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Until recently, Columbia (pop. 100,733) was, like most American cities, designed almost exclusively for automobile transit, offering up a host of four-lane mini-highways over which motorists could zoom between parking lots. For Hindman, a retired lawyer, the situation was all wrong. “If we depend too much on cars, then we increase our reliance on foreign oil, childhood obesity goes up, and life just isn’t as much fun,” he says.
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Continue reading “REINVENTING AMERICA A Free-Wheeling City”
Dog Rides Tandem Bike
Comments on Bicyclist Ticketed for Going through Red Light
I support the police officer who ticketed the bicyclist for going through a red light on University Pkwy. Bicyclists have both the rights and DUTIES of a motor vehicle driver. If motorists and bicyclists choose which laws to obey and which ones to disobey; travelling by bike, foot, or car becomes more dangerous.
I disagree with the cyclist who compares cycling to jogging and feels that by keeping far right cyclists earn special proviledges, like being allowed to run red lights. Cyclists are vehicles , though pedestrians should also wait for the green light to cross. In addition, one should only ride as far right as safe and reasonable. Riding too far right can increase the chance of a right turning motorist cutting you off, as was the case in the fatal accident of John Yates, who was killed by a right turning truck on Md Ave at Lafayette. His riding next to the curb on SB Md Ave left him no room for escape.
Finally, if you are wrong then you should admit it and listen to the officer’s constructive criticism. The officer is just doing his job. The police take a lot of abuse and deserve respect. If the officer is wrong (e.g. – ordering you to ride in a right turn only lane when going straight), then you have a right to politely stand up for your rights, even if it means a ticket. In this case, the officer was correct.. Now, if the officer will follow through by stopping motorists who pass cyclists too closely or fail to yield, then the police will be helping to make cycling safer.
ticketed while riding
I was ticketed earlier in this afternoon for running a red light on my bike in Charles Village.
British kids would rather cycle
By Jonathon Harker Sep 22 2009, 10:08am
Halfords sees 22 per cent year-on-year rise in children’s bike sales; Chain launches kid’s-specific website
A Halfords-commissioned survey has found that almost three quarters (74 per cent) of British kids would like to cycle more with their families, despite 84 per cent of children spending most family time watching TV.
The TNS-conducted survey comes after the national retailer has announced a 22 per cent increase in the sales of children’s bikes over Christmas, compared year-on-year with 2007.
The report also found that almost all (95 per cent) of the children surveyed would rather be more fit and healthy, but do not exercise with their family as much as they would like to.
Cycling was the preferred means of keeping fit amongst the children, with 74 per cent preferring cycling over walking, running or playing team games.
Continue reading “British kids would rather cycle”
The ultimate accessory for the geek
in 1983, Steve Roberts packed up a Tandy 100 laptop and a 5-watt solar panel, fleeing suburbia on his recumbent bicycle on what would become a 17,000 mile journey that forever cemented his place in the geek pantheon…not just as a technology hacker, but as one of the preeminent “life hackers,” pursuing his own dreams on his own terms and inspiring others to do the same.
In this recently-unearthed video from 1989, Roberts reflects on the first 16,000 miles of his voyage, detailing some of the technology that went into his then-current ride, the Winnebiko II.
Baltimore lawyer bikes to work from Owings Mills
September 18, 2009 7:15 PM
During rush hour, H. Mark Stichel says, his 14-mile commute takes about the same time on two wheels as on four — although going home takes a little longer on the bike, because it’s uphill.
His name is H. Mark Stichel, but drivers who take Falls Road to work may know him as that blur on a speeding bike who’s making better time than they are.
Stichel, a litigator with Gohn, Hankey & Stichel LLP in downtown Baltimore, bikes to work two or three days a week from his home in Owings Mills, about 14½ miles away. It takes him under an hour to get to work, a little longer to get back because he’s riding uphill.
“What I discovered is, it didn’t take me much longer to ride my bike to work than it did to drive, especially in rush hour,” Stichel said.
“For an extra 20, 25 minutes, I get a workout,” he said.
Stichel starts his commute at about 8 a.m. on narrow, no-shoulder roads in Baltimore County. The roads’ advantage is that they are lightly trafficked.
After that, Stichel takes Falls Road down through the county and into the city. That road has more cars, but it’s also wider.
He said he gets heckled occasionally by drivers who honk at him or shout things. One man called him a “young punk,” apparently unaware that the “punk” was actually a middle-aged lawyer.
“Do you realize I’m probably older than you are?” Stichel remembers thinking.
