Month: February 2011

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Baltimore Police Assist Local Cyclists

from Bike Baltimore by Nate Evans

At last night’s Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (MBAC) meeting, we were joined by Major Tony Brown of the Baltimore Police Department. This is the second meeting that local cyclists have had with the police department as Baltimore moves to promote a safer cycling environment.

Major Brown shared important information all cyclists should know:

  • Accident reports are not always taken, even with vehicular accidents.  If personal injury occurs, then an accident report will be taken.
  • The Baltimore Police Department will not tolerate aggressive driving against cyclists.  While accidents do happen, if the accident is intentional, it is classified as an “assault” and should be reported. 
  • The police department is developing a cyclist informational video to be shown at roll call and during the department’s on-going annual training.  MBAC needs to provide a script and actors for the video  (Any volunteers?)
  • All cyclists must obey the rules of the road!  As most officers’ exposure to cycling is by observing the practices of bike messengers, this has not helped encourage a positive image.  Please stop at red lights, stop signs and yield to pedestrians.
  • If you are planning a large bike ride, please contact the shift commander at the local precinct just to let them know.
  • DOT’s Parking Control should be contacted to cite cars illegally parking in bike lanes.

By the next meeting (Tuesday, March 15th), the Major would like a list of :

  • locations where cyclists are routinely harassed by motorists and
  • locations where bike theft is a common occurrence

The police department will increase patrols where the harassment occurs and set up a ‘sting’ operation where bike theft occurs.  Please post these locations below! or email me.

These are the first steps in helping promote a positive relationship and understanding between the Baltimore Police Department and area cyclists.  We thank Major Brown for his time and efforts!

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OBESITY MAY COST TEXAS BIZ $32.5B/YEAR BY 2030

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
-> According to a Feb. 7th KUT News story, "Obesity in Texas could cost businesses in the state more than $30 billion a year by the year 2030, if obesity rates and health care costs continue to increase as expected. That’s according to a report released Monday morning by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs. The report says right now obesity is costing Texas businesses $9.5 billion a year in health care, absenteeism, decreased productivity and disability. The Comptroller is urging schools, lawmakers and others to implement more initiatives to prevent and combat obesity…"
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The Cost Effectiveness of Active Transportation Investments

from Bikeleague.org Blog by Darren

Around here we love data, so as soon as I sent the latest safety in numbers data around the office, it took Andy less than an hour to try to one-up me. He passed along this graph showing Portland’s expenditures on biking and walking, transit, and motor vehicles (1995 – 2010) along side the number of new trips by those modes (1990 – 2008). There were increases in the number of commuters for all three modes. What the graph makes clear is how cost effective the biking and walking investments were. The city spent about 11 times the amount on motor vehicle infrastructure that they spent on active transportation per new commuter.

Portland Regional Expenditures and New Trips

Hopefully, you can read the graph. If not, I’m happy to email it. (Request it at darren [at] bikeleague.org.) The blue bar is the total expenditures (1995 – 2010). The red bar is the increase is daily Portland commuters.  The black line towards the bottom is the estimated cost of complete Portland’s 2030 Bicycle Master Plan.

~Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

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Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change

On a club ride I went on last weekend one of the cyclist picks up a handful of show and says sarcastically "I’ve got your global warming right here." But as my tag line on my email says: – Global warming, increasing obesity rates, traffic congestion, dependence on foreign oil, leading causes of premature death and the economy… if only there was a common solution.
I don’t think proving global climate change is withing the scope of this blog but solutions to major issues of the day that include promoting more bicycling are. So if you don’t believe in climate change just substitute another issue, they are all interrelated. So a quote from the linked article:
"But for the past fifty years, our economy and society have been operating on the premise that “more is more” and “bigger is better”: bigger homes, bigger yards, bigger cars with bigger engines, bigger budgets, bigger institutions, and, finally, bigger energy sources. In contrast, urbanism naturally tends toward a “small is beautiful” philosophy. This then involves trade-offs: less private space but perhaps a richer public realm; less private security but perhaps a safer community; less auto mobility but more convenient transit. Compact development does mean smaller yards, fewer cars, and less private space for some. On the other hand, it can dramatically reduce everyday costs and leave more time for family and community. The question is not which is right and which is wrong or that it must be all one way or the other—urbanism works best with blends. The question is how such trade-offs fit with our emerging demographics, our desires, our needs, our economic means—and perhaps our sense of what a good life really is."
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Adding insult to injury

