Category: Biking in Maryland

Greater Greater Washington has some great coverage and detail about what our AAA has been up to and I will highlight the concluding paragraph:
"Rails to Trails can only ask its members nationwide to push national AAA on this issue. But we live in the AAA Mid-Atlantic region. If you’re still a AAA member, switch to the Better World Club. And tell AAA you might consider being a member again only if they focus on their real mission, providing services to drivers, and stop trying to lobby against transit, pedestrian and bicycle programs."
Continue reading “AAA more cycle-friendly, except where money is concerned”

Fox news has some nice coverage of the event (link after the fold) but I will highlight this bit:
"Henry [Natasha’s mother] says she wanted the vigil to call attention to the need for more bike lanes in Prince Georges County.
It is a cause she’s vowing to take to state lawmakers in Annapolis and also Congress."
Funny she should mention that as that has been one of the issues we have been covering. As far as I am aware Maryland is the ONLY State where Federal Transportation Enhancement (TE) money CANNOT be spent on bike lanes. Maryland has the LOWEST spending of TE money on bike/ped projects of all the states. And before rescissions Maryland had over $20 million in non-obligated funds (money in need of projects to fund.) This is just obscene to have this kind of money available and not allowing it to address a need.
Per State Law § 2-606. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. (MBPAC)
(a) Purpose.- The Governor shall appoint a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to provide guidance to State agencies concerning: (1) Funding of bicycle and pedestrian related programs;
So if you want to see a change for more bike lanes (or sharrows, shoulders or just wide lanes) write Chairperson Jim Swift <jks36@verizon.net>;
cc: MBPAC staff Michael Jackson <mjackson3@mdot.state.md.us>;
and your local rep (which can be found via https://mdelect.net/ )
Continue reading “(Alert added) Vigil Held for Green Party Candidate, Natasha Pettigrew”

By Kevin Spradlin Cumberland Times-News
— CUMBERLAND — The tragic death of Bradley “B-Rad” Bridges in August at the YMCA skate park in Cumberland brought unabashed sympathy and support from friends, family and a virtual world of BMX.
“Damn, that sucks. Rest in peace, man,” one man wrote on a BMX website.
In the vernacular of avid BMXers, that just about covers it.
Lena Bridges, though, wants something positive to come from her son’s untimely death. Since Brad, 18, was killed after sneaking into the skate park after hours with five others on the night of Aug. 6, Lena Bridges has been raising money to buy bike helmets for kids who don’t have them.
The next fundraiser is a car wash at CiCi’s Pizza in LaVale from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The pizza place is participating in a spirit night from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, when proceeds from purchases will be donated to the effort. CiCi’s Pizza also is the site of a second spirit night from noon to 8 p.m. Oct. 3.
“When all the 200 kids came and lined their bikes up in front of the funeral home, I looked around, and only half of them had helmets,” said Bridges, of Cumberland, noting Brad had not been wearing his helmet at the time of the accident. “That, then, was my focus. I don’t want any other parent to have to feel the feeling that I’m feeling, the loss.”
Brad began riding a bicycle only in October 2009 after his 18th birthday. Until then, Bridges wouldn’t let her son, who suffered from an enlarged spleen, participate in many activities that might result in a rupture of the spleen.
However, “when he turned 18, he took up this hobby,” Bridges said. “He was riding with the kids to act like he was … a normal person.”
Bridges said she and family members know quite well that her son was not permitted to be at the YMCA. But knowing that does not lessen the pain of his death.  Nor does it need to be the focal point of how Brad is remembered, she said.
“I’m not doing this because the kids were being bad,” Bridges said. “I’m doing this because kids in the area need helmets, and my son wasn’t wearing a helmet. They were just trying to have fun. I don’t care where he was at or what he was doing.”
Bridges noted the YMCA park was not their first choice. They were in downtown Cumberland, she said, but they were “chased off” by police officers four different times that Friday night.
The kids were just being kids, then, Bridges said, when they went to the skate park.
“They didn’t break in, like break a lock,” Bridges said. “They just went to ride a bike.”
In about a month of work, Bridges has raised nearly $1,300 and plans to soon order the first batch of 200 helmets. Each helmet costs $6.25, nearly $2 less than what the Allegany County Health Department charges.
Bridges said the helmets will be distributed free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. The only requirements for recipients are that a child must complete a bike safety course and must be accompanied to that course by a parent. Bridges said she is working with an officer from the Cumberland Police Department to establish the program.
She’s hopeful the course and the advice of wearing a helmet, which is required for riders 16 and under in Maryland, will serve as friendly reminders to children and parents alike.
“Something could happen in the split of a second,” Bridges said. “If a child remembers some lady ‘told me I needed my helmet,’ then I’ve done something good.”
Continue reading “Mother keeps son’s memory by buying bike helmets for those without them”

On September 21, 2010 deputies responded to a motor vehicle collision involving a bicyclist on Indian Bridge Road in California.   Investigation revealed vehicle 1, a 2008 GMC Sierra, driven by Terry Dale Blackburn, 63 of Lexington Park, was traveling northbound on Indian Bridge Road.  Mr. Blackburn failed to yield the right of way to vehicle #2, a Felt bicycle, operated by off duty St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Corporal Timothy Butler.  Vehicle #1 collided with vehicle #2 ejecting the Cpl. Butler from the bicycle.  [per comments: “almost the entire northbound portion of Indian Bridge Road is unsuitable for bicycle riding”] Corporal Butler was flown by Maryland State Police Helicopter Trooper 2 to Baltimore Shock Trauma where he was treated and released.  Mr. Blackburn was not injured in the collision. The accident remains under investigation.

