* What is Single Stream Recycling?
* Are the new recycling bins mandatory?
* What can I use for my material?
* What types of plastics are accepted in the single stream program?
* Under the new Single Stream program, when will my material be collected?
* Why are plastic bags no longer acceptable?
* What about the sale of yellow recycling bins?
* Is the recycling material that is collected, really being recycled?
* What Are Acceptable items?
* We cannot accept (examples):
Continue reading “Department of Public Works – Recycling FAQ”
Cycle-based Breakdown Patrols
…
With 60,000 cars and more than 100 breakdowns expected over the two weeks of Wimbledon, the bikes will cut through busy car parks to help ease the chronic delays that often result for thousands of revellers.
…
The new pushbikes represent a return to century-old roots for the AA, best known for its familiar yellow vans. The first AA patrols rode cycles from 1905
Continue reading “Cycle-based Breakdown Patrols”
Route to work?
Hi. I’m moving to Baltimore from Chicago, where I currently have a 15 mile round trip commute.
In Baltimore, I will be working at JHU’s medical campus, and sometimes at Bayview. I am considering living near the subway stations along Park Heights (e.g., Reistertown or Rogers metro stations), so that I can take the subway sometimes, but I would also like to bike sometimes as well. Is there a safe way to go from there to JHU if I’m traveling only in the daytime?
Janet
Resolution Submitted to the United State Conference of Mayors (Mayor Shela Dixon in attendance)
[Not sure if this has passed or not (conflicting web reports) but this is what’s up:]
Summary (full text in "Read more"):
Resolution #4:4Ensuring Bicycling is Integrated into National Transportation, Climate, Energy and Health Policy Initiatives indicates that bicycling is in the national interest; encourages the development and implementation of a coordinated national bicycling strategy aimed to increase safe bicycle use as a mode of transportation and the development of federal transportation, environmental and public health policies that recognize increased and safe bicycle usage for transportation is in the national interest; urges Congress in the next federal transportation reauthorization to establish policies and funding mechanisms that will reduce the number of motor vehicle miles traveled (VMT), improve safety conditions for bicyclists, collect transportation and safety data needed to monitor progress and provide incentives for state and local governments to adopt and implement Complete Street policies designed to accommodate all users; urges Governors and state-level leadership, independent of new federal transportation legislation, to embrace Complete Streets policies that acknowledge the contributions of bicycles as a means to reduce vehicle miles by integrating bicycle use into standard street design; and calls on all mayors that sign onto the Climate Protection Agreement to develop and implement action plans to incorporate bicycling programs and policies as a key component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, and that the U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages every mayor to strive to make their city a Bicycle Friendly Community.
cies designed to accommodate all users; urges Governors and state-level leadership, independent of new federal transportation legislation, to embrace Complete Streets policies that acknowledge the contributions of bicycles as a means to reduce vehicle miles by integrating bicycle use into standard street design; and calls on all mayors that sign onto the Climate Protection Agreement to develop and implement action plans to incorporate bicycling programs and policies as a key component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, and that the U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages every mayor to strive to make their city a Bicycle Friendly Community.
Continue reading “Resolution Submitted to the United State Conference of Mayors (Mayor Shela Dixon in attendance)”
Arlington Court date for failing to stay to the right
[From Bike Washington list]
Just wanted to post that I had a successful day in court and was found
not guilty by the judge.
I had been cited for failure to stay to the right. I was westbound on
Wilson between 10th and Monroe, occupying the center of the right hand
lane when I was pulled over and cited.
The ticketing officer was there today. She gave her side of events
(along the lines of “He was all over the road.”) I gave my side which
included the fact I was in the center of the right hand lane. That the
lane varies in width from 12-10 feet. That AASHTO recommends a
minimum width of 14 feet for lanes shared between cars and bikes.
That Arlington County’s Bike Arlington website hosts a WABA safety
guide recommending occupying the center of a lane too narrow for a
bike and car to be abreast. And that my center lane position allowed
me to pass on the left of a car that actually made a right hand turn
in front of me.
The judge listened to both sides, thumbed through the regs, and said
not guilty, case closed. I didn’t even need to show my photos or
testify to my speed (22 in a 25 zone). I think I came off more
professional and courteous than the officer. The officer tried to
bring up some bogus “And he went through a red light after I cited
him, too, but I didn’t bother give him a ticket for that.” I said that
I didn’t recall such a thing happening. The judge ignored the
officer’s claim, which when she said it sounded to me petty and
childish. Maybe it came off the same way to the judge, I don’t know.
Since I was the first real case of the day (after all the very minor
No Registration cases), the best part was the judge taking my side in
a courtroom full of a dozen Arlington officers and a room full of drivers.
Of course, wouldn’t you know after leaving the Courthouse and biking
to work in DC, I had a car honk and curse at me for occupying the
center of the rightmost lane on H Street, NW, while keeping up with
traffic. It’s not a daily occurrence, so the coincidence was uncanny.
It just goes to show, even when the cyclist is right, we still have
to be careful for the whack jobs who will never understand.
Continue reading “Arlington Court date for failing to stay to the right”
Flicks on the hill by bike
[Any interest in having a bike party June 26 showing of "Chariots of Fire" ? I’ll be heading down from Mt Washington, Roland Ave, University and St Paul. If I can "pick you up" along the way let me know. Other bike convoys from other locations are encouraged.]
