Category: Biking in Maryland

In general people seemed unconcerned about Maryland’s traffic deaths at 615 which is almost 2 a day. Well what about 5,393 people incapacitated for 2007, that’s better then one every two hours on average. Compare that to 7 bicyclists killed and 73 incapacitated, now how safe do you feel driving in Maryland vs cycling?
Oh and this stands out like a sore thumb: Baltimore City Car crash rates per:
VMT 534.9 – State Avg: 177.8
Pop. 304.2 – State Avg: 179.7
Licen. Dr. 616.2 – State Avg: 254.5
Regist. Veh. 678.5 – State Avg: 212.6
Continue reading “Maryland Fatality and Incapacitating crashes”

Do you want to help establish U.S. Bike Routes in your state? Are you an organization that needs volunteers? This is the place to get involved: volunteer or post a request for volunteers and build alliances and work groups that will help the State DOT designate routes.
Continue reading “Be A Volunteer and Build Alliances for U.S. Bike Routes”

[I have been struggling with the problems associated with the State requiring a 50% match in local funds for bike/ped projects note the the Feds allow for a 5% local share!]
In general, the Federal share of the costs of transportation projects is 80 percent with a 20 percent State or local match. However, there are a number of exceptions to this rule.
* Bicycle-related Transit Enhancement Activities are 95 percent Federally funded.
* Hazard elimination projects are 90 percent Federally funded. Bicycle-related transit projects (other than Transit Enhancement Activities) may be up to 90 percent Federally funded.
* Individual Transportation Enhancement Activity projects under the STP can have a match higher or lower than 80 percent. However, the overall Federal share of each State’s Transportation Enhancement Program must be 80 percent.
Also in Title 23: Highways:
Federally aided bicycle and pedestrian projects implemented within urbanized areas **must** be included in the transportation improvement program/annual (or biennial) element unless excluded by agreement between the State and the metropolitan planning organization.
Continue reading “Federal/State Matching Requirements”

BRAC = Base Realignment and Closure, adding 28,000 new households to Maryland.
Bricks = To wall up with brick, to create a barrier.
Bikes = To travel under ones own power, the lest expensive to accommodate and most efficient mode of travel, also promotes health and clean air (on the later 16 Maryland Counties are in non-compliance with clean air standards.)

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By Angela Atwood-Moore –
As Barry, Huck and Jack have hinted, we (NIH and
Naval Medical) are in a very interesting
situation here, since we are in some ways almost
uniquely positioned to appeal to cyclists (our
demographics include many young, healthy
professionals, some of
us must meet ongoing
health and fitness requirements, and we also
employ foreign visitors from countries where
cycling is the preferred method of cheap,
healthy, efficient transportation). Oh yeah, and
some of us are the very researchers whose work
has shown the effectiveness of daily physical
activities (like riding a bike) at staving off an
early death.

Literally thousands of cyclists daily utilize the
major intersections that serve NIH and Naval
Medical, the same intersections that are up for
BRAC specific re-design. Yet the first proposed
designs show absolutely ZERO accommodations for
cyclists. Keep in mind, these are intersections
on roads that are masterplanned for multiple
important bicycle amenities from shared-use paths
to bike lanes.

Even if you don’t choose to join our NIH/NAVAL
BRAC list-serve, stay tuned for continued info
from LAB, WABA, MoBike and
others. Cyclists
everywhere should be OUTRAGED that employees at
the National Institutes of Health and Bethesda
Naval Medical Center not to mention local
citizens who also should have a choice of whether
to drive or bicycle are so far being ignored,
squeezed off the roads and bull-dozed. There will
certainly be requests for letters to support the
need for safe and adequate cycling accommodations
in intersections that are already among the most
congested with the lowest possible level of
service in the state of Maryland!
Continue reading “BRAC Bricks Bikes”

[If you are looking to do your first century this is a good option as it’s flat out there.]
Continue reading “2009 Chesapeake Bay Air Ride”

Continue reading “Things they do not want you to know”

President Barack Obama turned to Maryland for another high-level appointment Friday as the White House announced that he intends to name Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari to the No. 2 position in the U.S. Department of Transportation.
In choosing Porcari, Obama has selected one of the few state transportation secretaries whose portfolio includes all the major modes of travel – highways, aviation, mass transit, maritime commerce and rail freight. If he clears the required background checks and is confirmed by the Senate, Porcari would serve as deputy to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Illinois congressman and a Republican.
Continue reading “Obama picks Porcari for Transportation post”

Continue reading “Peak hour trains”

Words from a song I like from a group I can’t remember at the moment but very descriptive of my recent activities. I filed a compliant with the Open Meetings Law Compliance Board against Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. And after review it looks like we will be getting some significant changes! We should be getting better notice and opportunities on providing public input on policies that effect cyclists. And we should be getting timely information what the group has been up to like Talbot County bike maps, Trail Towns initiative along the C&O. Updates on the Full and complete ICC Hiker Biker trail and if cyclists can use shoulders of the ICC bridges rather then 5 miles of circuitous detours. Updates on the Hatem Bridge and why the State needs two fast roads a mile apart and no bicycle and pedestrian access in the area.
It is sad that I had to resort to this measure to get timely news that you would be interested in reading about, as the group does a lot of good work but under the old system news that is 4-6 months old ain’t news.

…
Theodore Goldstock, an Elmhirst Lane resident who lives near the intersection of Rockville Pike and Cedar Lane, said the preliminary plans did not make the necessary improvements for pedestrian safety and would only solve part of the traffic problems.
"I don’t think they’re addressing the corridor," Goldstock said. "I think they’re only addressing two points on the corridor."
Angela Atwood-Moore, president of the Bicycle Commuter Club at the National Institutes of Health, sharply criticized SHA for not promoting bike infrastructure as a way to reduce the number of cars on the road.
"You can’t do that by making it easier for people to drive their cars," said Atwood-Moore
…
{Baltimore Spokes: It’s a good thing that SHA has adopted a complete street policy. [/sarcasm]}
Continue reading “BRAC improvements to Bethesda intersections”