By SHANTEE WOODARDS, Staff Writer
…
But now that I’ve been driving for some time, it’s easy to forget about the basics that once were ingrained in my psyche. I’ve become a one-handed driver, the kind who uses turn signals improperly, comes to rolling stops and occasionally – only occasionally – follows too closely behind other vehicles.
I learned about these bad habits when I took the road test with MVA Driver’s License Agent Nicole Sittman.
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[B’ Spokes: It would be nice if we could get other drivers to realize they are being sloppy/dangerous with their driving habits.]
Continue reading “An experienced driver? Road test highlights reporter’s bad habits”
Jones Falls Trail update
Riding a bike can be fun, but it is not just for recreation anymore. Increasingly it is a way to travel to and from work or to run errands. Bike commuting is not for everyone. Being fit, confident about riding in traffic, and having access to a shower at work helps.
It also helps to have a good network of bike trails. Baltimore made another move in that direction recently when it received $4 million from the Maryland Department of Transportation to extend the Jones Falls hiking and biking trail into Mount Washington.
The trail will run from Cylburn Arboretum through Mount Washington and will end at the Mount Washington light rail station. Construction will probably begin in November and is likely to be completed in 12 to 18 months, according to Gennady Schwartz, chief of capital development for Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks. Eventually it will link up to a section of the Jones Falls trail that now runs from Clipper Mill to Penn Station, Mr. Schwartz said.
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Continue reading “Jones Falls Trail update”
Frederick bicycle-friendly community committee
By Stephanie Mlot
Calling all bicycling enthusiasts: The city is building an Ad Hoc Bicycle Committee, with hopes of making Frederick a bicycle-friendly community.
Mayor Randy McClement thinks going greener will be good for economic development, in terms of bicycle tourism.
The purpose of the committee, according to a news release, will be to develop a list of attainable goals in a specific time period — the five E’s:
— Engineering items such as on-street networks and bike parking.
— Education considerations involving Safe Routes to School programs and a bicycling education course.
— Encouragement activities such as Bike to Work Day or the promotion of advocacy groups to further bicycle events in the city.
— Enforcement training for the police.
— Evaluation methods such as a specific plan or program to reduce cyclist/motor vehicle crashes.
The committee will be composed of one non-voting alderman representative, a city transportation planner, four city residents and three city business owners.
McClement is looking for a broad-based representation of the city, from a residential, commercial and geographical aspect.
Interested individuals should submit a resume and letter of interest by July 25 noting the Bicycle Committee to Marsha Bowers, commission coordinator, 101 N. Court St., Frederick , MD 21701.
Committee members will be tasked with making recommendations to the mayor and Board of Aldermen for immediate, mid-range and long-term actions, and to help complete an action plan by Nov. 1.
For information, contact Bowers at 301-600-1380 or mbowers@cityoffrederick.com.
Continue reading “Frederick bicycle-friendly community committee”
The Creed of Maryland Motorists
from Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver by Driver
We believe we cannot possibly be hurt wearing our seat belts. I wear my seat belt so that removes all the risk. If we want to drive a little faster or run the occasional red light we will be OK! Besides We know what we’re doing. We can also decide when we should not have to wear our seat belts.
We believe that police seat belt and DUI checkpoints catch all the violators that cause accidents. They don’t catch us so we must be doing something right.
We believe only the other guy or gal is the unsafe driver. See how those others crazies drive!
Even as we roll through a stop sign or a red light we believe our behavior couldn’t possibly be the proximate cause of a collision. It makes perfect sense to behave the way we do.
We believe if our baby is in a proper safety seat that nothing bad can happen.
We believe that following too closely at high speed is an accepted behavior and not aggressive driving. Besides we are so good at it. Marylanders would take the gold medals if tailgating were an Olympic sport.
We are not motivated to change our behavior when caught and issued a warning or citation.
We believe that if the drivers of FOP, FP, FF, et al plates can get away with breaking the law we can too.
We believe that if a police officer is speeding down the road without emergency lights we can follow the officer at the same high speed.
Shaming does not change our poor driving behavior. You can’t shame a Marylander.
Reading news about the one or more Marylanders that are killed per day on our highways doesn’t strengthen a resolve to change the way we drive. Nothing has happened to us yet.
If we have ever had a close call on the road it has always been the other guy’s fault.
We believe that “getting there” by any means possible is more important than driving safely.
We believe it is not necessary to set an example for our children, our employees, or our organization because the police do all the enforcing we don’t.
We believe that poor driving behavior while displaying our organizational vanity plates does not reflect poorly on our organization. Driving how we want to drive is our business. Besides by displaying our affiliation we are less likely to get a ticket anyway.
We believe driving is a right that we will always have no matter how we drive. Driving is not a privilege to protect. Driving is my business and no one else’s.
We believe bicycles should stop and get out of the way and if they don’t we should scare the heebie jeebies out of the bicyclist.
We believe motorcyclists can look after themselves. They should see me coming.
Getting there on time is not aggressive driving.
