Category: Biking in Maryland

"I don’t really have any problem with enforcement actions against unsafe behavior on anyone’s part. However, I’m not really a fan of this program, as it combines arbitrary enforcement, a focus on the wrong parties, and I suspect that it is mostly ineffective at actually improving safety."
Continue reading “Another opinion that Street Smarts campaign is focusing on the wrong parties”

The headline says it all, yet so far our legislature is resisting increased penalties for manslaughter by vehicle (See: https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20100313115139411)
To read the full story: https://perilsoftransportation.blogspot.com/2010/03/hitting-jogger-will-cost-you-500.html

Congratulations to Hagerstown in their newly adopted Bike Master Plan but I’ll note that they seemed to have fallen into the same trap that other dormant bike plans have fallen into and that is the problem of funding. While we all read about the success stories across the nation and how they have successfully used Federal Aid to implement bicycling infrastructure but seriously what hope do we have in a state that ranks 45 out of 50 in spending of Federal Aid per the 2010 Benchmarking report?

Lets see if pictures can tell the story of Maryland’s funding vs oh lets say Oregon (since they have a reputation for being one of the best states that support cycling.)

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On the pie charts note the Cat 1 (purple area) that’s spending on bike/ped projects and ours is notably smaller while we have a larger and more dense (by 15X) population then Oregon which should be ideal grounds for supporting cycling. On the charts on the right note the brown “Available” area,. we have $25 Million available, that’s a lot over what’s appointed and obligated. I seriously have to ask what’s the hold up on getting this money on the ground? This level of funding can’t do anything for cars but it can make a huge contribution for cycling, roughly by what Portland has done we have a potential here for 200 miles of on-road bike accommodations but the State would rather give the money back to the Feds then spend it on us, this is not right.

Note that per State Law: § 2-602. Public policy. The General Assembly finds that it is in the public interest for the State to include enhanced transportation facilities for pedestrians and bicycle riders as an essential component of the State’s transportation system…

So I have to ask how can MDOT deny funding to something that is essential per state law? We have an adopted State Bike Master plan with the stated goal of making Maryland the best State for cycling yet $25 billion in available funds is essentially denied by outrageous policies that make no sense after decades of neglect and totally inappropriate for cycling as transportation. Basically overall Maryland’s Bicycle Level Of Comfort scores for roads have not changed in 10 years because as the number of roads improve there is a near equal number of roads that become hostile for cycling. This trend of falling to make progress has to stop!

I’ll personally challenge MDOT to get its bike/ped spending up to at least the average spending per capita. Maryland being constantly noted as being in the bottom dregs of things related to cycling and walking has to end!
Continue reading “The City of Hagerstown adopts a bike master plan”

