Category: Biking in Maryland

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP Radio. All Rights Reserved.)
Adam Tuss, WTOP Radio
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Speed cameras in Montgomery County have caught more than 111,000 lead-foot drivers since they were put in place last spring — and one county official says it’s making the streets safer.
"People really have noticed that drivers are slowing down," County Police Chief Tom Manger tells WTOP.
The county began using mobile and fixed-position cameras in early May of last year. All of the photo enforcement is taking place in either school zones or residential zones where the speed limit is no greater than 35 miles per hour.
During a seven month period between May of 2007 and the end of the year, those thousands of tickets have generated about $2.6 million for the county. Yet Manger says the program has yet to break even.
"There were some (start up) costs and those sort of things, so the program has not paid for itself."
Montgomery County Police tells WTOP the actual cost of the speed camera program was $3.5 million. Once that mark is hit, by statute, any revenue has to go back toward traffic safety initiatives in the county.
Yet Manger says the real proof of the program is that drivers are lowering their speed.
Continue reading “Speed Cameras Making Streets Safer”

Note: Survey will be open through January 2008
The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is updating its Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan, known as the Maryland Transportation Plan (MTP). What are your thoughts about the future of Maryland’s Statewide transportation system?
We encourage you to take 10 minutes to complete this survey. The answers you provide below will be used to shape the State’s 20-year vision for transportation in Maryland.
[To be clear, I am not asking anyone to lie but if you bike get that info to MDOT!]
Continue reading “Help Shape Maryland’s Transportation Future and Say You Bike”

From RideTHISbike.com:

I am in the initial stages of discussion of a Bike Train with Amtrak.
I’m looking for feasible locations for such a service and was wondering
whether you thought such a service could be attractive in Maryland?

Last summer, Canada’s ViaRail ran a pilot Bike Train with space for 56
unboxed, fully assembled bikes from Toronto to Niagara Falls. The
service was such a success that ViaRail is expanding the Bike Train. I’m
convinced that an Amtrak Bike Train would have the same results.

Amtrak is interested in the concept but they need help identifying
potential locations for such a service. Ideally, the Bike Train would
run from a large metro area served now by Amtrak. The metro area
selected must have a high number of cyclists and the train must run to a
cycling destination just a few hours from the large metro area. The
cycling destination should already be a stop on Amtrak that is staffed
by Amtrak personnel.

Continue reading “MD Bike Train”

Another 10 percent of each State’s STP funds is set-aside for the Hazard Elimination and Railway-Highway Crossing programs, which address bicycle and pedestrian safety issues. Each State is required to implement a Hazard Elimination Program to identify and correct locations which may constitute a danger to motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Funds may be used for activities including a survey of hazardous locations and for projects on any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail, or any safety-related traffic calming measure. Improvements to railway-highway crossings "shall take into account bicycle safety." 23 USC Section 152
Continue reading “Hazard Elimination Program”

Register for "Getting your Story Out"
January 29th, 2008
Daytime and Evening times are offered for your convenience. See below.
This 60 minute seminar focuses on a crucial aspect of successful outreach: getting your story to the people who matter. Presenter David Levinger, President of The Mobility Education Foundation, will provide you five key ways to increase the impact and reach of your story. He uses specific case studies to help you develop the support necessary to effect change.
Specifically, the following topics will be covered:
1. Using stories to energize your cause.
2. Getting free advertising through "earned" media coverage.
3. Building support and champions by telling stories at special sessions and hearings.
At the start of the call, Nancy Pullen-Seufert of the National Center for Safe Routes to School will provide a brief update.
This webinar is part of the Safe Routes Coaching Action Network Webinar Series, developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
Continue reading “Safe Routes Coaching Action Network”

On Sunday, I was part of a group of bicyclists on MacArthur Boulevard when a car occupied by two older people came up behind us with its horn blaring. A woman was practically hanging out the window and yelling indignantly, "Get on the bike path!"
Anyone who has driven MacArthur on a weekend knows that bikes are commonplace on the road. The aging miscreants in this car were on a vigilante mission. Any cyclist will tell you it happens all too regularly.
The truth is that it is legal for bicyclists to use most roads in our area. But leaning on the horn and yelling out the window as you pass a cyclist is not legal. Bicyclists who abuse the laws of the road embarrass me, but there is no excuse for this kind of harassment.
Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should make a greater effort to co-exist peacefully and obey the laws of the road.
GUNTHER STERN
Continue reading “Don’t Honk If You Hate Bicyclists”

Ped Safety Training is being held in conjunction with the New Partners Conference in DC in February. The training is described below. People can sign up for just the training if they don’t want to attend the conference.
Designing for Pedestrian Safety
Tuesday, February 5th – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday, February 6th – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
This 2-day course was developed for the Federal Highway Administration to help states and cities that are dealing with a higher than average rate of pedestrian crashes. The course is taught by some of the nation’s experts in planning and designing "complete streets" and is aimed at a broad audience including traffic engineers, transportation planners and pedestrian advocates with a basic knowledge of the issues. The course provides detailed discussion of how to design streets, sidewalks, crossings, intersections, transit stops, freeway interchanges, and roundabouts to accommodate pedestrians. It also includes a module on road diets and how they can be used to help pedestrians. The second day of the course includes a field exercise in which students apply what they have learned to an actual set of streets and intersections.
Continue reading “Ped Safety Training in conjunction with New Partners Conference”

As Baltimore works its way to being a bike friendly city there are going to be two things that will have a major impact on how well we improve cyclists
Continue reading “LAB Reform News”

If you are active in a PTA, consider suggesting a bicycle activity for the
Heathy Lifestyles Program. See below.

November is PTA’s Healthy Lifestyles Month
Encouraging Health-Related Events and Activities

The PTA national organization developed a campaign to celebrate Healthy
Lifestyles Month during the month of November in support of their year-round Health and
Wellness programming. They are challenging each of their 25,000 units to plan a
health-related event or activity during November. The overall goal of the
proposed project is to increase grassroots participation in national program
initiatives and to further awareness of the problems facing students, parents and
educators in the arena of health and wellness today.

More than 5 million members of the PTA national organization are directly served
by their programs. The effectiveness of the project will be evaluated by the
effectiveness of the grassroots events planned during the month of November as
well as the usage of the PTA’s nationally distributed Healthy Lifestyles Leader’s
and Parent’s Guides.
Continue reading “PTA & Healthy Lifestyles Month”

…
You have to have a lot of gumption to cut a bike path from a Highway project for environmental reasons. So the bike path is the problem, not the multiple lanes of roads? How about setting aside the space for the bike trail first, and then build the highway in the space that remains? [or some will argue , not build the highway at all. This project is not like the CCT extension – which is impossible without the Purple Line. The ICC trail could be built, and would be nicer, without the highway].
Continue reading “ICC Trail Problems”