by Doug Landau
Having run, biked and driven past the W&OD Trail crossing at Sterling Park Drive, Herndon bike injury lawyer has seen a number of "near misses" at this location. A Sterling Park Virginia bike accident results in the biker getting crushed and then getting a ticket, despite being waved on by at least one car driver. The local biker contacted Abrams Landau after being struck by a car in Sterling Virginia and being issued a Traffic Court Summons at the hospital. Member of the Landau Law Shop sports injury team had heard of other cyclists and pedestrians receiving their citations at the hospital, but it always strikes Herndon lawyer Doug landau as "adding insult to injury," especially where permanent injuries and disability are likely. In this case, as the local biker was headed West on the W&OD Trail from Herndon toward Sterling Virginia, he came to Sterling Virginia and then two lanes of motor vehicles heading South toward Route 28 (Sully Road) in Loudoun County.
There was no traffic in the first two lanes, so the cyclist crossed safely to he center grass and paved strip. the car in the first Southbound lane stopped and waved him and another cyclist to proceed. The other cyclist proceeded safely to get back on the W&OD Trail, however the local biker was struck broadside in the 4th lane by a car that never saw the athlete or his bicycle. The local cyclist was taken to the emergency room after this "T-bone" crash with fractures, lacerations and permanent injuries and scarring. However, the police officer charged the biker. Citing the lack of certain reflectors; lights during the evening ride and failure to wait for both lanes of Southbound traffic to stop and signal that it was safe to proceed, the Virginia law enforcement authorities charged the bike rider after the crash.
….
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Baltimore County intersections that flunk the test

When you talk about intersections that have a failing grade in the Level Of Service (it takes more then one cycle of the light to get all waiting traffic through.) Is the problem really that of not enough capacity for single occupancy vehicles or not enough travel options?

In particular the following highlights Harford Road and Putty Hill Avenue $1 million widening project makes no mention of bicycle improvements. Traditionally in Maryland intersections rarely get bicycle improvements unless there is already mid-block bicycle improvements. I seriously have to question this unstated policy on several grounds:

1) State law says in part: "best engineering practices regarding the needs of bicycle riders and pedestrians shall be employed in all phases of transportation planning, including highway design, construction, reconstruction, and repair as well as expansion and improvement of other transportation facilities;" It does not exclude intersection only projects.

2) AASHTO has best engineering practices for both intersections as well as mid-block for the needs of bicyclists.

3) Personally I like having a place to ride/wait to the left of right turning traffic and a separate lane after the light to get up to speed and gracefully and cooperatively merge with traffic when it’s a more spaced out then trying to hold my own in accelerating with densely packed 200 horsepower killing machines that have been trained to "need" making it through the light as fast as possible.

4) A standard capacity adding treatment for intersections is the "Lexis Lane". This puts a short additional lane on the right just before and just after the intersection that allows motorists to jump the queue. Let me emphasize that this is in no way bicycle friendly, mixing the most heavy footed motorists with bicyclists, not good at all.

5) I will strongly assert that congested roads have a degree of bike friendliness to them and adding short spurts of high speed car travel negatively impacts on the needs of bicyclists in violation of State law. And typical capacity improvements at intersections are NOT neutral for bicyclists. It is not going from no bicycle accommodations to no bicycle accommodations it is going from bicyclists mixing with slow speed motorists to bicycles mixing with high speed impatient motorists.

6) I will strongly recommend bicycle "pocket lanes" to the left of right turn only lanes and at least a bicycle friendly shoulder after the intersection. And strongly oppose "Lexis Lanes" on roads that cyclists typically use (no viable well used alternative bicycling route exists.)

I will double check with Baltimore County to see if an alert is in order, in the meantime keep a watchful eye out for other intersection "improvements" and make sure the needs of bicyclists are meet.
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