By Surae Chinn
GERMANTOWN, Md. (WUSA) — Friends and family remember an avid biker who was killed when a driver crashed into him.
It happened around 7 p.m. Friday night on Ridge Road near Morning Star Drive in Germantown.
48-year-old Stan Miller was heading home. It would his last bike ride.
Dorian Janney says, "I can’t believe he’s not coming home. It hasn’t sunk in. I’ve gone to his room, touched his things, I’m feeling sad…sad for those left behind. We’re going to miss him."
Miller rented the basement from Janney’s home. She was more than his landlord. They treated each other like family.
The avid biker, who just celebrated a birthday last week, would sometimes spend weeks at a time in Central America.
Miller was just three miles from home, riding on the shoulder when he was struck and killed. Police say they smelled alcohol on the driver.
Police say the driver refused to take a breathalizer test and when doctors tried to get a blood test police say 34-year- old Quinzy Fraser from Clarksburg, Maryland, assaulted the officer and resisted arrest.
While charges are pending against the driver, friends and family are focusing on their loved one.
They’re making sure to keep his memories alive, that means looking after his many bird houses out back and taking care of Sylvester who sits on the stairs waiting for his master to come home.
Janney says, "Stan was living his life to the fullest."
Maryland law alllows officers to take a blood analysis by force if a driver is involved in a fatal collision and suspected of DUI.
Fraser is being held on a 200-thousand dollar bond.
Police say it could be weeks before they get the blood results and charges are filed in the fatal accident.
Continue reading “Avid Biker Remembered After Fatal Crash”
Larry Black, owner of Mt. Airy Bicycles
Timothy Jacobsen/Special To the Gazette
Larry Black, owner of Mt. Airy Bicycles, rides his highwheel along Old National Pike. He will ride in the Fourth of July Parade this weekend in Washington, D.C.
Scott Goldberg, Pro-Bike Candidate for MD District 16
by washcycle
Scott Goldberg, a 26 year old law school student, is running for a District 16 seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.
Goldberg says he will promote more bike lanes and facilities such as locker rooms in businesses to help encourage residents to commute without their cars.
Continue reading “Scott Goldberg, Pro-Bike Candidate for MD District 16”
HoCo for a Bicycle Master Plan Survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M36K9MQ
1. If you are a driver, do you feel safe passing cyclists on the section of Folly Quarter Road from the Shepherd Lane traffic circle to the Royal Farms gas station?
2. Have you ever narrowly missed or seen others narrowly miss an accident due to cyclists on roads in Howard County?
3. In your opinion, how necessary are bicycle lanes, widened shoulders, and other accommodations for cyclists in Howard County?
4. Would you be in favor of Howard County creating a Bicycle Master Plan, which would outline a network of bicycle lanes, widened shoulders, and other accommodations for cyclists?
5. Would an elected County official’s support for a Bicycle Master Plan be a factor in whether or not you vote for him or her in the next election?
6. Do you identify with Howard County drivers’ or cyclists’ perspective on the issue of "sharing the road"?
7. If you are a driver, how do you react when you must slow down and drive behind a cyclist while waiting for an opportunity to pass?
8. If you are a cyclist, have you ever feared for your safety while trying to enjoy your hobby in Howard County?
9. What are the most dangerous roads in Howard County for bicyclists and drivers to share, in your opinion?
10. How much would bicycle lanes, widened shoulders, and other accommodations to improve safety conditions for cyclists and motorists impact your enjoyment of driving or biking and therefore of living in Howard County?
Car Free Day Reduces Pollution to 75%
By Eko Priliawito, Sandy Adam Mahaputra
VIVAnews – Given the fact that Jakarta has the worst-quality air in Indonesia, the Indonesia’s capital provincial government intensifies its Car Free Day program.
Following the success of running the program once a month since 2007, Car Free Day will now be set twice within a month.
Based on the evaluation conducted by Jakarta’s Local Environmental Control Agency (BPLHD) on the quality of air, along 2009, Car Free Day was considered effective to restore the quality of air in a certain region.
There has also been a quite significant decrease in pollution concentration. The dust parameter (PM-10) goes down 37 percent while the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen monoxide (NO) drops 67 and 75 percent respectively.
BPLHD’s Environmental Pollution and Sanitation Control Division Joni Tagor Harahap said Car Free Day has proven to be able to improve the quality of air in Jakarta.
The increase is visible in the air quality monitor located in Bunderan HI. “However, we still don’t know the exact amount of reduction in the concentration on Car Free Days,” Harahap said.
He also pointed out that the more frequent implementation of the program was based on requests from the city’s residents. As of July 2010, Car Free Day will be established on the second and last week of every month. “This month, Car Free Days will be on July 4 and 25”.
…
Continue reading “Car Free Day Reduces Pollution to 75%”
Some motorists are cyclists
Charles Spencer ‘Spen’ King, one of the British motor industry’s most famous, resourceful and prolific engineers, died last weekend as a result of injuries sustained in a collision between his bicycle and a van a fortnight earlier. He was 85.
Continue reading “Some motorists are cyclists”
I’m American and I need to drive and as cheep as possible, its the American way
US tops list of unpaid London traffic toll fees
By DAVID STRINGER Associated Press Writer
LONDON—Britain’s Foreign Office named the United States embassy Monday as the worst offender among diplomatic missions that have racked up 36 million pounds ($54 million) in disputed traffic congestion charges.
Foreign Secretary William Hague published figures that show the U.S. owes 3.8 million pounds ($5.75 million) after declining to pay a London traffic levy 35,602 times between the introduction of the charge in February 2003 and this January.
