[B’ Spokes: Let’s hope this is a sign that unsafe drivers who kill people will be strongly discouraged by the state. In 2008 there were 138 Alcohol-impaired driving crashes that resulted in at least one death and that is just the tip of the iceberg of all the reckless and negligent driving out there. ]
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By Sharahn D. Boykin
SALISBURY — A Dover man criminally charged in a fatal crash that killed two people reflects the growing number of drivers charged with vehicular homicide in Wicomico County, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
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Stephens is one of about five drivers charged with vehicular manslaughter within the last 18 months, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
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Continue reading “5 down and 132 to go with manslaughter charges”
If you ride a bicycle, please read.
By bcp
When riding on those back roads with no shoulder, could you not be in the center of the lane as I come around that blind turn?
The spandex riding shorts get stuck in the cooling fan and caused me to overheat.
thank you in advance.
[B’ Spokes: Another fine example of the "excellent" driver "share the road" education our drivers receive."
Continue reading “If you ride a bicycle, please read.”
Going Green Downtown
Making Maryland’s Downtowns More Sustainable
From Oakland to Ocean City, Maryland’s citizens share the same goal
of living in healthy, vibrant communities where they can live, work
and prosper. As a result, communities have a major investment in the
infrastructure — streetscapes, schools, water/sewer lines — of their traditional
downtowns and neighborhoods. These communities are also faced with the
challenges of the coming decades including an increasing population, rising
energy costs, limited resources, water and air pollution, and climate change.
This guide, a collaboration between the Maryland Department of Housing and
Community Development (DHCD) and the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), is designed to address those challenges, giving communities
throughout Maryland an important set of principles, guidelines, and examples of
how to pursue and implement sustainable practices. Sustainability emphasizes the
balance between economic, social and environmental resources needed for today with preserving those same resources for
future generations. In order to maintain and even expand those resources, there needs to be a focus on best practices such
as compact mixed use development, rehabilitation and reuse, and pedestrian orientated design — all major characteristics
found in Maryland’s historic Main Street communities.
Since 1998, DHCD’s Main Street Maryland
program has strived to improve the economy,
appearance and image of the State’s traditional
business districts, utilizing the National Main Street
Center’s Four-Point Approach™. In addition to the
Four Points, DHCD has initiated a Clean, Safe
and Green strategy to increase sustainability in
Maryland’s designated Main Street communities.
With a commitment to adopting green strategies
that impact and benefit businesses, residents and
visitors, Main Street Maryland communities
provide some best practices that can be
implemented in downtowns across the State. There
is a strong connection between how we treat the
built environment and the quality of our natural
environment—this guide brings that connection
into focus.
We can reshape our communities by reinvesting in older areas, reducing waste and improving energy efficiency. Making
Maryland’s downtowns more sustainable ensures that communities will be Smart, Green and Growing for generations
to come.
Continue reading “Going Green Downtown”
Alleged drunk driver hits judge he faced in 1998
from Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver by Driver
ROCKVILLE, Md. — A man has been charged with driving drunk and hitting the car of a retired Maryland judge who once spared him jail time in previous drunk driving case.
via https://www.pantagraph.com/news/weird-news/article_2e370598-46fd-11df-bcab-001cc4c002e0.html
(Judges, perhaps there is a way to evaluate a person’s propensity to re-offend? What are the clues? Could this have been one of those persons that a personal breathalyzer would have stopped?)
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[B’ Spokes: I would like to point this out "Collier spared him jail time, even though the man had been arrested on drunk driving charges twice in three months."
Driving needs to be treated as a privilege, not a right! ]
Continue reading “Alleged drunk driver hits judge he faced in 1998”
Complete streets? Not in Montgomery County
from Greater Greater Washington
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The new Transportation Policy Area Review will replace the existing Policy Area Mobility Review (PAMR) and Local Area Transportation Review (LATR) tests. These tests, which have been widely criticized, focus on how fast cars move through intersections, blocking development and imposing new infrastructure requirements whenever cars slow down.
These tests may have their places, but not in modern pedestrian-friendly plans. The reason is simple: you can’t have a pedestrian-friendly community if cars move fast.
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Continue reading “Complete streets? Not in Montgomery County”
Maryland Highway Safety Office: 2009 Annual Report
[B’ Spokes: To highlight some of that 7% "improvement" mentioned earlier, pedestrian fatalities are up 22%. 🙁 ]
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from Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver by Doug
“In 2008, there was a total of 95,349 police-reported motor vehicle crashes, or one every five minutes, occurring on Maryland’s roadways and resulting in 48,143 injuries and 592 lives lost. The bigger picture shows that from 1998 to 2008 more than 6,900 people died on Maryland roads, and roughly 640,000 were injured at a cost of more than $45 billion.”
Anyone interested in traffic safety in our state will find this study interesting. Certainly anyone prone to rationalizing their own unsafe driving behavior should read it. The report should be discussed in high schools, by civic groups, homes associations, and by ANY group or organization that sponsors a vanity or professional tag in this state.
Continue reading “Maryland Highway Safety Office: 2009 Annual Report”
Maryland Fatality Trends or How to Misrepresent with Statistics
from Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver
The State of Maryland is apparently optimistic of what they call a general 7% downward trend in traffic fatalities with their 2010 objective of 550 deaths. The state’s graph certainly has lots of visible ups and downs.
