Looks like MDOT is trying to pull an ICC bike path thing again in that adding detours and at grade crossings "is just as good" as a fully separated trail that avoids road crossings.
Read more at Washcycle: https://www.thewashcycle.com/2011/11/future-cct-issues-discussed-at-walkthrough.html
W.Va. to get $4.8M in US transportation grants
Business Week highlights:
West Virginia will get $4.8 million in federal highway funds for projects that enhance pedestrians’ and bicyclists’ safety, preserve scenic views and boost historic preservation and tourism.
Isn’t that nice FARS ranks West Virginia #24 for a high pedestrian fatality rate meanwhile Maryland with a ranking of #4 and $31.5 million in federal highway funds for projects that enhance pedestrians’ and bicyclists’ safety that is unspent is not news worthy. 🙁 For kicks look at West Virginia’s Transportation Enhancement spending and you’ll note that they are spending more then Maryland and that Maryland’s Transportation Enhancement spending took a nose dive during O’Malley’s administration. I can understand not spending money you don’t have but not spending money you do have? That is just crazy.
If you care to write: governor@gov.state.md.us
But don’t expect a response that will hint at correcting this. (And yes I am jaded on this subject.)
Note: I usually only ask you to write when you can make a difference, THIS IS NOT THE CASE HERE. Only write if you are inspired.
Study of the Day: Biking to Work Could Save 1,100 Midwesterners
New research from U. Wisconsin projects the benefits of active transport in terms of improvements in air quality and physical fitness
PROBLEM: Biking is a cost-effective, eco-friendly way to commute. But what are the health-related advantages of riding a bicycle to work instead of driving?
METHODOLOGY: Researchers led by Maggie Grabow , a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nelson Institute, identified the air-pollution reductions that would result from eliminating short car trips in the 11 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the upper Midwest. They then computed for the savings associated with avoided mortality and reduced health care costs during the six months with optimum weather, when cycling is quite feasible in the region. The investigators, however, did not account for foregone auto trips due to walking or using mass transit.
RESULTS: Overall, the authors projected that encouraging the use of bikes in the Midwest for short-distance trips could save an estimated $7 billion, including 1,100 lives each year from improved air quality and increased physical fitness. The biggest savings of about $3.8 billion per year was due to prevented complications with conditions like obesity and heart disease.
CONCLUSION: Replacing short car trips with active transport could yield major cost savings and health benefits.
IMPLICATION: Cities should make biking infrastructure safer with better parking, separate bike paths, and more bike racks on buses and trains. Co-author Jonathan Patz says in a statement: “If there are so many health benefits out there, we ought to try to redesign our cities to achieve them without putting new riders at risk.”
SOURCE: The full study, “Air Quality and Exercise-Related Health Benefits From Reduced Car Travel in the Midwestern United States,” is published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives .
Image: Supri Suharjoto/Shutterstock
Continue reading “Study of the Day: Biking to Work Could Save 1,100 Midwesterners”
City Council Votes to Increase Oversight of Bike Lane Removal
[B’ Spokes: If you thought I was going to talk about Baltimore City, sorry we are still backwards. This is from New York City: (just a highlight)]
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by Ben Fried
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Can’t argue there. Having a public process for bike lane installation is not anti-bike. What’s anti-bike is to imply that the recent expansion of bike lanes has somehow lacked sufficient public input, which is the message that comes across from the coverage of this bill .
It’s also strange that the City Council thinks it’s necessary to mandate notification for all bike lanes, but not for all changes to motor vehicle lanes. If the city wants to carve out some left-turn bays from a pedestrian median, for instance, there’s no law requiring a public hearing.
So yeah, it’s anti-bike to grandstand about the imaginary problem of community input on bike lanes when the council could be focusing on real transportation problems …
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Continue reading “City Council Votes to Increase Oversight of Bike Lane Removal”
D.C. Advocates Seek Cultural Shift in View of Cyclists
[B’ Spokes: Just some highlights:]
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By Martin Austermuhle
Can you legislate a culture shift, using the law to change the way drivers perceive cyclists?
