It seems to be remarkably difficult for citizens to influence the decisions of major transportation agencies. I use the example of a state DOT here, but it could be a transit agency. How might one go about doing this effectively? There are two major parts: political and technical.
[No doubt we need good bicycling advocacy in the state so those of you who want to try your hand at this here is a good primer on what & how basics.]
Continue reading “You Can’t Fight the State DOT – Or Can You?”
Smart, Green, and Growing – The Sustainable Communities Act of 2010
SENATE BILL 285
Synopsis:
Stating findings and intent of the General Assembly concerning sustainable communities; providing for the designation of specified areas as sustainable communities eligible for specified programs; reestablishing and altering the Maryland Heritage Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program to be the Sustainable Communities Tax Credit Program; authorizing the Director of the Maryland Historical Trust to issue up to $50,000,000 in the aggregate in initial credit certificates for the tax credit; etc.
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(4) develop public infrastructure that is incidental to the implementation of a community legacy project, such as streets, parking, public utilities, landscaping, lighting, and improvements to pedestrian and bicycle circulation;
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Is planned to maximize the use of transit, walking, and bicycling by residents and employees; and
Continue reading “Smart, Green, and Growing – The Sustainable Communities Act of 2010”
Virginia to Oregon – 4,000 miles – slide show in 6 min.
R.I.P. Donald Lee Keller
Donald Lee Keller, a retired IRS agent and a longtime Idlewylde resident, died Jan. 19 of cancer at his son’s home in Santa Fe, N.M. He was 91.
Mr. Keller was born in Baltimore and raised in East Baltimore and Govans.
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"He rode his bicycle daily until the last few months of his life," said his son, Richard L. Keller of Santa Fe.
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Lagging Maryland Traffic Laws, Increasing Bike Usage Make Car-Bicycle Traffic Accidents More Possible, Deadlier
[Baltimore Spokes: While we are gearing up for the legislative season one question remains unanswered well we try and get rid of contributory negligence? Or will drivers that injure and kill other legitimate road users still face a maximum $288 fine? Maryland’s bike/ped fatality rate is in the top ten worst in the nation and changing that is currently not addressed in laws, enforcement, fines or even drivers ed.]
by Lebowitz & Mzhen
It won’t be long before the promise of spring weather entices more and more cyclists out onto the roads in and around cities like Annapolis, Bethesda and D.C., among others. As Maryland traffic accident injury attorneys, the staff at Lebowitz & Mzhen, LLC can see a shift toward greater environmental consciousness, so it’s not surprising that more people are using bicycles to get to work, school or even to the store for some light shopping.
Unfortunately, even though more riders are out on the roads, our traffic laws and driver awareness are apparently behind the times. What does this mean in terms of increased traffic accidents and bicycle riding injuries? According to a recent editorial, the percentage of people using bikes for transportation has been on the rise for nearly 20 years, with no expectation that this trend will change any time soon.
To accommodate this increase in two-wheeled traffic, engineers and traffic planners have been working to update the state’s infrastructure and to encourage cycling and create a more safe environment for autos and bikes to coexist. There has also been a call for improved and updated legislation as well.
According to many cycling advocates, some laws unnecessarily restrict safe cycling or where cyclists can ride or park their bikes. There are other laws that haven’t really caught up with current technology, which makes our public roads more dangerous for all users. There is also a cry for increased protection for those more vulnerable users or to punish negligent car and truck drivers.
Some suggest that Maryland replace contributory negligence with comparative negligence. Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia are three of only five "states" that use contributory negligence to establish damage awards in civil cases. Under this standard, if an injured road user was even one-percent at fault for a crash involving another road user that person would be unable to recover damages unless he or she could prove that the other road user had the "last clear chance" to avoid the accident.
Last clear chance involves proving four separate facts about the crash, all of which must be true, and can be difficult to prove. This is why it is always important to have an experience legal professional on your side in personal injury cases.
The majority of jurisdictions around the county use some form of comparative negligence, which allows the injured party to recover some of their loses even if they were partially to blame. Contributory negligence is a favorite of big business and the insurance industry, however it punishes victims who are disproportionately pedestrians and cyclists.
Continue reading “Lagging Maryland Traffic Laws, Increasing Bike Usage Make Car-Bicycle Traffic Accidents More Possible, Deadlier”
Hearing 2/2 at 2:00 p.m. on 3′ safe passing
Hearing in the Senate Judicial Proceedings
SB 51
Requiring that a driver of a vehicle, when overtaking a bicycle, an Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Device (EPAMD), or a motor scooter, pass safely at a specified distance; requiring a driver of a vehicle to yield the right-of-way to a person who is riding a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter in a bike lane or shoulder under specified circumstances; etc.
