Month: March 2010

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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!”

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Editorial: When it comes to family biking, size matters

Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Family biking-8

An impromptu group family ride led
to realizations about the size and quality
of our bikeways.
(Photos © J. Maus)

A few weekends ago my girls and I, and several other families, planned to attend a local event. Since it was a sunny day, the location of the event was fairly close, and we all tend to bike frequently anyways, it turned into an impromptu group ride. There were kids (youngest was age 7) riding bikes on their own, kids in tag-alongs, and adults with various types of family cargo bikes. There were about 13 of us in all.

While I enjoyed the company of friends and the pleasant ride, being the bike geek that I am, I also couldn’t help from noticing a few other things.

The first thing I noticed is that a group of families riding together really catches people’s attention. In Portland, 10-15 people riding a bike is no big deal (especially during the morning and evening rush hours), but when there are little kids in the mix, people really take notice.

I kept thinking how cool it was that this wasn’t an organized ride, it just so happened that we all decided to ride our bikes to the same place (I hope someday seeing a bunch of families on bikes doesn’t draw so many stares).

Family biking-2

Standard bike lanes can be a tight
squeeze when riding with kids.

It also struck me how inadequate standard bike lanes are when riding with kids. Why? At just four or five feet wide, it’s nearly impossible to ride next to a small child — which, as a father of a 7-year old who is just learning to mix with traffic, is something I feel compelled to do. With parked cars on one side and traffic going 35 mph on the other, there was sort of an evolutionary magnet pulling me alongside my daughter as if to create a little cocoon of safety around her (see photo at right).

Continue reading “Editorial: When it comes to family biking, size matters”

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When did it become the responsibility of the federal DOT to build sidewalks?

by washcycle

[Sen Kit Bond (R-MO)] only dug in his heels, arguing that Americans had shown their
eagerness to use roads and bridges but would not embrace rail or
walkable infrastructure. “When did it become the responsibility of the
federal DOT to
build sidewalks?”

From streetsblog

LaHood then reminded him Congress set up dedicated funding for pedestrian improvements nearly 20 years ago.

Continue reading “When did it become the responsibility of the federal DOT to build sidewalks?”

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ACT Act Introduced, Alliance Announces Virtual Lobby Day!

By Nadege Dubuisson on March 03, 2010

Representative Earl Blumenauer(OR) just introduced the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722, on March 2nd 2010. This groundbreaking bill creates a competitive grant program with $2 Billion to help communities build bicycling and walking networks. For the first time, communities would be able to compete for multi-year funding to build active transportation systems, just as they do for transit and road infrastructure.

“Too often we take for granted the value of being able to bike and walk to work,” said Blumenauer. “It’s unfortunate that many communities don’t have the infrastructure in place to make active and healthy forms of transportation more accessible. The ACT transportation grants will make it easier for people to get out of their vehicles and onto sidewalks or bikes, boosting both heart rates and community vitality.”

In conjunction with the National Bike Summit the Alliance is asking that you call your representative next Thursday, March 11th at the same time that over 700 Summit participants will have in-person meetings in congressional offices for a Virtual Lobby Day. For all the details, visit the Alliance action center. https://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/memberservices/C520
Continue reading “ACT Act Introduced, Alliance Announces Virtual Lobby Day!”

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Family files $5M suit in fatal Baltimore bike accident

Update: The Sun also has coverage with this great quote:
"The lawyer also argued that Yates was not negligent because statutes governing bicyclists require them to stay with the flow of traffic, as far to the right as possible.

"That’s exactly what Mr. Yates did," he said. "

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By Brendan Kearney
Daily Record Legal Affairs Writer

The family of a Baltimore man who was killed last summer when his bicycle collided with a large truck filed a $5 million suit Wednesday against the alleged hit-and-run driver and contractor Potts & Callahan Inc.

John R. Yates, a 67-year-old retired youth counselor, was cycling south on Maryland Avenue just north of I-83 when Michael D. Chandler turned his Potts & Callahan fuel tanker right onto Lafayette Avenue, according to the suit filed by his wife and two children in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Yates’ bike became entangled in the back wheels of the green and silver truck, according to the suit, and Yates was run over and pronounced dead at the scene, just blocks south of his row house.

Chandler, a 61-year-old Severn resident, did not stop, and police only determined days later, from watching video of the accident captured by a nearby security camera, that the truck belonged to Potts & Callahan, which has an office and yard nearby, according to police reports.

Although police concluded Yates illegally passed the truck and therefore did not press charges against Chandler, the Yates family lawyer said he is “very comfortable” with the facts of the case.

“The driver of the truck is negligent, there’s no question about that,” said Steven D. Silverman, adding that the only remaining question is whether Mr. Yates was contributorily negligent, which would negate his family’s claim. “And based on several attorneys’ reading of the statute, [Yates] wasn’t.”

Continue reading “Family files $5M suit in fatal Baltimore bike accident”