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What is needed for a police response?

by washcycle

Michael W wrote in to me with a story about a crash he was recently in. He’s a new resident of DC, and he was exploring a route for his wife to get to a job of hers in Takoma Park. His route took him onto the Silver Spring Green Trail, which turns into a sidewalk as it goes east. He was going east on the “trail” at around 10:30am as he approached the intersection of Wayne and Cedar where the trail currently ends. Michael is a very experienced cyclist and bike mechanic, I should note. As he describes it

I approached the intersection on the sidewalk along Wayne—at this point I noticed a sign describing the trail options (left or right). I Wanted to get back onto the street, so I looked at the crosswalk signal. It displayed a “green” walk signal, so I dropped into the curb-ramp and into the street.

At this point a car was approaching the intersection on Cedar Street from my left. The next moment I was directly in front of the car and noticed the driver wasn’t looking forward, rather he was craning his neck to look to his left, in order to make a right-hand turn onto Wayne Ave. Without coming to a complete stop, the motorist accelerated and, obviously seeing me at last, blew his horn while continuing to accelerate through me. He struck my left ankle and rear wheel. Luckily he was only traveling between 5 -10 mph at this point, but sadly he didn’t stop. I was somehow able to hop in the direction the car pushed me and unclip my pedals, quickly landing on my feet, still straddling the bicycle. With this vantage I was able to turn to see him driving off and read clearly his license plate number.

I immediately called the police and while doing so I was approached by another motorist who offered herself as a witness to the incident—which I accepted. (She also mentioned she almost considered driving after the guy, but re-thought those circumstances). The police came, took my information, and created a report. I declined any medical assistance as I was mostly fine. (My ankle does have a mild throbbing soreness to it now). The officer told me they would keep an eye out for the car and that was about it. They left, and I got back on my bike and went directly to work.

First of all, Michael did everything right. He got the plate #. He called the police. He didn’t waive the witness away. Good job Michael.

But the police response that they would “keep an eye out” for the car? That’s it? They have a plate number and a witness. This is a hit and run (maybe the driver didn’t know they hit him because he stayed up, but they did see him because they honked). This reminds me of the cyclist who was intentionally hit on 1st Street this year, but then they only had a partial plate. I never heard it an arrest was made then or in another intentional hit where they got the plate. 

Michael asks why we let people get away with stuff like this. How can you hit someone, drive away and not lose your license? How, I wonder, can you have three DUI/DWIs and still have a license? I don’t know.

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Baltimore’s Green Masterminds

By Gordon Steen

Look around Baltimore and you might notice that some city residents have a slightly different aura. They stand out for their demonstrated ability to shine above the rest for their grassroots, community work promoting sustainability with everyone they meet. They want us to walk and bike more and drive less, eat local and even plant our own gardens. They think companies should lead the way to a more environmentally-friendly future. Though you may not know their names, they are business owners, activists, government officials and urban farmers all working to make Baltimore green.

Nate Evans, Baltimore City, Department of Transportation, Bike and Pedestrian Planner

Most people think city streets belong to cars. Not Nate Evans. His dream is a landscape in which pedestrians and bikers sharing the city’s byways and highways with motorists. His quest is to plan and rejuvenate sustainable bike transportation in the City of Baltimore.
As he works to map out a way for cyclist and motorists to share the road, Evans also hosts the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee along with Greg Hinchliffe, Chairman. The group holds monthly meetings during which bike advocats gather to discuss city plans and initiatives that will affect the quality of life for everyone in Baltimore.

Evans and the committee are also behind two fun annual events focused on getting Baltimoreans on their bikes. The committee plans and organizes "Bike to Work Day" and the Tour Dem Parks, Hon! bike ride that was held on June 13th that gives city residents the opportunity to show their support for safe, healthy and sustainable biking in Baltimore. And the Baltimore’s new bike map has just rolled off the presses.

Encouraging citizen advocacy for a sustainable Baltimore by ingendering community support is what Evans strives for. "Biking has a near zero carbon footprint. The more we make Baltimore bikeable, the more people will choose to ride. The more people ride, the less they drive which improves our air quality, reduces traffic congestion and our dependence on fossil fuels," he states.

And with, the US Department of Transportation’s, Secretary Ray La Hood on the record now supporting the nation’s cyclists and pedestrians, Evans has gained an ally in a high place. The timing of Sec. Hood’s announcement is just right because Baltimore’s funding for the projects like bike lanes, bike parking, bike mapping and bike events runs out at the end of 2010. Another key ally is City Councilperson Mary Pat Clark who supports important new bicycle legislation for Baltimore.

As funding for alternative transportation and other green initiatives dwindles, public support becomes even more imperative for those battling on the front lines. Without it their hard work, community organizing and continued promotion of quality of life initiatives could die from a lack of funding. Evans is hopeful that that will not happen. Community support for his work will make a difference. Baltimore’s new Bike Map and city bike events are available on Facebook at Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee
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One man’s quest: better living through pizza

By KEN HOFFMAN
Matt McClellan was simply tired of people bad-mouthing pizza.
"I didn’t like them saying pizza was junk food, and that it’s no good for you, and it will make you fat," he said.
So McClellan, who owns a pizzeria in St. Petersburg, Fla., decided "I’ll show you," and went on a crash 30-day, pizza-only diet.
He lost 24 pounds. His cholesterol dropped from 243 to 157. And his body fat fell from 19.8 percent to 9 percent.
Now to spread the gospel of pizza as health food, McClellan is riding his bicycle from St. Pete to New York City. He was in Maryland when I spoke with him Tuesday night. He is scheduled to pedal into Times Square on July 4.
…
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Jail time for hitting cyclists?

by Pamela Selle

You probably heard about the cyclists hit in Chicago by drunk drivers — for fun.