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Good Fences May Make Good Neighbors, but Bad Neighborhoods
by
Steve Offutt has a great post on CommuterPageBlog about how sometimes developments are built with unnecessary fences that hinder the kind of connectivity that makes walking and biking easy. OK, he didn’t mention biking, but it’s the same idea.
the end of Forest Drive almost touches the parking lot of the
apartment building on Jefferson Street (although it’s at a somewhat
higher elevation).The
building, instead of installing a staircase that would allow
neighborhood people to easily walk from the neighborhood to the shops
on Jefferson St., including the Giant Food and Starbucks, blocked it
with a fence (see two photos). In the same way, the fence prevents
residents of the apartment building from being able to walk around the
neighborhood, say to walk their dog or just for enjoyment.
There are a couple of areas like this on my commute where a road ends a few tantalizing feet from making a useful connection. In one case I off-road it for it about 20 feet (connecting these two parts of Margo Lane) on a billygoat trail. And as Offutt points out, there are many more.
There are certainly thousands of these small linkages that could be
unblocked or created. Each one might open up pedestrian opportunities
to a few people or a few score of people. But all multiplied together
one could imagine literally thousands of short car trips being
eliminated and quality of life for those people improved.
Continue reading “Good Fences May Make Good Neighbors, but Bad Neighborhoods”
A More Bike-Friendly Mount Rainier in the Plan
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The City of Mount Rainier is working on a Mixed-Use Town Center Development Plan to promote reinvestment and redevelopment opportunities in the older commercial core of Mount Rainer. The area being studied includes 11.5 acres around the Rhode Island Avenue and 34th Street areas, and one thing they want to do is make the area more bicycle-friendly.
After months of community meetings and studies, Washington, D.C.-based
consultants Cunningham Quill Architects presented a preliminary “vision
plan” to residents on Jan. 12.The presentation included details on decreasing street parking spaces
from 14-feet to standard 8-feet wide spaces and using the extra space
for wider sidewalks and commuter bicycles lanes.Resident Dave MacMillan said he liked the integration of bike and
pedestrian culture in the plan, but wanted some measures to discourage
additional liquor stores from opening in the city.
I’m not sure the two are related.
The presentations don’t have a lot of specifics on bikes, but they show the Bike Station, bike lanes and artistic bike racks. They also have a lot of cool old photos of Mount Rainier during the streetcar days, if you’re into such things. I often bike through the area on Rhode Island, and it’s not too bad really, but some bike lanes would be nice.
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Continue reading “A More Bike-Friendly Mount Rainier in the Plan”
DOWNTOWN COLUMBIA PLAN LEGISLATION
By Jen Terrasa
I appreciate your input and your continued interest in Downtown Columbia. As the time for a final decision on the bills approaches, I wanted to let you know about our upcoming sessions on the two bills that comprise the proposed Downtown Columbia revitalization.
Upcoming Work Session and Voting Session
1. WORK SESSION: Monday, January 25, 2010 beginning at 4:30 p.m., Board of Education, 10910 Route 108, Ellicott City, MD.
2. VOTING SESSION: Monday, February 1, 2010 beginning at 7:30 p.m., Board of Education, 10910 Route 108, Ellicott City, MD. The Council is scheduled to vote on Council Bills 58-2009 and 59-2009 during its legislative session.
Status of the Bills and Amendments
On Monday, January 4, 2010, five amendments were introduced for Council Bills 58-2009 and 59-2009. The two amendments to CB 58-2009 and the three amendments to CB 59-2009 were found to be substantive and have been “amended” into the bills as required by our charter. This means that the language from these five amendments has been added within the text of the complete bills. However, the Council can still amend these until the final vote on the bills. The amended bills can be found at:
https://www.co.ho.md.us/CountyCouncil/CCdocs/Amended CB58-2009https://www.co.ho.md.us/CountyCouncil/CCdocs/Amended CB58-2009
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Beyonce Takes Up Bike Riding
BEYONCE keeps a low profile on her days off by riding around on a bicycle.
The Irreplaceable hitmaker admits she has taken to two wheels to travel around cities when she is away on tour and she enjoys the anonymity being on a bike gives her.
She tells Billboard, “I started riding a bike on my days off with others like my assistant and stylist.
“It’s amazing how I’m able to ride around on a bike. People kind of see it’s me but since I’m on a bike, they think, ‘No, it’s not her.’ And by the time they realise it’s me, I’m already gone. It’s great to do something normal every day. It keeps me grounded.”
Continue reading “Beyonce Takes Up Bike Riding”