Continue reading “Off-Duty Officer Injured in Bicycle Accident”

LEONARDTOWN, Md. (Sept. 22, 2010) — Two St. Mary’s County sheriff’s deputies were injured on Tuesday in two unrelated vehicle accidents. Both deputies were sent to area hospitals and later released.
In one accident, Corporal Timothy Butler was off duty and riding his bicycle on Indian Bridge Road when he was struck by a 2008 GMC Sierra, driven by Terry Dale Blackburn, 63 of Lexington Park, according to police.
Butler was flown by Maryland State Police Helicopter Trooper 2 to Baltimore Shock Trauma where he was treated and released. Blackburn was not injured in the collision.
In the second accident, according to police, Sergeant Harold Young was traveling eastbound on Pegg Road in a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria when a 2003 Ford Explorer, driven by Carlton Eugene Baldwin, 26 of Lusby, was crossing Pegg Road from Lexington Drive and failed to yield the right-of-way. Baldwin’s Explorer subsequently collided with Young’s car.
Young was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital by ambulance where he was treated and released. Baldwin was not injured in the collision.
"We would like to thank the community for their well wishes and support for our deputies and their families as they recover," said Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron in a press release.
Continue reading “Motorists Injure Two Deputies in Two Separate Accidents”

ABC News
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Christy Littleford, the driver who killed Pettigrew, maintains she thought she hit an animal. She called police hours after hitting Pettigrew, apparently when she spotted a bicycle under her SUV.
Even though Littleford, 41, dragged Pettigrew’s bicyle for miles, Henry doubts the woman will face a harsh punishment.
"Hit and run, vehicular manslaughter are minor-type offenses or they are treated mostly with a severe warning," Henry said.
"It took you four hours [Note that "4" hours has been highly disputed but still even at one hour, that is a long time to wait for help to start trying to get to the scene] to go to your car that you thought you hit a deer with and discover there’s a bicycle wedged under your car?" said John Clendenin, a friend of Pettigrew.
Prince George’s County authorities say the case is under investigation.
…
Traffic safety experts consider the state’s statutes on vehicular manslaughter among the most lenient in the country. A prosecutor must prove gross negligence or some kind of intent to kill or maim in order to charge and convict.
"Virtually no one is charged with this crime, because proving it is so hard in court," said John Townsend of AAA MidAtlantic.
"If you shoot someone and you kill them — what is the difference between taking a life that way and, you know, hitting somebody?" Henry asked.
Clendenin cleaned up debris from the fatal collision today and called for changing Maryland law.
"When are people going to start caring about human life?" Clendenin asked. "If you think you hit a deer, pull over and see."
Continue reading “Maryland’s statutes on vehicular manslaughter among the most lenient in the country”

From TFLcar:
1) How do you hit a cyclist and continue down the road as if you just hit a bug with your windshield?
2) The Cadillac Escalade has just over 8 inches of ground clearance. That’s about the size of a typical bike seat. How do you drag a bike home under the car without hearing the painful grinding of metal on cement and seeing the subsequest sparks from the bike being dragged under the car?
3) Why are police so concerned if Pettigrew had reflective clothing on? We would think they would be more concerned as to why Christy R. Littleford left the scene of the hit and run?
4) Why did it take Christy R. Littleford one hour to call police after she struck Pettigrew?
5) How long was it before EMS services were called to the scene of the hit and run. And, could have timely and immediate medical care saved Pettigrew’s life?
6) Why has Christy R. Littleford (a full three days after accident) not been charged with any offence?
7) Why is it that cyclist are treated as second class citizens in the United States?
8) Why is that when riding a bike your life has so little value when you get hit by a car?
In many parts of this country police no longer have any discretion when answering a domestic violence call. In other words, police (by law) are mandated to arrest both parties in the case.
This is because for far too long women (mostly) were abused by their husbands, partners, and boy friends and forgot (willingly or otherwise) about the abuse when police were called to the home.
These laws are specifically designed to protect the person who is the subject of the abuse.
In our opinion we think it is high time that same law applies to any car vs. bike altercation…if only for the safety of the cyclist because for far too long the laws and the police of this land seem to presume the cyclist guilty…even when the driver leaves the scene of the accident and drags the evidence of their tragic action home under the car with them.
Continue reading “Here are just a few of our questions regarding Natasha Pettigrew’s fatality”

…
Pettigrew’s mother, Kenniss Henry, sent a message to the driver in an interview with WJLA-TV news.
"Could you at least, you know, stop, hold her, call 9-1-1, talk to her, say, ‘It’s going to be all right?’"
…
Continue reading “Pettigrew’s mother sends a message”

…
It’s very hard not to be angry about her needless and cruel death. The time has come for us to have a frank discussion about SUVs and their place in our society. They are dangerous to everyone else on the road, to pedestrians, to small car drivers like myself, and to bicyclists. At the very least, the people who drive these behemoths need to rethink their reasons for driving them and join the rest of us in safer vehicles.
We cannot afford to lose even one person like Natasha, not just because of what great things she might have done, but because she was undoubtedly the brightest light to her mother, her family, her friends and everyone who knew her.
…
[More about Natasha in the linked article.]
Continue reading “Natasha Pettigrew Presente – A Promising Life Cut Short”

by – WMDT Staff
GIRDLETREE, Md. – Police are looking for a vehicle involved in a hit and run accident with a bicycle at route 12 and Taylor Landing in Girdletree Maryland.
The victim stopped on the shoulder of the road, when a blue passenger car struck the front wheel of the bike, and continued driving. The victim was not injured.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Maryland State Police at 410-641-3101.
Continue reading “Hit And Run in Girdletree Maryland”