Driving white chatting on my phone is a necessity. No one is going to tell us we can’t do it even with children in the car. We might also be smoking a cigarette in the other hand. Regardless, we can drive just fine. What’s the problem?
(Help us write the Creed of the Maryland Unsafe Driver. using either comments or Mingle give us your suggestions.)
©2010 Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver. All Rights Reserved.
Continue reading “The Creed of Maryland Motorists”
Photography is Not a Crime
By Carlos Miller
USA Today became the latest mainstream media publication to address the alarming and increasing trend of police officers using wiretapping laws to arrest citizens who videotape them.
Like The Washington Post did in an editorial last month, the second-most circulated newspaper in the country denounced these actions as a violation of citizens’ rights.
The USA Today editorial also linked to Photography is Not a Crime, which means I should expect a steady stream of new readers today.
This is an abuse of prosecutorial authority and a misinterpretation of state law. But it’s typical of the attitude of too many prosecutors and police toward people who record their encounters with law enforcement and are usually completely within their rights to do so.
Websites that monitor these cases have posted stories from around the country of police ordering people to stop videotaping or photographing them, sometimes violently. Most of the time, the police apparently either don’t understand the law or are deliberately misstating it to bully people into putting away their cameras or cellphones.
The editorial is titled “When citizens film police, it shouldn’t be a crime.” The USA Today editorial board also allowed a couple of high-ranking police officers to provide an opposing view titled “Respect officers’ rights.”
In that piece, two cops from the International Union of Police Associations make a laughable attempt in declaring that police officers are the victims in these cases, not citizens.
Dennis J. Slocumb and Rich Roberts dish out a sob story that they have to violate citizens’ First Amendment rights because they have been stripped of that privilege themselves.
Much is said about First Amendment rights regarding the videotaping of police officers. While officers often have legitimate complaints about misuse of video tapes, we are still sensitive to the right granted under the First Amendment. That’s because we don’t always enjoy that right.
If we make a statement contrary to what a commander thinks, we may face subtle but onerous retaliation in our workplace. It may be a demotion, a negative evaluation, days off without pay or a transfer to less than desirable duty.
The above statement reveals just how ignorant some officers can be. The fact is, nobody has absolute Freedom of Speech in the workplace.
If you make a statement contrary to what your boss thinks, you may also face subtle but onerous retaliation in the workplace. You may also get a demotion, negative evaluation, days off without pay or a transfer to a less than desirable duty.
Hell, you may also get fired, which is not a problem most officers will have to face for simply having a different opinion than their commander.
Chances are, you won’t have a powerful union defending you at all costs. And there won’t be any federal or state laws protecting you from getting fired over a disagreement with the boss.
So these two cops are wrong in saying they have less Freedom of Speech than the rest of us. Their baseless editorial proves that even cop gibberish is protected speech.
Slocumb and Roberts justify these arrests of videographers by reminding us they have a dangerous job that can occasionally put them in the line of fire.
Officers have no choice but to make decisions based upon split-second determinations coupled with their training and experience. Out of approximately 400,000 men and women who regularly patrol the streets and highways (we are not counting an additional 400,000 who have purely administrative assignments) an average of 160 will be killed, 60,000 will be physically assaulted and 20,000 will receive serious injuries in the line of duty every year.
I could understand that argument if we were pointing guns at them instead of cameras. The fact is, they chose the job knowing the dangers it entails. In many cases, the adrenaline rush and unpredictability is what drove them to that job in the same way it did to many journalists.
But they also swore an oath to protect and serve the public and to uphold and enforce our laws. Not to twist them to their liking.
The two officers continue their argument by stating that it is not fair to videotape officers conducting their duties in public because most of us are too dumb to understand what’s going on since we’re not seeing it “through the prism of experience and training.”
Our problem is not so much with the videotaping as it is with the inability of those with no understanding of police work to clearly and objectively interpret what they see.
Videotapes frequently do not show what occurred before or after the camera was on, and the viewer has no idea what may have triggered the incident or what transpired afterwards.
We know what occurred before Maryland State Trooper Joseph Uhler pulled a gun on Anthony Graber. Graber was speeding. And he popped a few wheelies.
We know what occurred before Prince George’s County cops ganged up on University of Maryland student Jack McKenna and beat him unconscious. McKenna was dancing in the streets celebrating a basketball victory.
We know what occurred before New York City police officer Patrick Pogan (who won’t be sentenced to prison or probation, we learned today) body-slammed Christopher Long off his bicycle during a critical mass in Times Square. Long tried to swerve to avoid hitting Pogan.
And more importantly, we know what would have happened in all of these cases if it weren’t for the video camera. We would have ended up with a completely different version of the truth.
And when it comes down to it, that is what police fear the most.
Charges Dropped in Miller Crash
by
Police are investigating the collision. Charges were dropped last week
against the man police say was driving the SUV.Fraser was charged with resisting arrest and second-degree assault of a
law enforcement officer on June 26, according to documents. Those
charges were dropped by prosecutors July 7, according to an online state
court records database.Fraser’s Rockville attorney Barry Helfand said he did not believe that
Fraser’s actions rose to the level of the charges.“It’s no question that he was driving the car and struck another man,”
Helfand said. “He’s genuinely filled with remorse about the loss of
life.”
