Hey that’s us! Thanks to whomever nominated us for the Mobbies.
Continue reading “Misfits (Defying Categorization)”
Maryland OL DeSouza hurt in crash; lost for season
The Associated Press
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland offensive lineman Pete DeSouza has broken both legs in a driving accident and will miss the rest of the season.
DeSouza was driving a motor scooter on campus Thursday night when he was hit by a vehicle that was turning left. The redshirt freshman suffered fractured bones in both lower legs in the collision.
DeSouza is expected to undergo surgery on Friday. He is expected to make a full recovery, but is done for the year.
The driver of the car that struck DeSouza was issued a traffic citation, according to report issued by the campus police.
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound DeSouza played five games at right tackle this season and started the last three.
The Terrapins play at Boston College on Saturday.
Continue reading “Maryland OL DeSouza hurt in crash; lost for season”
Lock Strategy
[B’ Spokes: I have a back up mountain bike that has been a pain to lock till I came across this:]
…
People tend to buy the big clunky U-locks because they don’t know how to use them properly. A U-lock should go around the rear rim and tire, somewhere inside the rear triangle of the frame. There is no need to loop it around the seat tube as well, because the wheel cannot be pulled through the rear triangle.
Some will object that felons might cut the rear rim and tire to remove the lock. Believe me, this just doesn’t happen in the real world. First, this would be a lot of work to steal a frame without a useable rear wheel, the most expensive part of a bike, after the frame. Second, cutting the rear rim is much harder than you might think. Since the rim is under substantial compression due to the tension on the spokes, it would pinch a hacksaw blade tight as soon as it cut partway through. Then there are the wire beads of the tire, also difficult to cut.
BMore Streets for People – update
Here’s an update on our ciclovia work this year here in Baltimore, MD, aka Charm City.
Preparations are well underway for Baltimore’s second ciclovía. On the morning of 31 October 2010, southbound Roland Avenue will again be opened for exclusive use by pedestrians, cyclists and skateboarders. Leaflets have been dropped door-to-door throughout Roland Park and nearby neighborhoods.
A similar event last October 25th drew an estimated 1000 Baltimore residents to the one-mile course.
Interest is higher this year. The event, we would like to think, is going viral. Well, maybe not quite. It has need noted in online discussions by local cycling groups, including One Less Car and the Baltimore Bicycle Club. Several neighborhoods have disseminated the flyer via email. At this writing, over 200 have signed up on the BMore Streets for People Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=1 … 738556357.
We also seem to have more traditional media coverage. Read the Baltimore Messenger’s recent article here: https://www.explorebaltimorecounty.com/e … nd-avenue/
The Roland Park ciclovias are forerunners to a permanent city program. Baltimore’s BMore Streets for People Program was enacted into law in May 2010. However, there is no budget and an Advisory Board is yet to be formed. The plan is to extend progressively longer ciclovías throughout the City.
Our grassroots organizing began last Spring when some 23 northside neighborhood associations came together to form the BMore Streets for People Coalition. The aim was to add a five-mile extension to the course by connecting the north-south Roland Park route with an east-west route on the City’s bustling 33rd Street. Three meetings were held, drawing up to fifty leaders and local cycling enthusiasts. Details of the plan were developed via email. Coalition leaders made presentations to some six neighborhood association meetings. An umbrella organization, The Greater Homewood Community Corporation, agreed to sponsor the required second City permit. Through this process the vision of ciclovia has evolved into a more community-centered event. Cycling swiftly through city streets has given way to images of popular performances, booths, incorporating church liturgies and so on.
The full route carries an estimated cost of around $20,000 to $30,000 per event (assuming $2200 to $3000/mile), nearly all of it for City police overtime. The Coalition had about $10,000 in individual pledges as of August.
Fundraising was hampered by the lack of an official City endorsement.
After persistent goading, the Office of the Mayor began working with the Coalition in July. By then, time had effectively run out. The proposed plan to have four ciclovias in 2010 had to be cut to just one. The expanded route was also an issue. City counterparts consistently expressed their reservations about the 33rd Street extension, citing technical feasibility and short lead time. The City suggested the 31 October date. The plan to extend was ultimately shelved when a local merchant, and then Johns Hopkins University, objected to the date because it falls on the university’s annual Parents Weekend.
Nor was it clear that critical mass had been reached on the ground. Several of the Coalition member associations along 33rd Street were unresponsive or still expressing reservations as late as September. Two leaders even asked that their residents be polled before agreeing to support the plan. They apparently saw the program not as intrinsically their own but as something being imposed, like the Baltimore City Marathon, which closes 33rd Street every year to the chagrin of many residents.
So this year’s ciclovia will be identical to the 2009 ciclovia. Despite all of our efforts, not an inch nor an extra hour of time has been added.
