Category: Biking in Maryland

ALL Paces, 5-45mi., ALL Conditions, Noon, Friday, Jan 1st, Mt Airy, Md.
That’s what you’ll say the whole day, and hopefully many days following as you start 2010 with cycling miles. No downside. Healthy and fun. Well, there was that resolution about organizing the sock drawer. Besides, ya kinda are. Set aside a pair or two of thin woolies depending on the temp.
Don’t worry, our noon start time allows plenty of time to slug down the Starbucks, chomp down some flapjacks, throw a few logs on the fire and cuddle with a loved one or two, catch a few cartoons, shovel out the minivan, dust off and inflate the tires on the bike from December hibernation, or even catch a few extra winks in the year’s first sleep-in. You’ll be home long before dark if you made a resolution to clean the yard compost the tree, or take down the lights.
This ‘inclusive’ ride almost guarantees no dropped riders – from the easy pace of the casual new-hybrid-for-the-holidays rider to the over-achieving racer – we will have local leaders to work with the breaks and stragglers alike in this known-for-being-conversational outing in ‘possum country.
We’ll mingle a bit in the lot, size up the clothing, bikes, chatter, and calves, and all start together.
After a few gasps of the country air on our initial beginners’ slope start, many will know how much of a toll December’s parties took out of them.
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Continue reading “16th Annual "I’ve Ridden Every Day This Year!" Ride”

Back in October Baltimore’s Hostel hosted an event touring on two wheels.

Jeffery Marks shared photos and stories of his trip to Washington State and Victoria, BC.

Larry Black of Mt Airy Bicycle and College Park Bicycle fame did an excellent presentation on tandems. “What one change could you make to revitalize your health, relationships and sense of well being? Believe it or not, the answer could be a tandem bicycle.”

If you have been thinking about a tandem, Larry shared an excellent resource: Why We Tandem. Be sure to click on the “Next Article” link at the bottom of the referenced page to go through all the information. And let’s not forget to mention Larry’s dedication to tandem bikes and making sure you find the one that is just right for you.
Continue reading “Bicycling & Hostels Summary”

According to the Baltimore Sun, since January 2003 at least 29 Maryland pedestrian fatalities have occurred in the 52-mile section of US 40 where it merges into Interstate 70 in Western Howard County. At least 8 of the pedestrian deaths occurred in Baltimore City, and except for 2 fatalities, the other pedestrian deaths occurred in West Baltimore. 21 pedestrian fatalities occurred in Baltimore County, Howard County, and Harford County, with the 3-4 fatalities that took place in the Maryland cities of Rosedale, Ellicott City, and Aberdeen occurring within a few hundred feet of each other.
Maryland State Highway Administration spokesperson Dave Buck says US 40, a main arterial highway, was constructed before pedestrian safety was considered a priority. A recent report by Surface Transportation Policy Project and Transportation for America recently pointed to highway design as one of the main causes of pedestrian deaths.
The report noted that 56% of pedestrian fatalities occur on roads that weren’t designed with pedestrian safety in mind. The report says arterial roads usually have multiple lanes, high speed limits, and few (if any) crossing signals or crosswalks.
Other arterial loads linked to Baltimore pedestrian accidents include Ritchie Highway, US 1, Reierstown Road, Liberty Road, and Mountain Road. With so many pedestrians continuing to die and get hurt in US traffic crashes each year—4,378 US pedestrian fatalities, 69,000 pedestrian injuries, and 116 Maryland pedestrian deaths in 2008—local, state, and federal entities must make sure that roads are properly designed to limit the number of pedestrian injuries and deaths.
Continue reading “US 40 Considered a Leading Danger Zone for Injuries and Deaths”

Excerpt from the Urban Places and Spaces blog article:
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The Prince Georges Gazette reports, in "Proposal to lessen walking distance to schools could become costly: Senator says students are required to walk too far," that any distance more than 1/4 of a mile is too far to walk to school, according to State Senator Anthony Muse, who has introduced legislation to change school bus transportation requirements in the county. From the article:
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Public health statistics for Prince George’s County:
Physical Activity and Obesity
Percent of adults age 18 and over who engage in regular moderate physical activity =45%
Percent of youth age 6-19 who engage in regular moderate physical activity = 56%
Percent of youth age 2-19 who are overweight = 31%
Percent of adults age 18 and over who are overweight, BMI 25-29.9 = 39%
Percent of adults age 18 and over who are obese, BMI > 30 = 23%
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Continue reading “Walk this way to obesity”

This is a horrible read, driver A is out on $100,000 bail for killing another motorist. And then driver B convected with a $287 fine for killing a cyclist. OK fine alcohol was involved in the first case but still causing a death of another person by negligence yields such a drastic reduction in fines???
Continue reading “The tale of two crimes”

Photo by Chris Rossi/The Gazette
Joe Fritsch of Olney rides his bike in the snowstorm Saturday, December 19, 2009 in Olney.
Continue reading “Happy holidays!”

