Biking in Baltimore
by Angie Schmitt, Streets Blog
The Washington State Office of Fiscal Management has revised its traffic projections downward to reflect changing patterns. Graph Washington OFM via Sightline
The amount that the average American drives each year has been declining for nearly a decade, yet most transportation agencies are still making decisions based on the notion that a new era of ceaseless traffic growth is right around the corner
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Three road diets in Portland have prevented a total of 525 collisions. Graphic: Bike Portland
State DOTs like to justify hugely expensive highway-widening projects, like Milwaukee’s $1.7 billion Zoo Interchange, partly on the grounds of safety. But if we really want to get a big bang for our transportation safety buck, fixing city streets makes a lot more sense.
Michael Andersen at Bike Portland reports that three local road diets completed between 1997 and 2003 cost a combined total of just $500,000 and have prevented more than 500 collisions:
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https://streetsblog.net/2014/10/14/portland-shows-how-to-get-more-bang-for-your-traffic-safety-buck/
B’ Spokes: DC and Maryland both have the contributory negligence doctrine. For those interested in learning more, this is what Shane Farthing from WABA has but together:
B’ Spokes: A new bridge on route 7 has bicycle compatible shoulders. SHA is doing some things right!
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The purpose of the I-70 Trail Connection, a joint project of “The I-70 Trail Connectors” and Bikemore , is to ensure a safe, direct, and comfortable crossing of Security Boulevard (MD 122) from the Gwynns Falls Trail and communities on the east side of Security Boulevard to the proposed I-70 Red Line station on the west side of Security Boulevard.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), as part of their planning for the Red Line transit line, has proposed removing Interstate 70 inside the Beltway (I-695). They have also proposed moving Gwynns Falls Trailhead #1 from its current location east of Security Boulevard to a new Red Line station west of Security Boulevard, physically separating the Trailhead from the trail itself.
The I-70 Trail Connectors, the group of neighbors and advocates in Western Baltimore City and County promoting a bridge crossing, and Bikemore have proposed using the existing interstate highway bridge infrastructure to create a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Security Boulevard.
The MTA and the State Highway Administration (SHA) do not support the local residents’ proposal and have instead recommended ‘at-grade’ crossings of Security Boulevard, meaning pedestrians and cyclists would have to cross this busy roadway while navigating car, bus, and truck traffic. Would you want your kids crossing Security Boulevard on foot or on a bike?
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Tack action here https://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9ae12933a17d8c1c4a22924d6&id=59dbe6a15c&e=454e16693f
-> According to a Sept. 10th Streetsblog article, "…What if every new bicycle facility were built with the intent of being useful to a young girl? If it were, wouldn’t it be good enough for the rest of us, too? That’s why, at the Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place conference this week, we’re launching a new concept to help guide our work. Build it for Isabella (https://bit.ly/1ujWIan).
"Isabella … is 12. She likes cartwheels, Instagram photos with her best friend, and ice cream cones. Sometimes she even likes school. But without someone to drive her around, she can’t enjoy those things, because of the way her neighborhood’s busier streets are built. The ultimate goal of the Green Lane Project and, we’d argue, of all modern bicycle infrastructure is to let Isabella go where she wants. Not every bike project will be able to serve Isabella. Some streets are just too narrow. Some budgets are just too thin.
"But if any new bike project isn’t good enough for Isabella, we would argue that it should have a pretty clear reason why not. As Green Lane Project Director Martha Roskowski wrote in January, it’s time to stop building black diamond bike lanes…"
Source: https://bit.ly/1o2gbqc
-> According to an Oct. 7th Wired article, "There are many ways cities can make their public spaces safer and more inviting for pedestrians… But there is one easy, cost-effective, and quick thing just about any city can do to make themselves more pedestrian-friendly: Use building and landscape details to make people feel welcome and comfortable.
"The idea comes from a report by the non-profit SPUR (originally called the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association), which laid out seven ways to make any city more pedestrian-friendly. (See summary at https://wrd.cm/1vNpr6j) Most of the ideas required big changes to existing infrastructure, but this one is dead simple…."
Source: https://wrd.cm/1y1J8vh
According to a Sept. 17th Science Daily article, "More than $100 trillion in cumulative public and private spending, and 1,700 megatons of annual carbon dioxide (CO2) — a 40 percent reduction of urban passenger transport emissions — could be eliminated by 2050 if the world expands public transportation, walking and cycling in cities, according to a new report released by the University of California, Davis, and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). Further, an estimated 1.4 million early deaths could be avoided annually by 2050 if governments require the strongest vehicle pollution controls and ultralow-sulfur fuels, according to a related analysis of these urban vehicle activity pathways by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) included in the report…
"The report, ‘A Global High Shift Scenario: Impacts And Potential For More Public Transport, Walking, And Cycling With Lower Car Use, is the first study to examine how major changes in transport investments worldwide would affect urban passenger transport emissions as well as the mobility of different income groups… "
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140917073300.htm
B’ Spokes: An excellent way to start becoming bike friendly without a whole lot of money, engage the businesses. Read about the Bike-SYB program:
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2014/10/11/biking-toward-profits/17134163/
B" Spokes: The General idea is to make it harder to use Transportation Trust Funds to balance the state budget, it still can be done but harder.
My stance is: No Support
What bothers me most is that there is no mention of repairing bridges, better funding for mass transit or even complete streets, just business as usual at MDOT.
Next, even under the old system we could build $3+ billion ICC highways so I don’t get why things need to change.
The whole thing reeks of over stressing cars over everything else. Budgets will always be in flux from year to year and IMHO this is what government does. One year some group is unhappy and the next year it is someone else, that is the nature of things. But more than that, a vote yes here is saying, roads and more roads will fix our most pressing needs. And they need to be overly car centric since cars are paying for them right?
See Do Drivers Cover the Cost of Roads? Not By a Long Shot
https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20141002232119321
But but there is so many cars driving… Not really, see Maryland Annual Vehicle Miles of Travel
https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20130529171856978
IMHO it is because Maryland has over stressed driving everywhere that is the basic reason why driving is such a dismal state of affairs. You can’t give preferential treatment to the most expensive thing and expect a balanced economical budget, that would be like having steak seven days a week. Nothing against steak or roads but let’s keep it at a reasonable level OK? And oh, let’s support more diversity.
For further reading see: Maryland transportation "lockbox" has a big hole from Greater Greater Washington
https://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/9163/maryland-transportation-lockbox-has-a-big-hole/