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With Rapid Response Grant, WABA Improves Police Enforcement for Bicyclists in DC

By Mary Lauran Hall, Alliance for Biking and Walking
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What should advocates do when bicyclists are consistently incorrectly cited by local police? The Washington Area Bicyclist Association has a pretty good answer.
For the past several years, Shane Farthing, WABA’s executive director, had been aware of a disturbing pattern. Advocates consistently heard accounts from bicyclists who had been injured in crashes and had received citations that just didn’t make sense from Metropolitan Police Department officers. Many said they had been fined for breaking a law that was not applicable to the incident. In some cases, officers had assigned blame to an injured cyclist based only on a driver’s statement, without actually interviewing the bicyclist or witnesses. Some had even been cited for violating laws that did not exist.
These accounts led Shane and his employees to believe that MPD officers were not receiving adequate training on enforcing laws pertinent to bicyclists. In response, WABA launched a campaign “to advocate for and secure funding for the holistic training of MPD officers of the application of the law to bicyclists.”
The enforcement campaign kicked off in February of 2011, when WABA requested and received a DC Council Committee on the Judiciary hearing to assess MPD’s enforcement of laws pertaining to bicyclists. In response to the advocates’ testimony, the DC Office of Police Complaints issued a report confirming poor work by the Police Department. The report prompted several councilmembers and staffers to request that WABA provide better documentation of the types of incidents cyclists described in testimony.
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Despite egregious errors, the police department did not indicate willingness to make meaningful changes.
“Every time we would go to testify, the MPD would say that they already had these trainings in place and there was no problem,” said Shane. “We were in a he-said-she-said situation.”
WABA’s biggest challenge was furnishing solid evidence. “The limitation we faced at every stage was a lack of data,” Shane recalled. “Our crash tracker had a small sample size.”
“So we decided to put together good FOIA requests to analyze these crash reports.” Using the Freedom of Information Act, WABA would obtain the actual police reports that were relevant to the trends advocates had spotted in Crash Tracker responses.
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https://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/blog/4354/

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Bike Law University: Summary of State Safe Passing Laws

[B’ Spokes: Here are some concepts in safe passing laws that the Maryland legislature has failed to incorporate.]

This law touches on three important concepts:

  1. Due care – By saying that a driver must exercise due care the law creates a relationship of responsibility for the driver of a vehicle approaching a bicyclist. Language stating a due care requirement may make it easier for bicyclists to hold a driver liable if hit.
  2. Defined distance – By stating that a reasonable and prudent distance is one of at least 3 feet the law makes it easy to publicize what is regarded as a safe distance and reinforces the most commonly required safe passing distance.
  3. Variable distance – By stating that a reasonable and prudent distance is one that varies with increased speed, the law makes it clear that three feet is not an absolute. What is safe can vary depending upon speed and road conditions. Recognizing this is rare amongst state laws that define a safe distance.

From: https://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2013/01/bike-law-university-summary-of-state-safe-passing-laws/

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Los Ginger Ninjas and The New Woman: Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky – Mar 06, 2013 6:00 PM

[B’ Spokes: One of my friends was on that tour with the Ginger Ninjas, cycling rocks in a lot of ways.]

At US Navy Memorial Heritage Center
Washington , DC

LOS GINGER NINJAS

Mexico / 2012 / 76mins / directed by Sergio Morkin
At 2 a.m. November 1, 2007, an unknown Northern California rock band called the Ginger Ninjas set out from home on a seven month tour to southern Mexico. They had no van and no gigs. Instead, they hauled their instruments, camping gear and human-powered sound system on special load-carrying bicycles.  Intent on living a life of gritty adventure,  promoting the bicycle as a cooler-than-car cure for global warming and propelled by the mindful cultivation of blind faith and deeply resonant, kick-ass music, they pedaled 5,000 miles and played 100 shows.  This documentary is an intimate exploration of youthful freedom, emotional transformation, and the interpersonal relationships that develop among the travelers in their multi-season odyssey.

THE NEW WOMAN: ANNIE “LONDONDERRY” KOPCHOVSY

USA/2013/27mins/directed by Gillian Willman
The story of a fiercely independent and free-thinking young woman, who found freedom by reinventing herself as the daring “Annie Londonderry” entrepreneur, athlete, and celebrated globetrotter. Described by the New York World on October 20, 1895, as “the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman,” the unprecedented ’round the world odyssey was reportedly set in motion by a novel, high-stakes wager made by two wealthy clubmen in Boston. Annie’s challenge was not only to circle the globe by bicycle in 15 months, but also to earn $5,000 en route. This was no mere test of a woman’s physical endurance and mental fortitude; the venture was a test of a woman’s ability to fend for herself in a man’s world.

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/335559

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Connect Downtown Columbia with Lake Elkhorn

Via: Let’s Make Columbia Awesome

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It’s budget season for Howard County Government, and there are a few notable projects in the proposed budget that could help make Columbia awesome. We’re particularly excited about a proposed pathway (pictured) that would connect Downtown Columbia with Lake Elkhorn and the Patuxent Branch Trail that runs all the way to Savage. There is also funding to continue construction at Blandair Park and for renovations at the Central and East Columbia Libraries.

If you support any of the projects, please make your voice heard! Attend the public hearing on March 11 or submit testimony online here: https://www.howardcountymd.gov/budgettestimony.htm All you need to say is: “I support the Patuxent Branch Trail Extension/Library improvements/Blandair Park because it/they would help make Columbia awesome!”

Yes, it’s that easy. And yes, you will make a difference.
Continue reading “Connect Downtown Columbia with Lake Elkhorn”

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Ride to remember: Nathan Krasnopoler – Update, date change

UPDATE: *** Now Wednesday February 27, 2013 7:00PM. BRING LIGHTS ***.

The Broadview 116 W. University Pkwy, Baltimore, MD

This will be a short memorial ride for one of our own. We will adjust details about the ride as the date approaches. Please keep checking back. Comments are welcome.

Two years ago we lost JHU engineering student Nathan Krasnopoler in a tragic bicycle accident. He was biking in a bike lane with all the proper cycling gear right across from his university when an elderly driver hit him. His parents continue to fight for meaning in his death, and for the rest of us as well. The Krasnopolers are launching an organization, Americans for Older Driver Safety, to help prevent this tragedy from happening again. Let’s show our support, both for Nathan and his family’s initiative by doing what we do best…riding together.

Here are articles regarding the accident:

https://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-02-26/news/bs-md-crash-victim-walk-20120226_1_nathan-krasnopoler-mitchell-krasnopoler-hopkins-student

https://www.wbaltv.com/Crash-Victim-s-Family-Against-Driver-s-License-Renewal-Change/-/9380084/11034298/-/bs5pkoz/-/index.html

Event page: https://www.meetup.com/Biking-in-Bmore/events/103976342/