Reader Bianchi on the Greater Greater Washington blog wrote in with a report:
My S.O. and I bought a house in Historic Hyattsville this fall. He uses the Northwest Branch bike trail to get to either West Hyattsville metro or Fort Totten. Last night, on his way home between 6 and 6:30 pm (when it was already dark), a PG County cop car came up behind him while he was on the bike trail and pulled him over.
The officer told him the trail was closed when dark because there had been some reports of mugging. S.O. asked the officer (rhetorically) if he thought riding on the street with cars with no bike lane was really safer.
He feels the question of which route is safer to bike should be left to him, the biker. The ‘no use at dark’ prohibition affects the morning commute too. I guess one solution to street (or bike trail) crime is to just prohibit people from being on the street.
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Please note that most of our trails are built with Transportation Enhancement Funds which clearly states "Bicycle projects must be principally for transportation, rather than recreation, purposes" https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/bp-broch.htm
M-NCPPC can close recreational facilities so are they saying they are misspending Federal money by treating trails as recreational only?
Continue reading “Park and Planning (illegally?) closing commuter routes at dark”

Pedal Power Final Cut from Mike Kurec on Vimeo.

[From our mail box:]
I spent the morning in District Court in Leonardtown to see the trial for the person responsible for the fatal bike / car collision on Clarke’s Landing Rd. in St. Mary’s County last month.
After the collision, the driver made a statement to Maryland State Police that she had just left home and had cleared a portion of the left windshield of morning dew but left the fogged up right side to be cleared by the car’s heater. The windshield had not yet cleared and she was busy searching for a cigarette lighter in her purse (the car’s lighter didn’t work) when she ran into the cyclist. “I just didn’t see him”.
The investigating officer claimed that the cyclist was at fault for not riding as close as possible to the right side of the road but the driver contributed to the collision through negligent driving (Maryland Transportation Code Article 21-901.1 (b)).
The judge found her guilty of negligent driving. When the driver asked for a reduction in the amount of the fine because of lack of personal funds, the judge rolled his eyes and said “Your negligence has caused the death of a human being. I’m going to require the maximum fine plus costs”.
Maximum fine $287.50 plus $25.50 court costs for a total of $313.00 due on January 4, 2010. And that was it.
While walking out of court, I approached the investigating officer and mentioned that the law actually states that a cyclist must stay as far to the right as safe and practicable not as far to the right as possible. He replied with a grin “Practicable, possible, it’s all the same thing and that’s the law. If you don’t like it, try to get it changed.”
-JS

WASHINGTON DC DECEMBER 5

ANIMA D’ACCIAIO (SOUL OF STEEL) TRAILER
The story of Ciocc. Directed by Daniel Leeb of Cinecycle!

“WHERE ARE YOU GO” TRAILER
Epic journey from Cairo to Capetown across Africa.

THE CYCLOCROSS MEETING
BFF Washington D.C. will be screening a review cut of Brian Vernor’s brand new film “The Cyclocross Meeting”. Check out the trailer here.

BFF Washington D.C.
December 4 – 5
Festival passes sold out! Tickets are still available for individual programs

Download the Poster | Program

Friday December 4
  9:00 PM | GOLDSPRINTS Asylum – 2471 18th St NW

Saturday December 5

Screenings at United States Navy Memorial Theater – 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW
  5:00 PM | Program 1 – ROAD TO ROUBAIX – Buy Tickets
  7:00 PM | Program 2 – WHERE ARE YOU GO – Buy Tickets
  9:00 PM | Program 3 – Urban Bike Shorts – Buy Tickets
10:00 PM | After Party – The Gibson – 2009 14th St. NW

Click HERE to volunteer for the Washington D.C. BFF

LIMITED EDITION SAN MARCO BFF SADDLES

NEW 2009 BFF TRAILER!

Continue reading “Bicycle Film Festival – Washington DC, Dec. 4 & 5”