The setback showed that coordination was never sufficient for the scale-up to succeed. But it seems to have garnered added sympathy and support, most noticeably down at City Hall. The 2010 ciclovia has been added to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods events calendar: https://www.baltimorecity.gov/Officeofth … fault.aspx
Two City Council members, co-sponsors of the BMore Streets for People legislation, are also promoting the 31 October event in their e-newsletters.
Our City counterparts now favor the extended 2011 ciclovia course. How many events we can do in 2011 remains to be defined. Funding is still unidentified. There are no indications that an unfunded 2009 federal proposal by the City to use ciclovia as an anti-obesity strategy will be resuscitated and resubmitted this year. Most if not all of the 2011 BMore Streets for People budget will have to come directly from the community.
We knew it was never going to be easy. In working with the City, the Coalition continues to encounter serial conundrums. For instance, though the law is on the books, the City will not formally endorse the 2010 ciclovia- we can’t use the City logo or even the formal name BMore Streets for People- until the Advisory Board called for in the legislation is formed. The Office of the Mayor has asked the Coalition to compile a list of individuals representing various interest groups who will serve on the 24-person Board. Each will be vetted and named by the Mayor. That’s 24 hoops to jump through before we can improve coordination and officially move forward.
To summarize, here in Baltimore we are organized and guardedly optimistic. We have a thriving cycling community that is rallying around the cause of urban ciclovia. But it’s not clear that we have reached critical mass in terms of the popular support and engagement we need in order to build the Program from the bottom up. Time, improved coordination and continued low-intensity, all-volunteer work may or may not get us there. We have enlightened local elected officials who champion our cause. But achieving the needed institutional innovations is harder. The City bureaucracy effectively ran the clock out on us this year.
We are hoping for a spectacular success on 31 October that will put our cause in the headlines and attract more volunteer and private donor support. Social theory tells us that formal institutions only change in response to changes in their environments. We shall continue testing that theory.
video: The bike bus
via Greater Greater Washington
Save the Raven
If you live in the city contacting your local council person will help as well.
Read more for Mark Weinman’s letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake and a link to Save the Raven for more details on what is going on.
Continue reading “Save the Raven”
Cyclist hit on Folly Quarter
From Bicycling Advocates of Howard County
I checked with our Howard County police liaison Captain John McKissick who provided some additional information on this hit and run:
I am happy to report that we (The HCPD) were able to identify the driver in this case. He actually went home after striking the rider, called his Mother, who called us. Our Officers conducted a thorough investigation and arrested the driver. He was issued appropriate citations for the offense. The Rider was provided with all information that he will need reference insurance, registration, etc. Evidence was collected, photos taken and written statements obtained. This was a very unfortunate situation and we are very happy that the Rider is on the mend.
I agree!!! A cell phone and a Road ID https://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx ( My Family bought me one this summer) are a must while riding anywhere. Even more important if you ride alone…
Thanks,
Captain John McKissick
Commander
Special Operations Bureau
Howard County Department of Police
************************************************
Hi guys,
I just wanted to let you know that my cyclist friend (who is an avid and experienced cyclist) was involved in a hit and run on Folly Quarter at Carroll Mill Rd on Sept 11th at 3:30pm – in the afternoon in broad daylight.
He was going south towards the traffic circle and was hit from behind by a car that fled the scene. Thank God someone witnessed the accident from pretty far back and that person happened to be a Shock Trauma DR! He was ripped from his shoes and his carbon fiber bike broke in 3 locations! Luckily, he is okay and is recovering at home with some breaks and a concussion. His helmet did crack, though it did save him.
His wife asked me to alert my friends in cycling clubs to be extra careful on folly quarter and to please wear a road id. It was because of the road id on his wrist that they were able to contact her immediately. She was on the ride with him and he had taken a longer route and were about to meet up. Luckily she had her cell phone in her jersey and was able to get the call. So cell phones and road ids!
Be safe out there! I know I will now be ordering that Road ID as if I didn’t already have reason enough.
Bike accident
From Bicycling Advocates of Howard County
I got run off the road / run over by an SUV yesterday, the driver of which really and truly believed she had the right of way. I was riding on route 216 East in Fulton early this afternoon when the SUV passed me from behind, then turned right into the gas station, passing directly in front of me. She could not have been more than 8 feet in front of me when she made the turn, so I had no choice but to do my best to brake without skidding and turn sharply with her. Well, it was too fast and too sharp for me to be able to stay upright on the inside of her turn, so the bike and I went down, and the bike slid under her rear wheel. Thankfully that stopped the bike (with me attached) from sliding further under her vehicle. The poor rear wheel is taco-ed! Handlebars are a mess, derailleur still to be checked out, etc. My brand new bike helmet is already cracked from hitting the pavement.
There was a vehicle that passed me just before she did, and that car had his brake lights on, so I got out of the aero bars and onto the brakes when I thought he might turn. He didn’t, and I’m glad I was already on the brakes when this next driver cut me off, or it would have been worse.