…
Continue reading “I’m American and I need to drive and as cheep as possible, its the American way”
Agenda 07/7/2010: Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Group
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010
BALTIMORE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD 21224
Agenda
1. INTRODUCTIONS
2. APPROVAL OF MAY 12, 2010 MINUTES (5 Minutes)
3. UPDATES
* May 21st Bike to Work Day (10 Minutes)
* Street Smart Regional Safety Campaign (10 Minutes)
* Access to Rail Study/Bike Rack Study (10 Minutes)
* Roundtable Discussion (25 Minutes)
4. PARKING & BIKE SHARING URBAN STRATEGIES (30 Minutes)
Shannon Sanders McDonald, AIA, Author of a book published by the Urban Land Institute: The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form discussing its evolution within architecture, planning, the environment and transportation issues in the United States over the last 110 years and into the future.
5. STATUS REPORTS
* Action Plan Update Report Outline (15 Minutes)
* Assignment – Long Range Transportation Goals – DUE in 3 weeks
6. OLD BUSINESS (5 Minutes)
7. NEW BUSINESS (10 Minutes)
Continue reading “Agenda 07/7/2010: Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Group”
Coming events CYCLING
July 10 to 13: The Greatest Bicycle Tour of the Historic C&O Canal. This is a 200-mile trek along the C&O Canal, with no hills and no cars. Organizers promise lots of support and food, and participants can ride at their own pace. Info: tgbt.org.
July 17: Total 200, Washington to Point Lookout, 5 a.m. This is a fully supported bike ride from Washington to Point Lookout State Park in southern Maryland and back. Suggested pace is 18 to 22 mph. Info: total200.com.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Coming-events-97602479.html#ixzz0sYQKZU3F
Continue reading “Coming events CYCLING”
The Great Canadian Drivers Exam
By Andrew Clark
…
1. When you encounter the following sign, you …
a) Come to a complete and precise stop 15 feet into the intersection, take a sip of your double/double Timmys coffee and cruise forward almost running over a bunch of people-shaped objects.
b) “OMG IC a big red square circle thing in front of me. WTF is it? LOL ;)”
c) If by “stop” you mean “roll through while playing with my GPS” then yes I “stop.”
d) Was that a stop sign? Oh. I’ll stop twice at the next one.
2. How much space do cyclists need on either side of themselves as a safety zone?
a) None. I’m not worried about getting hit by a cyclist. I’m in a car.
b) It depends on what kind of lesson I’m trying to teach them. If it’s my “You don’t belong on the road” then eight inches, but if it’s my “I could have killed you but I didn’t” then 14 inches.
c) Space? Is that some kind of granola cyclist hippie thing?
iStock Photo
3. It is okay for me to drive 80 km/h in a 40 km/h school zone because…
a) I have only five minutes to drive five kilometres to my health club so I can ride five kilometres on a stationary bike.
b) Speed doesn’t kill. People not getting out of my way kills.
c) Speed limits are more like guesstimates.
4. I’m driving my minivan, which smells as if a cat has thrown up dog vomit. My middle-aged spread hangs over my Gap leather belt like a gelatinous wave spilling over a makeshift dam. On the radio, ’80s retro plays – the soundtrack to my misery. My kids are strapped into their car seats stoned on fast food watching DVDs on their personal DVD screens which are lovingly secured in front of them. This is okay because…
a) It’s important for my kids to learn there is more to life than sitting around the house watching television. There is also driving around in a minivan watching television.
b) Families are like sharks. If they stop moving they die.
c) If I have to turn around one more time, I’m going to have to make seven or eight more empty threats!
d) There’s nothing like the freedom of the road. Free to drive the speed you’re told, photographed by hidden cameras all the way, anywhere you want, as long as it’s on roads the government has constructed. Freedom baby!
5. Drive-thrus are better than restaurants because …
a) If I am exposed to light and the open air I might turn to dust.
b) Less exertion. Saves energy for chewing.
c) Getting food passed to me through a square hole by someone in a uniform reminds me of prison.
6. Driving is important for society because …
a) It keeps the world away from me. I am safe.
b) It keeps me away from the world. Fewer people dismayed by my presence.
c) It’s a win/win … but on a metaphysical level it’s mostly b.
7. You see a cyclist 50 yards in front of you getting ready to make a right turn. You …
a) Okay, “I see a cyclist …” Let me try and imagine that …
b) I blow by, seeing how close I can come without actually hitting him.
c) Slam on my horn. These guys don’t think the law applies to them.
iStock Photo
8. Why must you use signals when turning?
a) Turn signals are like Twitter. They let people know what I’m up to.
b) Because it’s very important for other drivers to use them.
c) To send out an alert of your intentions … before changing your mind at the last minute and turning the other way.
d) To inform other drivers of what you want to do after you’ve already done it.
9. You’re driving along, minding your own business when some maniac cuts you off. You …
a) You want to settle this like men? You got it! Let’s yell obscenities at each other from within our rolling steel cages until the light changes.
b) Drive up behind him, real close, and tailgate him for a few kilometres, endangering yourself, everyone in your car, everyone in the other car and everyone else on the road. Point made.
c) Nothing. Anger is wasted energy. We all make mistakes … Lovely planet you have here.
10. You’ve got the top down on your BMW convertible. Music pounds, causing damage to your hearing. Every inch you drive screams “See how much money I have.” Or “I live with my parents.” It’s after 4 p.m. and parking is forbidden. You …
a) Pull over, put your hazards on and cause a traffic jam. They mean no parking for a long time.
b) Pull over, park, fling open your door almost levelling a cyclist. Talk on your phone. It’s not parking if you are still in the car.
c) All of the above.
What’s your score?
If you answered C you are correct. C is always correct because cars are big.