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Opponents of the law claim that it would unfairly put cyclists in a protected class offered to few other groups. But according to the law’s supporters, that’s the point. Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) said that cyclists regularly face vehicular hostility on the District’s roads, criminal charges are rarely sought when accidents do happen and civil penalties are too low to encourage lawsuits as a means of seeking justice.
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"Until injuries to bicyclists and pedestrians are taken seriously by MPD and drivers are held accountable, the streets are not safe for our children, our husbands, our sisters," Rowan said in her testimony.
As a means to make police better understand the challenges faced by cyclists, Rowan proposed that they become cyclists themselves.
"I’d like to see every police officer spend three months on a bicycle…because they’re going to come back and say, ‘Oh my God, this is really terrible,’" she said.
Continue reading “D.C. Advocates Seek Cultural Shift in View of Cyclists”
Opening of Anacostia River Trail [Video]
I would be more supportive of O’Malley and things mentioned in this video if:
- Baltimore Metro area had a MNCPPC which gets separate Tax revenue based budget that can afford to pay Maryland’s highest in the land 50% match on Transportation Enhancements.
- If O’Malley’s policies did not put us at the bottom of this list:
- If O’Malley was not begging for more federal money for road projects while leaving federal money for bike/ped projects virtually untouched.
But if you live in the DC area, this is nice:
Ben Cardin official campaign announcement
Ben supports us so we should support him.
If you go be sure to mention that you found out about this through a cycling blog.
Continue reading “Ben Cardin official campaign announcement”
Finally, a bike designed for riding in the Baltimore metro area
Hey, we beat Portland in something bike related
Baltimore had a 233% increase in bike commuters from 2000 to 2009 while Portland "only" had a 222% increase. So while our really low 1% bike commuters is nothing compared to Portland’s 5.8% it still shows hope as in 2000 Portland had only had 1.8% bike commuters. So maybe there is hope that in 9 years we will have 5% bike commuters. That is if the City will stop removing bike lanes before giving cyclists a voice in the discussion, without this key ingredient our bike commuter numbers will continue to be low.
BDOT: Oops we made a mistake so we’ll make the same mistake in the other direction
Baltimore Brew has some fair coverage of the Monroe Bike Lane removal (boy was that quick) under the headline: Monroe Street bike lane: Gone baby gone.
https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2011/10/24/monroe-street-bike-lane-gone-baby-gone/
From the article:
DOT spokeswoman Adrienne Barnes said today, “We told you – there were some safety issues. And a decision was made to do these things differently. We need to talk to the community folks first [before installing a lane].”
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Ooooo "safety issues", now I understand what the problem is…. not!
In NYC they tried to play the "safety issues" card as well on the Prospect West Cycle Path and a lot of the points were just absurd and no bases in reality. Which is not to say there couldn’t be legitimate safety reasons for the removal of the Monroe St bike lane but I think if that was the case they would be articulated. The fact they have not been spoken of in any detail has me very concerned.
So because DOT did not talk to the community they chose not to talk to the bike community to correct the error. Ya that will work. [/sarcasm]
-or-
From the article: "I am sure the city never did handle this right. First they put it in without anyone knowing about it. Then they took it out without anyone knowing about it.”
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Fact check:
From the article: "Councilwoman Belinda K. Conaway, …She criticized bike advocates for not reaching out to the community earlier."
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Uhhh, that’s DOT’s responsibly, wait, I’m explaining how government is supposed to work to a councilwoman? That’s a big part of the problem here and keep in mind it’s "their" side that turned us away when a problem was discovered, so if you want to talk about not reaching out, look in the mirror.
Anyway, speaking of DOT’s responsibly they are *supposed* to provide routine accommodations for cyclists, which is what they attempted to do here. (See 09-0176R #5 https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20110308133257644 )