By Ron Cassie
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Alex Obriecht, the featured speaker at the 13th annual get-together in mid-February, didn’t bother bogging down the event with statistics or studies.
The owner of Race Pace bike stores in Westminster, where he lives, Ellicott City, Columbia and Owings Mills, Obriecht focused on the joyful, wind-in-the-face recreation of traveling by bike. He also touted the immediate opportunity for Maryland to become a bicycle tourism destination, akin to Colorado, Vermont and northern California.
Holding up a copy of a mid-Atlantic bicycling magazine, Obreicht tallied the states with advertisements priming the pump of bicycle tourism. His thesis centered on the natural geography of the Old Line state and the economic benefits of bicycle tourism.
"Vermont, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York," Obreicht called out, reading the magazine ads. "What about Maryland? People leave Maryland to go to Central Florida and ride bikes? That’s ridiculous."
The early October Sea Gull Century in Salisbury drew 8,300 bicyclists in 2009, producing $3.25 million in overall economic activity, Obriecht said. There are other annual events, such as the One Less Car-sponsored Tour du Port in Baltimore, but Maryland is barely scratching the surface of its potential as a bicycle tourism destination, Obriecht said.
The bicycle industry, including some 70 to 75 bike shops in the state, generates $38 million to $42 million in gross revenue, Obriecht said. Given Maryland’s location in the southern end of the Northeast corridor, with terrain that extends from the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore to rolling hills and mountains in the west, the state is ideally suited for bicycling — a reputation usually reserved for states such as Vermont and Colorado, and certain regions such as Napa Valley in California.
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Having traveled Europe, Central America and much of the U.S. by bike, some of Obriecht’s favorite roads are right outside his door in Carroll and Frederick counties.
In fact, there are world-class athletes who built their careers training in Frederick.
Former six-time, 24-hour world solo mountain bike champion Chris Eatough, who lives in Howard County, does most of his training in Gambrill State Park, even riding from Ellicott City to Frederick to hit the mountains.
Rebeccah and Laurel Wassner, Gaithersburg natives and twins, are both professional triathletes who have spent considerable time training in northern Frederick County. Rebeccah is a Mount St. Mary’s alumna.
Creating a functioning, statewide bicycle network that’s attractive to tourists goes beyond painting new bike paths on road shoulders or extending existing trails into population centers, Obreicht said. Public buses must be outfitted with bike racks and trains need to be outfitted with dedicated bike cars.
"Every train in Europe has a bike car, period," Obriecht said. "I get on a train with my bike in Genoa, Italy, and get off in Germany, and it’s no problem. Going anywhere on Amtrak with a bike, it’s a struggle."
Obriecht compared Baltimore with Portland, Ore., a similar size city with one of the largest percentages of bicycle commuters and recreational cyclists in the country. He pointed to the challenge the Charm City faces, as well as the potential.
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Reversing decades-long transportation planning that ignored bicycling is difficult. Twenty years ago, said Bill and Vicki Smith, members of the Frederick Pedalers, bicycling in Frederick was actually easier. They noted the dramatic changes and increased traffic along the Rosemont Avenue/Yellow Springs corridor, for example, that has pushed out bicyclists.
"We need to make bicycling a real part of transportation planning," Obriecht urged symposium attendees. "This is crucial for both the recreational and the commuter bicyclist. That’s why were here today as far as I’m concerned."
In many European cities, bicycling and walking account for as much as 30 percent of all transportation, he said, creating both a healthier transportation model and a healthier population.
"Every road, within reason, should have bicycle access," Obriect said. "That’s the only way things will change."
Continue reading “Some look to make Maryland a bicycle tourism destination”

I strongly support Secretary LaHood’s policy statement. For too long, people who walk or bicycle have seen little planning, funding, and effort to allow for their safe travel. As Ms. Todorovich discusses, the benefits of including bicycle and pedestrian facilities far outweigh their relatively low cost. We should view all transportation projects as opportunities to create safer, more accessible streets for everyone.
As Governor, I saw mothers struggle with their groceries trying to get home on bridges and roads with no sidewalks. I saw children dash across roads with no crosswalks on their way to school or a friend’s home. Ten years ago, I worked with the Maryland state legislature to pass legislation requiring pedestrians and bicyclists be treated as an essential component of Maryland’s transportation system. Ten other states have adopted similar legislation and ten state Departments of Transportation have made inclusive transportation projects their mission. Just this month, Caltrans – one of the largest state DOTs – released its ambitious and thorough Complete Streets Implementation Action Plan, calling for revision of guidance, programs, and procedures at all levels to achieve a truly multi-modal statewide network of complete streets.
Continue reading “Parris N. Glendening, President, Smart Growth Leadership Institute, Former Governor of Maryland, and NSI Senior Advisor”

By Michael Dresser Getting there – Baltimore Sun
It didn’t get much media attention outside bicycle-enthusiast circles, but last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made what might have been one of the most important policy shifts to come out of his department in decades.
Upending years of federal transportation policy, LaHood declared that henceforth bicycles and the human foot would be elevated to parity with motor vehicles.
Calling the new policy "a sea change," LaHood announced: "People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized."
To see what LaHood means, all you have to do is drive along any major U.S. highway – except interstates, from which bikes and walkers are banned entirely – and imagine trying to use it on a bicycle or on foot. Yup, the word "deathtrap" isn’t too strong.
It remains to be seen whether the long-standing bias in favor of the internal combustion engine will change because of a policy pronouncement from the secretary. It won’t count for much if it isn’t backed up by dollars and cents.
But LaHood sounded as if he means business, saying the department will discourage transportation investments that disadvantage bicyclists and walkers and encourage those that aid them. He said the federal government will urge state departments of transportation to "treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes."
I wouldn’t read this as saying the feds will match highway expenditures with bike spending dollar for dollar, but the next time someone proposes a road such as Maryland’s Inter-county Connector, a bike path alongside might help its chances of approval.
You can read LaHood’s full statement at his blog: https://fastlane.dot.gov/. Scroll down to the March 15 entry.
Thanks to the Greater Greater Washington blog for spotting this news, which most mainstream news outlets overlooked.
Continue reading “Putting stop to cyclists, walkers getting short shrift”

