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Governor O’Malley Announces 28 New Bikeways Grant Winners

Bike Maryland

$3.13 Million in Projects Will Provide Key Bike Network Connections

Maryland Department of Transportation, July 24, 2012

HANOVER, MD – As part of the O’Malley Administration’s Cycle Maryland Initiative, Governor Martin O’Malley today announces 28 winners of the Bikeways Program Grants.  The Maryland Bikeways Program, administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation, was established in November 2011 as a program to support planning, design and construction of projects that create and improve bicycle connections in Maryland to key destinations, like work, school and shopping.  Governor O’Malley’s program is providing $3.13 million for this round of grants to seven counties, Baltimore City and 12 other municipalities for a variety of projects in different stages of development from feasibility assessment and design to construction.  These grant recipients are the second set of awardees announced this year bringing the total to 48 bikeways grant recipients and $5.63 million for 2012.

“I am pleased to see such a great interest in working together to build a more comprehensive bike network statewide that will benefit our citizens,” said Governor O’Malley.  “These grants will help local jurisdictions build key connections that make bicycling a true transportation option.  Bicycling is a win-win for all of us by helping us learn to enjoy more of Maryland’s natural treasures, reducing the impact on the land, improving our fitness and well-being, and enhancing our quality of life.”
The grant winning projects include:  on and off-road bicycle route connections, bike route signage, bike racks and safety improvements.  A complete list of projects is available here. 
Some of the winning projects are:
  • City of Brunswick’s bike route, connecting the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal Trail, the MARC train station and Main Street
  • Baltimore  County’s Towson Bike Beltway, installing bike lanes and bike route improvements
  • Baltimore City’s downtown bike network, supporting design and construction of a cycle-track and bike lanes
  • Laurel’s bike connection project, installing a bike lane on Lafayette Avenue and connecting it to the Laurel MARC station
  • Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s County’s Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail (WB&A Trail), providing feasibility assessment and preliminary design of a trail bridge over the Patuxent River
  • Salisbury’s on-road bikeways, connecting Salisbury University and local businesses
  • Shore Transit on the Eastern Shore, providing bike racks on buses and at key stations
The Maryland Bikeways Program grant applications are reviewed with the goal of awarding grants to support plans and projects that:  maximize the use of Maryland’s existing bicycle facilities, make needed connections and support Maryland’s bike sharing efforts. The Bikeways Program will address key funding gaps for bicycle projects. Program flexibility ensures that the best possible bicycle routes can be developed, by utilizing local and state roads, off-road trails, parks and other available pathways. Through strategic investment in the bicycle network, Maryland and our partners hope both to stimulate the economy and to achieve cost savings for households and government agencies.
Governor O’Malley kicked off his Cycle Maryland Initiative to consolidate and coordinate bicycle programs in Maryland in an effort to make bicycling a true transportation alternative and to encourage more Marylanders to get out and ride. The goal is to support Maryland’s economy, to provide a cleaner environment and to encourage a healthier lifestyle and a better quality of life for all Marylanders.
For more information on Cycle Maryland efforts and great bicycling resources, please visit www.cycle.maryland.gov or contact MDOT, Jack Cahalan or Erin Henson at 410-865-1028.

Don’t Miss the Early-Bird Registration Rate – Register Now!

Larry’s Ride and Run – September 22, 2012
Location: Spring Meadow Farm in North West Baltimore County

Enjoy the scenic and challenging terrain of Baltimore’s farm crested hills when you participate in the 3rd Annual Larry’s Ride and Run event at Spring Meadow Farm. Choose from three different bicycle routes or join in the run! Afterward, come back to the farm for barbeque, kid’s events, music, a farmer’s market and so much more.

Click here to register and to learn more about Larry’s Ride and Run!

TOUR DU PORT – September 30, 2012
Location: Baltimore City’s Canton Waterfront Park

5 completely NEW Tour du Port routes have been developed. All routes include the Aquarium rest stop and enter Fort McHenry for an option of a walking tour! Experience Baltimore’s premier bicycle tour, Tour du Port! Routes range from 12 to 65 miles and travel through historic neighborhoods, charming port areas and beautiful city and state parks throughout Baltimore City, Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. After the ride, enjoy a celebration including live music, exhibitors, lunch, and more!

Click here to register and to learn more about Tour du Port!

Receive $10 off when you register for BOTH Larry’s Ride and the Tour du Port. Click here to register and receive your discount.

