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WABA’s Bike Valet at National Cherry Blossom Festival

March 27 – April 11, 2010

By WashCycle

Cherry Blossom
WABA will again have its bike valet, and Bike and Roll and NPS will again do tours of the blossoms, via the going out gurus.

And if you can’t wait to take out that fixed-gear you bought because it was cool, hit the free, three-hour ranger-led bike tours
of the cherry blossoms offered Saturdays and Sundays through the
festival. Tours begin March 27. Want to hop off and walk some of the
way? The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is bringing back its
cherry blossom bike valet: You can park your bike with them free on
Saturdays and Sundays for the length of the festival (March 27-April
11).

Even if you don’t have your own bike, you can throw your name on the
list to rent a bike and take tours during the festival. Bike and Roll
offers rentals, as well as two-hour, six-mile Bike the Blossoms
tours that begin and end at the kiosk on Pennsylvania Avenue. New this
year — and ideal for locals and serious cyclists — is an
approximately 15-mile, Blossoms by Bike River Ride, which starts in Old
Town and runs along the Mount Vernon Trail into Washington.

Photo by Tom H. Jones

Continue reading “WABA’s Bike Valet at National Cherry Blossom Festival”

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Don’t buy Obama’s greenwashing of nuclear power

…
President Obama has justified his proposed $55 billion in taxpayer-backed loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors by misrepresenting nuclear reactors as the largest "carbon-free" energy source in the United States. That’s like saying McDonald’s should be put in charge of a nationwide obesity campaign because it’s the largest restaurant in the U.S. that sells salads.
…
Continue reading “Don’t buy Obama’s greenwashing of nuclear power”

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Tell Congress: Get America back on its feet with investment in healthy transportation!

Transportation For America Logo

In the last 15 years, 76,000 Americans have been killed by while walking or crossing a street – too many of our roads are built for cars only.

But Rep. Earl Blumenauer just introduced a piece of legislation that could set aside $2 billion for grants to fund safe networks for biking and walking in communities all across the country.

Urge your representative to co-sponsor the Active Community Transportation Act. Sign the letter below and we’ll deliver your message to Capitol Hill.

Continue reading “Tell Congress: Get America back on its feet with investment in healthy transportation!”

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Act Now for Sensible, Sustainable Transportation in MD!

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Act Now for Sensible, Sustainable Transportation in MD!

Dear Friend,

Please help us ensure that every dollar invested in our transportation system results in a better system that works for all Maryland residents.  Please contact your legislators today, and ask them to support House Bill 1155 and Senate Bill 760!


Problem:
Currently, transportation projects are not evaluated against critical state goals, and funding is not always allocated for the projects that are urgently needed. Maryland needs a more efficient and sensible way to determine priority funding for transportation projects.


Solution:
HB1155/SB760

 will ensure that transportation funding requests will be judged on how well the projects meet the needs of residents, and how the project will meet existing state goals for environmental stewardship, economic development, and connectivity for everyday life.  Now more than ever, we need to let our legislators know that we expect maximum benefit from our State dollars, and better transportation for all Marylanders is key to a thriving economy and job preservation.

Action Needed:
Contact your elected officials today and let them know you want solid transportation funding for all Maryland residents! 

Continue reading “Act Now for Sensible, Sustainable Transportation in MD!”

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Loch Raven Update

See the new post of the Loch Raven Trail Users Facebook page for the latest information from the DPW meeting on February 25th.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Loch-Rave … amp;v=wall

From the site:

Loch Raven Trail Users summary of the feb 25 meeting: When it comes to regulating trail use in the 3 Baltimore City

Reservoirs, everyone in the room agreed that we would like a speedy & fair resolution, but the reality is, the new plan is going to take time to develop, approve, and finalize. The objective remains to develop a new plan and present it to the public in an open forum, the goal is to now to have this happen within 90 days.

February 28 at 11:23pm · Comment · Like

Loch Raven Trail Users continued:

While the revised plan is being developed, the rangers will continue to focus on educating trail users when it comes to enforcement. They expect respect & professional courtesy from those they may need to educate, so if you find yourself in this situation, keep your cool & be respectful. Restrictions against tresspassing at night will continue to be enforced.

Here is what was agreed to from the meeting on Feb 25:

MORE Trail Liaison Bob Compton was named Co-Chair of the Committee.

We will have a working group meeting in two weeks.

We will have a meeting for review by the full task force in thirty days.

The 1998 plan will be the framework for the future plan

The task force will pool the scientific data and maps for a detailed review.

Safety, Education and Enforcement will be negotiated.