Following is the letter written by Senator Rich Madaleno and Delegates Ana Sol Gutierrez, Jeff Waldstreicher and Al Carr.
September 17, 2009
Governor Martin O’Malley
100 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401-1925
Re: SHA BRAC proposal to widen Connecticut and Jones Bridge Road intersection
Dear Governor O’Malley,
We are writing to urge your office to direct the Maryland Department of Transportation to take a comprehensive approach in planning for the expected growth in traffic and travel due to the relocation of Walter Reed Medical Center to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.
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Analysis of traffic patterns using level-of-service approaches have been standard practice in Maryland but seems less and less sustainable as we acknowledge the need to move away from single-occupancy-vehicles. …This new approach needs to take a holistic view of mobility and may require additional tools and support. The community recognizes that simple road widening tends to make intersections even less hospitable to pedestrians, bicyclists and neighborhoods. The Jones Bridge Rd / Connecticut Ave intersection was recently rated as one of the top ten intersections in the County for pedestrian activity.
SHA Administrator Neil Pedersen spoke at a recent seminar before the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and acknowledged the need to evaluate "person throughput" rather than "vehicle throughput" when planning transportation projects. We are very pleased to hear this vision from a state transportation official because it is more sustainable and balances the role of transit, pedestrian and bicycle access in transportation planning.
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Continue reading “District 18 Delegation Opposes Connecticut-Jones Bridge Road Widening”

To make our roads safer for bicycles, Maryland should adopt the ‘three-foot’ rule
Some coverage of our safe passing bill from the Baltimore Sun.
Continue reading “Give cyclists some room”

[Short version: Kornheiser has profited by advocating violence toward cyclists and that’s not right.]
By Andy Clarke President, League of American Bicyclists
For the umpteenth time in the last five years, a radio show host who is paid to be controversial decides that picking on cyclists would be funny. He makes all the usual comments about spandex, and cyclists being in the way, and not belonging on the road. Then he crosses the line and says that “tapping” a cyclist from behind is OK. You know the drill. Except this time, the commentator in nationally syndicated bad boy Tony Kornheiser, the radio station is ESPN, and his remarks got the attention of a certain Lance Armstrong.
Not surprisingly, Lance gets pissed off and tweets his millions of followers to share their outrage. He calls Kornheiser to put him straight. That’s what we all want to do. We are all thinking “How could anyone be so stupid and say that, even if they think they are just being funny.” We want to go on the show and put the record straight. Get an apology. Remind people we’ve got a right to the road. Ask for some respect out there. All credit to Lance for doing that and for getting the apology; I heard he did a great job (listen here). We’ve been on the phone with the station managers since it happened last Friday – Lance clearly has pull!
My anxiety is this. Kornheiser got all the attention he wanted and so did the show. That’s what he’s paid to do. He got Lance Armstrong on his show – how cool is that? With a little controversy thrown in for good measure. We’ve learned from numerous previous incidents – one as recently as two weeks ago in the Raleigh area – that the only way to deal with this kind of nonsense in the longer term is with the station managers and owners directly. Five years ago, Clear Channel instituted a strong disciplinary policy on this topic after a series of horrible incidents on their stations, and it worked. Since then we’ve done battle with Entercomm – local Boston retailers Landry’s set them straight – and others. Some of the “personalities” have been taken off the air and disciplined.
I probably would have encouraged Lance to call the ESPN owners to say he wouldn’t appear on their networks again until Kornheiser not only apologized but also was taken off the air and made to do some PSAs and public appearances (maybe even in spandex…) at local charity bike events; maybe until ESPN agreed to sponsor Bike to Work Day or a Safe Routes to School initiative… As plenty of people have said, if he gets two weeks off the air for criticizing a colleague’s fashion sense, surely exhorting people to potentially kill cyclists ought to generate some kind of meaningful punishment. More meaningful than getting to chat with one of the greatest sports personalities on the planet.
Credit to WashCycle for being all over this story.
Continue reading “Kornheiser versus Lance: Who Wins?”

Archive of the show: https://www.stationcaster.com/player.php?s=65&c=580&f=45332