Stichel carries no briefcase or backpack with him when he bikes. He keeps a substantial chunk of his wardrobe at the office, and when he gets there, he washes up and changes in the men’s room.
“It would be nice to have a shower” in the building, but “no one’s complained” to him about his post-ride hygiene, he said. That said, he generally doesn’t bike in on days when he has an important meeting.
Stichel, 50, said he’s in much better shape now than he was before 2001, when he began riding to work.
“Before I started riding, I was 20 pounds heavier than I am now,” he said. “I can remember, this was about 10 years ago, [when] I went running after a bus, trudging through an airport with suitcases, I would get out of breath. Now, 10 years later, that doesn’t happen. …”
Continue reading “Baltimore lawyer bikes to work from Owings Mills”
BikePed Beacon — September 2009
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The following monthly newsflash from the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board details current news and events in regards to biking and walking both in and around the Baltimore region.
The information found in the newsflash is informative; it could inspire some to become more involved in the process of improving conditions for biking and walking.
There is much to enjoy for everyone in this newsletter. There is always plenty of information and resources available but the BMC tries to make all that information just as enjoyable as riding a bike or taking a walk.
You may peruse the newsletter highlights below but be careful not to miss anything.
Thank you and Enjoy!
Stephanie Yanovitz
BikePed Beacon Editor
2008 Modal share data released – Cyclists in Baltimore have doubled!
Baltimore city, Maryland
S0801. Commuting Characteristics by Sex
Data Set: 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
Survey: American Community Survey
|
Subject |
Total |
Margin |
Male |
Margin |
Female |
Margin |
|
Workers 16 years and |
280224 |
+/-6,158 |
128690 |
+/-4,654 |
151534 |
+/-3,957 |
|
MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION |
||||||
|
Car, truck, or van |
69.70% |
+/-1.5 |
69.20% |
+/-2.3 |
70.10% |
+/-1.8 |
|
Drove alone |
57.90% |
+/-1.6 |
56.50% |
+/-2.6 |
59.20% |
+/-2.0 |
|
Carpooled |
11.80% |
+/-1.3 |
12.70% |
+/-1.8 |
11.00% |
+/-1.5 |
|
In 2-person carpool |
9.60% |
+/-1.1 |
9.90% |
+/-1.5 |
9.30% |
+/-1.4 |
|
In 3-person carpool |
1.60% |
+/-0.5 |
2.10% |
+/-1.0 |
1.00% |
+/-0.4 |
|
In 4-or-more person |
0.60% |
+/-0.3 |
0.70% |
+/-0.5 |
0.60% |
+/-0.3 |
|
Workers per car, truck, |
1.58 |
+/-0.04 |
1.61 |
+/-0.06 |
1.56 |
+/-0.04 |
|
Public transportation |
19.50% |
+/-1.3 |
19.40% |
+/-2.0 |
19.60% |
+/-1.5 |
|
Walked |
6.00% |
+/-0.8 |
5.70% |
+/-1.1 |
6.30% |
+/-1.0 |
|
Bicycle |
0.60% |
+/-0.2 |
0.90% |
+/-0.4 |
0.30% |
+/-0.2 |
|
Taxicab, motorcycle, or |
1.40% |
+/-0.4 |
1.40% |
+/-0.6 |
1.40% |
+/-0.5 |
|
Worked at home |
2.80% |
+/-0.6 |
3.40% |
+/-1.0 |
2.40% |
+/-0.7 |
Continue reading “2008 Modal share data released – Cyclists in Baltimore have doubled!”
Why Parents Drive Children to School
This line from a NY Times article really hits a nerve with me:
"Last spring, her son, 10, announced he wanted to walk to soccer practice rather than be driven, a distance of about a mile. Several people who saw the boy walking alone called 911. A police officer stopped him, drove him the rest of the way and then reprimanded Mrs. Pierce. According to local news reports, the officer told Mrs. Pierce that if anything untoward had happened to the boy, she could have been charged with child endangerment. Many felt the officer acted appropriately and that Mrs. Pierce had put her child at risk. "
And where are the police insuring our neighborhoods are safe? I guess its just not their job. Say what? Not the job of the police for public safety?
But that is not really the issue, the issue is strangers are not to be trusted and we as a society don’t even know the people who live on our block let alone a mile away. We are not outside enough to get to know those who live nearby so all are strangers not to be trusted. But start riding your bike around or anything outside around your house and after awhile you’ll meet other people who are outside and soon the whole world is your freind.
Say what? There are no safe places to bike or walk in your neighborhood because of overly car centric roadway designs? Heavy sigh, is this really the kind of world we want to create?
Continue reading “Why Parents Drive Children to School”