Calling All Volunteers! 

Bike Maryland needs your help spreading the word about Tour du Port and Larry’s Bike Ride events. All funds raised from both Larry’s Ride and the Tour du Port directly support bicycle advocacy, safety awareness, infrastructure, and your right to bike!
Would you help us:
  • Canvas postcards & posters (ASAP- need to get them around town now – until September 15th) to: Baltimore Neighborhoods (Canton, Fells Point, Federal Hill, Greektown, Midtown, etc….) bars & restaurants, sports stores, health clubs (spinning classes), coffee shops, local markets, etc….
  • To neighborhood bars, restaurants etc. within a 2 hour radius from Baltimore
  • Along Maryland state trails and walkways (NCR, C&O, B&A, etc….)
  • Posting the events on online calendars, websites, and social media
  • Sending out alerts to local media
Please contact Christina Nutile (click on name for email) or call 410-952-0334 for postcard/poster pick-up location or to have them delivered to you. Thank you.

Check out our new custom merchandise available for purchase on the event registration forms.

Can’t attend the Tour Du Port or Larry’s Ride? You can still order merchandise here.
Sleek custom bicycle jersey!

Custom wicking t-shirt!
View larger images on the event registration forms.
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Cameras Are Cyclists’ ‘Black Boxes’ in Accidents

By NICK WINGFIELD, New York Times
…
Video from these cameras has begun to play an invaluable role in police investigations of a small number of hit-and-runs and other incidents around the country, local authorities say. Lawyers who specialize in representing bicyclists say they expect the use of cameras for this purpose to increase as awareness of the devices goes up and their prices, now starting at around $200, come down.
…
“It’s a fact of life that on American roads that you get punked, cut off purposely, harassed, not once but on a regular basis,” said Bob Mionske, a former Olympic cyclist who is now a lawyer representing bicyclists in Portland, Ore. “If motorists start to hear about bikes having cameras, they’re going to think twice about running you off the road.”
…
Mr. Wilder said, “Most cyclists don’t use cameras so Mr. Diehl may have assumed he could assault and drive away anonymously.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/21/technology/bicyclists-using-cameras-to-capture-accidents.html

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Unleash our kids

BY WILL DOIG, Salon
…
One study diagrammed the shrinking distances that four generations of one family’s kids were allowed to stray from home: six miles in 1919, one mile in 1950, half a mile in 1979, and 300 yards today.
…
She says the “Popsicle test” is a convenient way to use free-roaming kids to gauge a city’s health. “If an 8-year-old child can go get a Popsicle from the store by themselves and finish it before they get home, that city is probably thriving,” says Skenazy. Such an act is possible only in a walkable, reasonably safe environment that has a good pedestrian infrastructure and where retail and residences are relatively intermixed.
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Compare that to the U.S., … the Pittsburgh dad who was charged with child endangerment for letting his 9- and 6-year-olds play in a park; the Florida community that banned anyone under 18 from being outdoors without a chaperone.
…
It says something that we perceive walking down the street to be a greater risk to kids than speeding along in two tons of steel and glass, when in actuality, four-fifths of kids killed by cars are in those cars. No parent, however, is going to be accused of endangering their child by driving them to school, but the parent who lets them walk might be
…
https://www.salon.com/2012/07/21/paranoid_parents_kill_cities/

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City’s Lake Avenue Traffic Response Annoys Residents

By Adam Bednar, North Baltimore Patch

The city’s response to residents concerns about the speed of traffic and congestion on Lake Avenue has left some residents extremely frustrated.

Nearly three months after residents met with city officials to discuss their concerns, nothing has been done to address the problems. Residents are now worried plans to construct a bike route connecting Mt. Washington and Belvedere Square using shared bike and car lanes, known as “Sharrows,” along Lake Avenue will make matters worse.

"It seems to me like the city is only interested in moving a lot of traffic along Lake Avenue," said Robin Reid, president of The Orchards Association.
…

At the end of the meeting the officials said they would examine what could be done to address residents concerns about traffic, which came to a head after a hit and run accident involving a cyclist.
…

"The Traffic Division advises that the study for the intersections of Lake & Stony Run and Lake & Kenmore have been completed. From the investigation, traffic volumes and crash data did not support the installation of stop signs at these locations. The locations do not satisfy the warrants for consideration of the installation of all way stops," Kohl Fallin, the areas transportation liaison, wrote to community leaders.
…

She also said that a bike route along Lake Avenue isn’t feasible until the situation with congestion and speed are properly addressed by the city.
…

The full article: https://northbaltimore.patch.com/articles/city-s-lake-avenue-traffic-response-annoys-residents

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B’ Spokes: Hmm, I’ve ridden Lake Ave. and found it rather pleasant but then again I’m comfortable riding in traffic. At least Lake is better then Northern Parkway, you can’t make bike traffic completely disappear, it’s got to go somewhere and Lake is the best option we have at this point.