However, when you look at the graph with zero fatalities as the preferred objective you see very little change in the fatality trend.
Traffic statistics can be anything you want them to be. In the case of deaths and injuries – ZERO is better. STOP the MUD believes our state should align traffic fatality metrics using ZERO. There is nothing exciting or encouraging about five hundred fifty deaths in 2010.
Maryland Fatality Trend Chart
The state may like us to think there is steady improvement by showing the fatality trend in this fashion. They explain away the 2006 blip and stick to their guns that the mathematical trend shows progress.
STOP the MUD Death Trend Chart
When you actually see the yearly totals in terms of zero fatal accidents being the desired result (the desired metric,) the slight change from year to year and the 2006 blip is really explained. That explanation is that driving in Maryland is as dangerous as it seems from year to year with tens of thousands of accidents and hundreds of fatal crashes. Setting the objective at 550 does not sit well.
It boils down to this. Citizens of Maryland that WANT safer highways and safer local roads must change their driving behaviors. Once the majority obey the traffic laws the police will have an easier time dealing with scofflaws. How can we expect law enforcement to make a dent in a problem that is so widespread.
ZERO is our baseline. Zero is our expectation. Zero is what we will have. !00% of us must be example setters and especially those driving with organizational vanity plates. You are either a safe driver or not a safe driver.
Continue reading “Maryland Fatality Trends or How to Misrepresent with Statistics”
Clarification of article on rumple strips
In the article in question as originally published I added “[This is just sad that I get to hear about this from Delaware cyclists. Way to go MDOT on involving MD key stakeholders, not!] ” I hoped that the change in font and square brackets made it clear that the comment came from the editor (me) and not from the original author. So let me take this opportunity to clarify that I am the author of that comment and I sincerely apologize to the author of the article I quoted for the confusion it caused, I will take steps in the future to try and insure this kind of confusion does not happen again.
With that said, what was my point with that comment? So let me be clear… I believe in a Government where it and its citizens work together. To this end communication is essential and is one of the goals behind Baltimore Spokes is to improve that communication and create a communality of cyclists involved and informed about issues that affect them.
While this particular issue is not purely black and white (which I will discuss later on) and the State did reach out to more then Bike Delaware but let me put my main objectives up front, and stated as assertively as I can.
The State MUST do outreach to ALL its (interested/affected) citizens about its decisions on issues that might effect them. Toward that end the State MUST improve its communications to cyclists!
The State has failed to create an email distribution list (or newsletter) that all interested parties can sign up for.
Continue reading “Clarification of article on rumple strips”
Cars are not ATMs
At least that seems to be the sentiment when talking about automated traffic law enforcement, toll roads, increasing the gas tax and any other measure that might make driving a bit more expensive (including items like remove contributory negligence that might make car insurance more expensive as we would rather see victims pay for some car driver’s carelessness and unlawful behavior then actually make people responsible for their actions.)
Exactly how does this "I am not an ATM" excuse supposed to work anyway? Can I go into a store can I say "I am not an ATM" and walk out without paying? Can businesses illegally dump toxic waste and avoid any financial responsibility by saying "I am not an ATM"? Can people do some criminal mischief and refuse to pay the fine by saying "I am not an ATM"? If these are not valid excuses then why are we letting motoring get away with this?
People started to drive less and now there is a huge crisis about now how are we going to pay for roads because cars are not contributing? I know lets treat the general fund as an ATM and make everyone pay for car centric roads. Let’s turn a blind eye on motorists who drive recklessly and speed and not overly burden them with small automated fines, let’s instead let the victims of speeding pay the price. Let’s cut corners to save a few pennies on the dollar and make more roads dangerous by design so cars can have more roads then what they pay for and all we have to do is pay with our and our children lives who are way over represented in crashes and fatalities. That’s a small price to pay for more roads for cars right?
Continue reading “Cars are not ATMs”
Biden Kicks off Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2010 – "Riders ready?" Vice President Joe Biden asked wounded warriors this morning before sounding the air horn that kicked off the fourth annual "White House to Light House" Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride.
Twenty-eight wounded warriors got a vice presidential sendoff at the White House south lawn today as they launched a three-day bicycle and wheelchair ride to show the world and themselves what they’re still capable of accomplishing.
Joined by his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, along with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and National Security Advisor James L. Jones Jr., the vice president told the participants they define what America represents.
“Your losses to most Americans are incomprehensible, but what’s even more, more unfathomable to Americans, is your courage,” he said. “You have no idea, I expect, what an inspiration you are to all Americans.”
Calling the wounded warriors “the heart and the soul and the spine” of the United States, he said they set an example for others to emulate.
“You not only let us know what we should be, you’re showing us that we can be anything we want to be,” Biden said. “And for that, I thank you on behalf of my children and my grandchildren and all Americans.”
Almost 600 active-duty servicemembers, along with the wounded warriors’ families and caregivers, crowded the White House lawn to cheer on the participants as they set out on their ride. They erupted in cheers after the vice president sounded the air horn to kick off the ride, the cyclists whizzed by him, waving as they made a loop around the asphalt trail that rings the south lawn.
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Continue reading “Biden Kicks off Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride”