the Better With Less award, will be given to one business or organization in each of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City.
https://www.marylandtaxes.com/comptroller/initiatives/BetterWithLess.asp
So I am thinking of Baltimore’s three new bike shops (more bikes being sold), Baltimore’s study that shows that bike lanes create more jobs per dollar spent then other transit projects, how much money leaves the local economy with car ownership, the price of gas rapidly heading for $4 a gallon… aw heck all the issues in my email tag line as well: – Global warming, increasing obesity rates, traffic congestion, dependence on foreign oil, leading causes of premature death and the economy… if only there was a common solution.
So when I think of better for less I think of bicycles but the ONE business or organization is so hard to pull out as so many have been involved. So I am thinking of Bike Maryland as they have not only been helpful in the city but also around the State, they are in a sense feeding a whole village by teaching individuals how to fish. The ultimate in better with less concept.
But in filling out the form seems to be a bit of a kludge, so I am asking for your help. Can someone take these ideas and others to form a coherent campaign?
Thanks,
Continue reading “Better With Less Award”
Survey shows epidemic of school bus passing
from Getting There by Michael Dresser
More than 7,000 drivers in Maryland were observed passing stopped school buses illegally — one of the most serious traffic offenses in state law — during a single-day survey conducted by the Maryland Department of Education.
The figures, gathered from all 24 of the state’s jurisdictions, are being used to support an effort by state and local educators to win passage of a bill in the General Assembly to allow the use of cameras mounted on the outside of school buses to enforce the law against passing when the vehicles have their red lights flashing and stop arm deployed.
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Violations of the school bus passing law carry some of the heaviest penalties among Maryland driving laws that don’t require the defendant to appear in court, A motorist who receives such a ticket and elects to forgo a trial must pay a fine of $570. The offense carries 3 points if a driver fails to stop at all; the penalty is 2 points of the drivers stops but then passes before the bus driver has turned off the flashing lights and retracted the sign.
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After Baltimore County, high rates of the offense — more than one per driver counting — were found in Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties and Baltimore city.
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Continue reading “Survey shows epidemic of school bus passing”
Bike Safety News: Washington D.C. Area Bicycle Group Seeks More Respect from All Cyclists
by Lebowitz & Mzhen
Bicycle injury accidents are fairly common in urban areas like Washington, D.C., Annapolis and Baltimore, MD, however, reducing the frequency of car-bike and bicycle-commercial truck crashes is a challenge due to the shear volume of traffic in these areas. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers who represent cyclists and motorcycle riders hurt in traffic collisions, our job is to help these victims recover damages, including medical, rehab, and work-loss costs following a car accident.
Especially for bicyclists, the potential for serious injury, not to mention possible fatal injury due to being hit by a passing motor vehicle, is very high in cities and other urban areas. Being struck and knocked to the ground can lead to broken arms and legs, road rash, cuts and bruises, and worst of all, traumatic brain injury. Wearing a helmet is always a good idea, but is no guarantee of a good outcome.
A while back, we saw a news item that reminded all of us of one key element in hopefully reducing injuries from car-bike collisions. Over in the District, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) has apparently resolved to improve safety for all who travel on public roads. How? A spokesperson for WABA said the group wants cyclists to “better respect the rights of other road users.”
One can assume that WABA hopes passenger car, long-haul truckers, and commercial delivery truck drivers will reciprocate as well. According to the article, WABA had asked its membership to make a New Year’s resolution that includes respecting the rights of others on public roads and to make what the group says is “a good faith effort to follow the law.” This includes, according to the article, yielding the right of way to pedestrians.
The outgrowth of this latest movement apparently came following the death of D.C. resident who was struck by a cyclist the day following Thanksgiving. According to reports, 78-year-old Quan Chu and his wife were hit by bicycle rider while walking in an alleyway near Massachusetts Ave. The elderly gentleman and his wife were both knocked to the ground as a result of the incident. Chu subsequently died from his injuries.
The WABA suggested that road safety should not be looked at as a “car-versus-bike-versus-pedestrian” situation. One reason, according to the article, is that most every cyclist also drives a motor vehicle out of necessity and for enjoyment as well. Similarly, every driver and cyclist is a pedestrian from time to time. The WABA apparently sees this commonalty as a starting point for dialogue and mutual respect.
With the number of bicycle and pedestrian accidents that occur annually here in Maryland and the District, we can only hope that this movement continues to gain support. Perhaps there is hope to reduce significantly the number of injuries and fatalities that happen on a weekly basis.
Highlights from Maryland Statewide Student Travel Policy Survey
Cars pay for roads and they don’t pay for bus service. We want more of our education money being spent on bus service! There is no problems continuing funding this pattern from the General Budget. [/sarcasm]
Really, so few have encouraging activities?
“Principals are concerned that students lack the skills needed to walk and bike safely.”
Gee, where can we find someone to teach them the skills? [/sarcasm] (I know, they blew the budget with bus service and can’t afford to teach any thing else.)
Pretty much what I expected but there it is in black and white. MDOT’s policy (used to be?) to only accommodate bicycles and pedestrians where practical and feasible, which roughly worked out not practical in rural areas and not feasible in urban areas, that fact that wording has been edited out of the States 20 Year Bike Master plan is encouraging.
I have to point this out just because MDOT is really behind the curve with the web stuff and could use some more encouragement to put more effort into the web:
“Recommendations: 1a. Create a webpage on MDOT’s site for the State’s Safe Routes to School program (currently no site exists)”
But it is great that they did this to create a nice base line, though I am disappointed they did not track kids being driven to school.
Continue reading “Highlights from Maryland Statewide Student Travel Policy Survey”
Mendelson asks about Idaho Stop and Riding outside the bike lane
[B’ Spokes: this is from DC but still applicable in Maryland.]
By Washcycle
I’ve been watching footage from Mendelson’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety hearing and there are a couple of conversations that were not reported on earlier.
At around the 27:00 mark, he asks WABA director Shane Farthing about the Idaho Stop saying that it was something “we should be looking into.” That’s encouraging, but don’t get too excited. We probably need to replace the current contributory negligence law with comparative negligence law first. If not, anytime a cyclist is hit in an intersection it will be almost impossible to recover for injury or property damage. Some people fear that the simple existence of the Idaho Stop law will be enough for 1% fault.
The contrib/compare discussion comes up at the 39:00 mark. Farthing proposes changing the law just for vulnerable roadway users insted of changing the entire legal system in DC (which has some opposition from lawyers and insurance companies).
The last part of interest is at the 01:37:00 mark when Mendolson asks BAC representative David Alexander why cyclists sometimes don’t ride in a bike lane. As an example he mentioned almost being hit by a cyclist on Pennsylvania Avenue by a cyclist riding to the right instead of in the center bike lanes. Mendolson wanted to know: What up with that?
It’s a question a lot of non-drivers probably ask and of course there are probably dozens of possible answers (Some bike lanes aren’t well designed. Some cyclists don’t like them. Sometimes the bike lane is inconvenient, or goes over bad pavement. Sometimes it’s blocked) though mine would probably be this: that cyclist didn’t think the bike lane met their safety or use needs as well as the all-traffic lane. I’m not sure where Mendolson was going with the question (bike lane enforcement? bike lane design? Get off my yard complaining?). Maybe he was just curious.
Continue reading “Mendelson asks about Idaho Stop and Riding outside the bike lane”