I wish I better understood the concerns of the residents but if they want larger gaps in the traffic to make entering Lake from the side streets easier, try eliminating the rights-on-red entering Lake. If it is the speed of traffic, try speed tables. Both should circumvent the "warrant" issue described and the latter should fall under the traffic calming program.

But in general we have a problem with the false ideology that "every street needs to be an expressway" and I am sick of the city giving credence to this type of thinking. That is just wrong, we need a mix of arterials and side streets, Northern Parkway is the arterial and Lake is the side street. Ya I know drivers would love to make Lake a short cut to avoid all the traffic on Northern Parkway, but the only way to make it a viable short cut is to speed and that’s just wrong, if you are not willing to do the speed limit then don’t use the road.

Lastly, does anyone have any info on the hit-and-run? I can’t find anything searching the internet.

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Bike Parking Regulations For Private Businesses Are They Kosher?

Imagine driving your car to do some business with a company and you park your car in a parking space out front and while you are inside shopping they tow your car away and smash your driver side window.

The business you were shopping at claims they can do this because of some internal memo or obscure thing on the web and since it is private property they can do whatever they want.

That would be total outrageous so why do we put up with that when talking about bicycle parking? In my experiences there is too much “You can’t park here.” along with “No I don’t know where you can park.” as well as “I can make up whatever rules I feel like when it comes to bicycles.”

I will strongly assert provide good bicycle parking per the guidelines and you will not need draconic policies that involve breaking locks and removal of the offending bicycle. A friendly note on the handlebars asking them to park in the designated area next time should be all that is needed.

Now if a cyclist parks somewhere you don’t want and there is decent available bike parking within 500 feet [should have been 120 feet] then I can understand going all medieval on the bike but I don’t think that is the normal situation. What seems to be the case is: Cars littering vast tracks of the landscape are “pretty” and necessary but bikes scattered all willy nilly is “ugly” and must be dealt with by extreme measures. This is just the wrong kind of thinking! If cyclists become such a “problem” then that shows that they need more accommodations, not “Let’s go medieval on those barbarians and hope they go away.”

Note: I have had my lock sawed through and my bike confiscated by a business. And I’m sorry but returning my bike with a broken lock is not an all’s well that ends well type of situation. Without the ability to lock my bike, my mode of transportation was turned into a toy that I could only ride around my house and do nothing useful with it (other then just exercise.) That’s why I included breaking the car window in my opening analogy, the usefulness of a car is diminished with a broken window, just as my bike’s usefulness was diminished without a lock.

Reacting to University of Maryland Bicycle Parking and Impoundment Regulations

Bicycles shall be parked in accordance with federal, state, and local fire and safety regulations. Bicycles shall not be
parked or stored in the following areas:
…
B. Against or fastened to any tree, plant, bush, or other landscape item [Not against federal, state, and local fire and safety regulations]
C. Against or fastened to any …, fence, …, railing, …
…
D. Upon or attached to any ingress/egress ramp, stairway or stairwell railing or otherwise fastened to … any
exit/entrance to any University building [As long as not impeding pedestrian movement, this too is not against federal, state, and local fire and safety regulations, unless the local fire department has gone anti-bike as well.]
…
UMCP maintains the right to impound, and will remove security devices at the expense of the owner/operator, any
bicycle that is … parked in violation of these regulations. [UMCP wants the right to break the law? That’s laughable, see the following]

§ 21-1206.(c) Tampering with bicycle, motor scooter, or EPAMD. — A person may not remove, ride on, or tamper with any part of a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter without the permission of its owner.

It its never a legal remedy to react to illegal behavior with illegal behavior, so it is even more erroneous to react to legal behavior with illegal behavior. So with the exception of abandoned bikes or bicycles parked in such a way to cause a legitimate safety concern (which I’ll talk about both in a bit) the UMCP is breaking the law by impounding bikes.

So let’s look at where the state prohibits bike parking:
§ 21-1208. Securing bicycle, motor scooter or EPAMD to certain objects

  • (a) Prohibition. — A person may not secure a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter to a fire hydrant, police or fire call box, or traffic control device.
  • (b) Poles, etc., within bus or taxi-loading zones. — A person may not secure a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter to a pole, meter, or device located within a bus or taxi-loading zone.
  • (c) Poles, etc., within 25 feet of intersections. — A person may not secure a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter to a pole, meter, or device located within 25 feet of any intersection.
  • (d) Poles, etc., having notices forbidding securing of bicycles. — A person may not secure a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter to a pole, meter, or device on which notice has been posted by the appropriate authorities forbidding the securing of bicycles.
  • (e) Obstructing or impeding traffic or pedestrian movement. — A person may not secure a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter to any place where the securing of a bicycle or a motor scooter would obstruct or impede vehicular traffic or pedestrian movement.
  • (f) Securing to parking meter. — A bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter may be secured to a parking meter, without payment of the usual fees, if it is entirely removed from the bed of the street normally used for vehicular parking.

So this is the rub, you can be parked legally per state law (just like you would anywhere else in this state) yet in the eyes of UMCP you will be parked illegally and can suffer the consequences. Can anyone override state law without going through the law making process? Umm, see below. (Note: an astute reader could find more items that are legal per state law but illegal per UM policy then what I have pointed out here, as I just pointed out the more blatant items.)

Maryland Declaration of Rights: Art. 9. That no power of suspending Laws or the execution of Laws, unless by, or derived from the Legislature, ought to be exercised, or allowed.

Keep in mind all they have to do is put up a sign in the areas they don’t want bike parking, if the problem is not pronounced enough to justify the cost of the signs, then it is also not significant enough for draconic policy, just tell people that you would prefer them not to park in the areas that I highlighted and leave it at that.

Bicycle registration is mandatory for all bicycles parked or stored on campus.

While it is possible to make this mandatory of students and facility, again, UMCP cannot create laws such as this for visitors of the campus.

Some sampling of bike parking around Maryland:

image
This would be illegal per UMCP. This is the bike parking at the Senate building in Annapolis as the building has no bike racks. There is a bike rack somewhere on the capital campus but good luck in finding it, it really is in an out of the way place.

image
This would be illegal per UMCP. Another building with no bikes racks but the fencing provides ample parking for cyclists.

UPDATE: I just found this on the web and the response from the collage is so cool. Also note how the bike is 100% out of the way of pedestrians but illegal per UMCP:
image
“Our bike racks are an option not a requirement.” – Broome Community College

So people who are used to parking their bikes in a usual (and legal) manner for Maryland are suddenly subjected to being treated like trespassers and wanton criminals all because of the lack of adequate bike parking.

§ 21-1008. Bicycle accommodations
By fiscal year 2000, each public institution of higher education and State employment facility shall provide reasonable accommodations necessary for bicycle access, including parking for bicycles.

So I have to ask is reasonable parking being provided if they have to resort to such drastic measures to deal with the bicycle parking “problem?”

§ 10-209.(c) Duties. — The University System of Maryland shall:
(6) Increase access for economically disadvantaged and minority students;

Does paying for citations, impound fees and storage fees for a legally parked bicycle sound like increasing access for economically disadvantaged students???
Continue reading “Bike Parking Regulations For Private Businesses Are They Kosher?”

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What we need are "Ghost Cars"

As we have have Ghost Bikes I feel we need Ghost Cars as a reminder that cars are not as safe as we think. Does any really think texting will be a problem after passing this along side the roadway?

image

Maryland has 97,023 auto crashes a year (5 year average), that works out to be about 3 auto crashes per every mile of roadway in Maryland every year! Can you imagine what our roads would look like if these crashes stuck around for at least a year?

But Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) saves “Marylanders approximately $1.4 billion in vehicle travel costs in CY2010” by (CHART) providing quick response
to traffic incidents through emergency response and road/debris clearing. Um, maybe would could save even more by not having an accident in the first place? I think it would be a good educational tool to move a wrecked automobile to an entrance ramp (or other visible but out of the way public place) and let it sit there a while with a sign saying something like “Pay attention and drive safe. Don’t let this happen to you.” But instead we sterilize the roadway making it seem like nothing ever bad happens there. Denying a problem exists is the first step in making it worse.