So far:
2 @ 7:00 PM from Glen Ave Fire House,
1 @ 7:20 University and Saint Paul
2 @ 7:30 Red Emma’s (St Paul & Madison)
—
5 total
Go outside and play.
Motorists who endanger bicycle riders crackdown nets 233 tickets
A three-month-old ordinance targeting motorists who endanger bicycle riders has so far netted 233 citations, including 95 for improper left turns and 11 for driving on bicycle paths, Chicago Police said.
"It’s a good start. It shows that they’re taking it seriously," said Rob Sadowsky, executive director of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.
"I’m a little surprised, actually."
The ordinance, pushed by bike enthusiast Mayor Daley, raised fines for motorists who endanger bicyclists and clarified situations where bikes have the right of way.
The citations were issued between March 12 and May 31. Five bicyclists had been killed in collisions with vehicles in Chicago this year.
Sadowsky said drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians all have to exercise more care. He said he thinks the best news pedestrians and cyclists have had lately was not the ordinance, but the police sting targeting drivers who didn’t stop for a cop posing as a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
"That will have a great application for bicyclists as well, because now we get people saying, ‘Wow, they’re actually looking at the rules of the road,’" Sadowsky said.
Continue reading “Motorists who endanger bicycle riders crackdown nets 233 tickets”
Fuel Costs May Force Some Kids to Walk to School.
By Daniel de Vise Washington Post Staff Writer
Here’s how rising fuel prices affect an organization with a fleet of 1,273 school buses: The Montgomery County school board today will consider giving Superintendent Jerry D. Weast emergency powers to make students walk farther to school, if need be, in the coming academic year.
This Story
The school system’s diesel costs have more than doubled in four years, from $3.6 million in fiscal 2005 to a projected $7.9 million for fiscal 2009, which begins next month. It’s a hardship shared by the Fairfax County school system, with more than 1,500 buses; the Prince George’s County system, with 1,285 buses; and other area systems that transport tens of thousands of students daily and are paying more for fuel than the average parent at an Exxon pump on Rockville Pike.
"The last purchase we made was $4.40 a gallon," said John Matthews, Montgomery schools transportation director. A one-penny rise in price costs the school system $33,000 a year.
Continue reading “Fuel Costs May Force Some Kids to Walk to School.”
Baltimore should be biking
– Sun Editorial
With gas prices topping $4 a gallon and a growing awareness of carbon footprints, a search for alternative means of transportation is under way. So why aren’t more people riding bicycles in Baltimore? It’s cheaper than driving or taking mass transit, and it’s a good way to get exercise without sacrificing much time from busy schedules. Still, there are fewer bike commuters in Baltimore than in other East Coast cities, census numbers indicate.
The city has been trying to encourage more residents to use bicycles to commute by adding bike lanes to some city streets and extending the Jones Falls and Gwynns Falls trails – two bike paths that aim to connect residential neighborhoods with the city’s urban core. Recently, the city’s parking authority announced it was considering installing bike parking facilities in a parking garage adjacent to City Hall.
These efforts are definitely steps in the right direction when it comes to making the city more bike-friendly, but there is still much to be done.
The main obstacles officials face as they try to improve Baltimore’s bike appeal are safety and security. Some people opt not to bike to and from work because they are afraid of riding in hectic rush-hour traffic on the city’s relatively narrow streets. The condition of the pavement on some streets can deter cyclists who worry about popping a tire going over a bump or pothole. And people aren’t going to ride their bikes to work or to shop if they can’t park them securely, without fear of returning to find a missing wheel.
The city should continue to extending bike paths and add more dedicated bicycle lanes on commuter arteries throughout the city. If the proposed pilot bike parking program is successful, similar facilities should be installed in other parking garages as well. The city could also encourage bicycling through better maintenance of commuter routes, fixing potholes and ensuring a smoother ride.
Local businesses and commercial landlords also can help promote biking by providing workers with secure and dry places to store their bikes while at work. Businesses could provide employees with showers and a room to change into dry clothes, which would be a boon to bikers – and those who work with them – on grueling summer days.
Most importantly, the city must educate residents about bike safety, both for bicyclists and drivers. If drivers are more careful, particularly when cyclists are around, people will be more likely to consider riding their bikes in the city.
Making Baltimore more bicycle friendly could pay big dividends, not just in energy savings but in the health of its biking citizens. For riders gliding down the bike trails and city streets with the wind in their faces and a fast-changing landscape flashing by, biking in Baltimore can be an exhilarating adventure.
– Erich Wagner
Continue reading “Baltimore should be biking”
Swifter than eagles. And stolen
We treat bike theft as though it were a kind of natural event, like catching a cold or succumbing to some other morally neutral phenomenon.
When someone’s bicycle is stolen the discussion is entirely about what he or she could have done to prevent it. The police talk about the need for tougher locks, and special serial numbers, and the cycling experts give out various bits of anti-theft advice. Don’t have a bike that’s too flash, they say. Try painting it some depressing colour, like orange or purple. Try having a basket at the front, they say, or mudguards, or anything to make your bike look a bit grungy and unappealing.
All of which advice may be well meant, but somehow makes me pop with rage, because we seem continually to be ascribing responsibility for the event to the victim, and ignoring the critical point. It wasn’t some supernatural agency that nicked your bike, or nicked my bike. It wasn’t oompa-loompas or fairies or bike elves. It was thieves.
Continue reading “Swifter than eagles. And stolen”