The rangers will blaze the “woods roads” as required by the 1998 mountain bike plan.

There will be no enforcement other than watershed regulations until the plan is negotiated and updated.

A time-line of activities will be laid out with a proposed total of 90 days.

The task force will agree as to whether an MOU ( memorandum of understanding ) is needed for a good faith effort.

The next meeting should take place with in 2 weeks and we will post updates as they become available.

February 28 at 11:25pm · Report

More news as it comes.

Joe

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Western County Pedestrian & Bicycle Access Plan Update

[Please note the draft of Part One of the Bike Master Plan is up for reveiw.]

Richard Layman, Bicycle & Pedestrian Planner
410-887-3521
rlayman@baltimorecountymd.gov

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Introduction

The Western Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Plan will be an “action plan” for constructing pedestrian and bicycle improvements in the urban sections of the western part of Baltimore County.

The main impetus for undertaking this plan comes from Baltimore County’s Master Plan 2010.  The master plan describes the need to improve the variety of transportation options available to its citizens.  It calls for a county-wide plan for developing and improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Master Plan Goal for Pedestrian Facilities:  Develop and maintain pedestrian facilities that provide desirable levels of accessibility and safety for pedestrians, and encourage walking for both utilitarian and recreational purposes.

Master Plan Goal for Bicycle Facilities:  Develop and maintain bicycle facilities that provide an adequate level of convenience, mobility, and safety for bicyclists at all levels of experience, and encourage bicycle trips for utilitarian, recreational and commuting purposes.

Western County Planning Activities

The plan is being developed by an advisory committee composed of representatives from the community and county and state government, and will be based on the needs and desires expressed by the citizens who live or work in the area. It will identify specific projects to be implemented and provide recommendations for phasing and funding. 

The committee is currently reviewing a draft of the first section of the plan concerning “Engineering/Facilities for Walking and Bicycling.”  Because the file size is large, it is available for viewing as Part One (PDF) and Part Two (PDF).

Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning E-newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest information about pedestrian and bicycle planning activities by subscribing to the County Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Plan E-Newsletter.

Walking and Biking Survey

Please take this online survey to identify areas for walking and bicycling improvements in the Western plan area. 

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Guilford Ave cut-through

From NORTH BALTIMORE BIKE BRIGADE

….shouldn’t we always?

Aside from a few new bike lanes here or there as part of Operation Orange Cone, there hasn’t been anything new to bike on in Baltimore for quite some time.  Even the new shared bike and bus lanes downtown need some refreshing.  One small victory was gained in the deep mid-winter on the central bikeway of Baltimore.  Baltimore City Public School System had closed the parking lot of the Guilford Ave cut-through due to conflict between cyclists and pedestrians with extended gate arms and chains. 

A compromise was reached by the Department of Transportation adding signage to direct cyclists to the parking lot and yiedling right-of-way to pedestrians; nothing more than is asked in the regualr course of travel by cyclists in all parts of the city…and world.   By adding 3 simple signs, the dream of the Guilford Ave Bicycle Boulevard lives on.

Quite a few more signs for bicycles will spring up over the course of the spring, summer & fall taking B’more to the next level of bicycle existence.  No, it’s not Portland, Amsterdam, Copenhagen or even New York City.  It’s Baltimore.  Not only will the Park Heights and Southeast Bike Networks become reality, but construction on 3 trail sections will begin and an existing trail will be recognized.

Until the summer construction season, keep on riding, shake the remaining cold and yield to pedestrians.  There are many events coming this summer that need assistance of experienced cyclists.  Let’s get more of B’more outta cars and onto bikes!!! 

As Bartles & James used to say, “Thank you for your support.”

Continue reading “Guilford Ave cut-through”

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Please take a moment to make a 2 minute call to promote bicycle safety!

From Carol Silldorff:

The 3 foot rule passed unanimously by the Senate requiring vehicles to give 3′ of space when passing a bicyclist. However, without passing the House – this bill will not become law.

Your support matters. As a constituent, you can make a big difference. A one-minute call to your legislator is taken seriously -please take action now.

When you are riding a bike, do you want vehicles to give you a minimum of 3 feet when passing you on the road? Of course you do! If you live in the following Districts, please take a moment and contact your Delegate and ask that they support House Bill 461, the 3 foot rule, which is an important bicycle safety bill already in existence in over 20 other states. To view the bill go here: https://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/billfile/hb0461.htm

If you live in the following districts then please contact your Delegate:

Continue reading “Please take a moment to make a 2 minute call to promote bicycle safety!”