And, from the comments on that story
Mr. Fraser was
speeding and hit Mr. Miller, and then left the scene. He was stopped by
other motorists, who made him return to the scene by not allowing him
to pass. He put his truck in reverse and sped backward, going as fast
as 40 mph. Then he jumped out of his vehicle and was yelling that he
hadn’t hit Mr. Miller, contrary to what eve-witnesses on the scene had
observed. He continued to be hostile and belligerent, at no time
expressing any remorse or concern whatsoever for Mr. Miller, who lay
there dying.
Tourism in Frederick has come full cycle
By Associated Press
McFawn’s Green Rides driver Michael Rosenberg pedals riders John McNamara and his son on a pedicab ride through Baker Park in Frederick.
FREDERICK — MacFawn’s Green Rides has taken to the streets of downtown Frederick, offering tourists and patrons an unusual way to see the city.
Owned and operated by local brothers Kenneth MacFawn and Nick Lawrence, the new pedicab service features bicycle-drawn carriages that can either tour the downtown area or give tired walkers a lift to their next destination.
The service has been running since June, charging $2 per person for a quick lift or $1 per minute for a tour of downtown Frederick.
Similar to a traditional taxi service, pedicabs drive around the area and can be flagged down. But if patrons know they want a ride, they can text their location to a dispatcher. A text message will be sent to all drivers, and the closest one will arrive.
MacFawn said the locals have responded enthusiastically to the new business.
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Continue reading “Tourism in Frederick has come full cycle”
The Finger
[B’ Spokes: I will strongly assert if you use the finger you are admitting being powerless, think and act differently!]
by
Photo by Silent (e)/Flickr
There is the suggestion that poetry is underrepresented on this blog. Hence I give you:
The Finger
by Charles Bukowski
the drivers of automobiles
have very little recourse or
originality.
when upset with
another
driver
they often give him the
FINGER.
…(more)
The Gunpowder Valley Conservancy is in need of 20 more volunteers for Saturday, July 31st!
…What: Trail Maintenance/Invasive Plant Removal/Native Planting Workshop at Loch Raven Reservoir, sponsored by Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI).
When: July 31st, 8:30-1:30 pm. FREE WORKSHOP!
Why: Our goal is to offer a hands-on learning experience within Loch Raven Reservoir on the proper techniques of trail maintenance, (such as rolling grade dips to prevent sediment erosion and improve water quality), and on an invasive removal and native planting project by Dr. Sonja Schmitz of Biology from the Catonsville Community College of Baltimore. A bonus educational
presentation on the history of Loch Raven Reservoir and the water supply system by the Baltimore City Gov. Watershed Manager will also be offered.
This FREE event is made possible by a conservation grant from Recreational Equipment, Inc., a new partner with Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (GVC), and partnerships forged with the City of Baltimore Reservoir Natural Resources Section and the Watershed Rangers, the Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts, Sierra Club, and the Prettyboy Watershed Alliance.
Who: No Experience is necessary! We are looking for middle, high, and college level students, REI employees, community businesses and residents, scouts, and trail users who care about our drinking water, our watershed, and the Chesapeake Bay! Do you like being outside in nature and don’t mind working hard? Do you want to receive community service hours? Then join us, and help improve the quality of our drinking water and the environment!
(Ages 12 and up.)
Continue reading “The Gunpowder Valley Conservancy is in need of 20 more volunteers for Saturday, July 31st!”
MPD Chief Cathy Lanier on Bicycle Sensitivity Training for Officers
by washcycle
From Kojo Nnamdi yesterday. It starts at 30:00.
A woman called in who had been ticketed after a crash with a parking enforcement officer. She claimed that all of the witnesses agreed that the driver was at fault, but the officer cited her instead and threatened to write her a ticket for not wearing a helmet. Then she asked, with Kojo’s help, what the MPD was doing "for sensitivity training towards bicycles for officers?"
[ Cathy Lanier: Bicycles, and the pedicabs and segways are becoming a bigger and bigger issue in the city. We do do bicycle enforcement. There are regulations for bicycle, just like there are traffic regulations, the bicycle regulations are enforced by the officers. So sometimes we enforce against the bicyclists and sometimes we enforce against the motoring public because there are violations on both sides. But, y’know, this is a rapidly expanding pedestrian-style neighbor… community. All of Washington, DC. The number of bicyclists and segwayists and foot traffic around the city is just really skyrocketing, so we all have to all kind of work together here and build some tolerance for each other and I would say in terms of the officer’s rudeness, if you are ever not satisfied with an interaction with a police officer I would encourage please to reach out to us and let us know and you can do that through our website also or through a District commander.]
Sort of a non-answer, but later around 35:00 she talks about how low traffic fatalities have been and the challenge of protecting pedestrians and bicyclists…and then distracted bicyclists.
Continue reading “MPD Chief Cathy Lanier on Bicycle Sensitivity Training for Officers”