Now, Adam Voiland of the DC Bicycle Transportation Examiner has brought up the crime-and-punishment point: Should motorists get jail time for hitting cyclists? If this is an issue you care about, Voiland shared the text of the original action letter provided by the Active Transportation Alliance of Chicago.

One of Voiland’s points got me thinking:

Regardless of whether the assailants spend significant amounts of
time in jail (and, given the precedent not publishing them sets, they
ought to get a minimum of six months of the two to five years that are
possible), I do hope the state has the sense to ban the men from driving
again any time soon.

(Emphasis added). While this advocacy action expresses the general outrage against the ruling (and you gotta admit, hitting cyclists for fun is pretty low on the acceptable-societal-behavior totem pole), I want to know, can they still drive? Making sure it’s known that hitting a cyclist makes you lose your license for some amount of time would certainly incentivize people to be more careful on the road.

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BPD Seeks Public Assistance in Fatal Hit & Run

Baltimore, MD / July 1, 2010 – Baltimore Police are seeking public assistance in investigating a fatal hit and run @ 700 Woodbourne Avenue on 6/13/10 at approximately 0258 hours.

Police are looking for a dark colored 2007 Chrysler 300 with possible front-end windshield damage. The vehicle has a Maryland tag.

Anyone with information should contact Detective David Simms at 410-396-2606.

SAMPLE CAR BELOW

image
SAMPLE VEHICLE

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Tuesday Bouillabaisse

from Cycle Jerk

Blog post Bouillabaisse! When I see something cool that I think might be blog worthy I drop the link in a folder fro safe keeping or until I have nothing to say then need to post about something. for some reason I just need to post sometimes. So here are a few items and thoughts that I have been sitting on over the past week. 
I’ll start with a piece of gear I thought was worth passing on. The BrentBasket by Faris Elmasu. At first glance it looks like another piece of Swedish mod garbage but then I saw how well it held a six pack. It seems pretty versatile and stylish, but those are two things that probably don’t add up to longevity, but who knows.
imageimage

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Zipcar comes to B’more

by Nate Evans

It might seem counterproductive to help Baltimore go car-free by providing….cars.  In the big picture, it makes sense.  Cars are only used 10% of the time with the other 90% of the time taking up parking spaces.  Since users only need cars 10% of the time, why not just share. 

So what does this have to do with bikes?  The new Zipcar spaces on Lexington St in front of City Hall have bike racks on the signposts.  The current parking spots for Zipcar can be a hike from most residential areas, but not a bad bike ride.  This is just another way how bikes are being incorportated into the city’s transportation system.

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Bait bikes: the way to beat theft gangs

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The pilot schemes seemed to show bait bikes are a significant deterrent. Bikes thefts dropped by 45% at Cambridge rail station when British Transport Police tested the method. Even in the UK’s bike theft capital, London, rates dropped by around a third in one local trial.
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There are two main deterrents to cycling: road safety and theft. Gangs of young kids often steal the bikes and pass them on to criminals who store them in lock ups and garages before selling them. The advantage of using bait bikes is that it enables you to track the stolen bike back to the organised gang lock up, rather than just arresting the young bike thieves… You’ve got to get the gangs. You’ve got to find out where they keep the bikes.
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Easter Seals Project ACTION seeks better youth mobility

"For years we’ve viewed education and employment as integral to a successful transition to independent living in adulthood. But it’s transportation that literally links students with disabilities to schools, the workplace, and every other destination in community life. If they don’t have access to transportation, independent living becomes impossible, and this list is a road map to improve that access."

* Share information about transportation resources with youth.
* Train youth to use public transportation.
* Expand limited public transportation service on nights and weekends.
* Include student and school transportation issues in local transportation planning.
* Help planners learn about the family of transportation services, eligibility criteria, and funding streams available.

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Scofflaw motorists

When people identify me as a cycling advocate the conversation usually turns to scofflaw cyclists and I usually respond with the question "Do you always obey the speed limit as a motorist?" Which gets an affirmative response so I query further "Even on 83 or the beltway?" Now the responses get interesting as they usually follow the lines of "Of course not, you’d get killed if you did the speed limit there."

Well at least one reader of Michael Dresser’s column calls for a different approach… more enforcement.

"Maryland’s drivers must be re-educated that the speed limit does not mean it is the minimum speed! "

"People are going to die because of this lack of enforcement. The State, the County, and the City; and all of their executives OWN THIS PROBLEM! Re-educate the people."

Even Michael Dresser says "As one who had a near-terminal experience on the Jones Falls Expressway when a speeding driver spun out in front of me, I can sympathize."

I really have to ask when are we going to look at traffic "accidents" differently? 80-90% of them are preventable and the cost on human lives is not worth trying to shave a few minutes off of travel time.

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