The most upsetting part of the whole thing was how she was yelling at me for not stopping when she made the turn – she really and truly believed that she had the right of way. Her teenaged daughter was rather foul-mouthed as well, giving me the finger and dropping the c-bomb, and I must admit I lost my temper! Unfortunately, I did not leave them with a very good impression of bicyclists, as surely she will remember my reaction more than she will remember the fact that my bike was under her vehicle after she cut me off.
I did call 911 right away, because it was immediately apparent that she wasn’t going to believe me that she was at fault, and I thought the cops would make more of an impression. HoCo emergency responders are simply awesome! The ambulance and fire truck were there in just a couple minutes – and I apologized to them, because I really only called 911 for a cop to come give this idiot a ticket. They didn’t mind, though, as a couple of them were cyclists so ooh-ed and aah-ed over the bike, others learned about Road ID (they’d never seen one before), and they chatted with the witnesses, one of whom was a retired EMT and also took good care of my road rash. The cops weren’t too far behind, and they were wonderful as well. They did ticket the woman, and indicated a huge amount of support for cyclists, and intolerance for drivers who don’t share the road. I did thank them for all their support at the local triathlons!
So what are today’s lessons? First and foremost, I need to be better at keeping my temper – it’s far more important that bad drivers learn the rules of the road, instead of learn that cyclists are rude. I didn’t help that cause today, I’m sorry to say. Also, I’m really glad I was already up out of the aero bars and on the brakes – it is much safer to ride as if you might have an accident, than to ride as if invincible. It might not make a difference, given the circumstances…but then again, it might. Bike handling skills are also key! Knowing how much the bike can safely turn at different speeds, and knowing how to handle quick stops, are critical. Today was my first ride in aero bars, so while I’m pleased that I made as much of the turn as I did before going down, I wonder if I could have stayed up if I knew the bike better.
Finally, and probably most importantly, the driver got ticketed because the police officers were educated, in large part due to the continued efforts of Bicycling Advocates of Howard County. If she wasn’t ticketed, she would have left the situation still believing she had the right of way. I plan to be at the forum next Monday night, the 18th. It’s really important that our voices be heard, to help improve safety on the roads for cyclists.
My bike – my brand-new tri bike, my birthday present, is at the bike shop. They’re giving her a solid checking-over and writing an estimate for the driver’s insurance company. Yesterday’s ride was her maiden voyage, and I only hope the rest of her life is easier!
Ride safe and ride smart out there,
Dawn
Hit & Run Old Frederick Rd. at Woodford Dr.
At approximately 1905 hrs, officers responded to the area of Old Frederick Rd between Sand Hill Rd and Woodford Dr for a report of a bicyclist that had been struck by a vehicle. While responding, officers were advised that the suspect vehicle had fled the scene and was being followed by an off-duty firefighter. Investigation revealed both the bicyclist and vehicle were travelling west bound on Old Frederick Rd when the bicyclist was struck by the passenger side mirror of the truck. The cyclist suffered non-life threatening injuries (ribs, shoulder) and was transported P2 to Shock Trauma. The vehicle was located at 13555 Old Frederick Rd and the driver subsequently arrested and charged with DUI and hit and run offenses.
Captain John McKissick
Commander
Special Operations Bureau
Howard County Department of Police
Continue reading “Hit & Run Old Frederick Rd. at Woodford Dr.”
HoCo Board of Appeal Hearing will affect bikers!
[B’ Spokes: from our mail box:]
Hello,
My name is Sandy Lutes and I am representing The Friends Of Jennings Chapel Road.org. We are a community living on or near Jennings Chapel Road, Woodbine, MD. Jennings Chapel Road and several other nearby roads are designated as scenic roads by Howard County, MD. Many bikers travel on Jennings Chapel Road during the day, evenings and weekends.
A local neighbor on Jennings Chapel Road is trying to obtain a conditional use for his property. This conditional use would allow up to 25 large outdoor (tent) parties on his land during the growing season each year. This means a potential of a large gathering (up to 150 people) each weekend during the spring, summer and fall of each year.
Jennings Chapel Road and several others that link to it offer bikers, joggers and walkers a great trip through a very scenic area. The road is windy, with no shoulders and no passing areas. The road offers both flat riding surfaces as well as hills. If this conditional use is allowed, it will have an adverse impact on the biking community. Bikers will have to contend with many drivers searching for a party venue on an unfamiliar road.
After a party, bikers may have to contend with inebriated drivers coming up behind them or coming at them face on. Either of these scenarios could be potentially disastrous.
There is a Board of Appeals hearing on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the George Howard Building, 3430 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. The telephone number is: 410-313-2350.
Please come and testify. It would be helpful to us and YOU to stop this conditional use before the flood gates are open. This is the test case. If it is allowed, then anyone with five acres and a historic house in The Rural Conservation District of Howard County can apply to have 25 outdoor social events each year. Can you imagine what this could mean to bikers?
Thank you for your consideration.
Sandy Lutes