From Michael Hart…
Continue reading “Homicide: Guns vs Homicide: Auto”
Bike to Help End Hunger in Calvert County on April 30th
Update on HB 363 – The hardest thing to do: get attorneys to agree on the correct language
This just in from one of our members:
"I spoke with David Brewster, an aide to Sen Frosh. According to David, Sen Frosh would vote for the bill with the one word change in (C) (2) the failure to perceive constitutes a (substantial) GROSS deviation from the standard of care that would be exercised by a reasonable person. However, David indicated that the State’s Attorneys do not accept the change."
So now we understand better why the support and then the lack of support has happened. Stay tuned while folks try to work this out but time is running out for legislative session (April 11, 2011.)
(And lets hope this is not a case of covering ones rear end.)
Continue reading “Update on HB 363 – The hardest thing to do: get attorneys to agree on the correct language”
Bike to Work Day Registration Is Now Open!
Registration
Is Now Open!
Bike to Work Day 2011,
sponsored by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, will be celebrated in the
Baltimore region and across the nation on Friday, May 20, 2011 starting at 7
a.m. (Please be sure to check individual event locations for times and agendas.
Details will be posted at
Bike2WorkCentralMD.com as available).
Register today for a free B2W 2011 T-shirt. All participants will also receive an on-the-go snack and
drink, and the chance to win prizes at the individual events. You must
be registered and attend an event to win. For certain prizes, winners
may be selected from registration lists that site coordinators receive a few
days before the event.
Continue reading “Bike to Work Day Registration Is Now Open!”
AN IMPOSSIBLE LIFE: A True Story About Cheating Death and Pushing Limits
By Ashley Arnold
At just 24 years old, Brian Boyle of Welcome, Maryland, has become an outstanding endurance athlete. In 2007, six weeks after his first Half-Ironman triathlon, he completed the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii with hardly two months of training. In August 2009, he competed in the Louisville Ironman followed by five marathons in just over five weeks. Then, this past November, two weeks after crossing the finish line of his third Ironman (Florida), he ran his first trail ultramarathon, the JFK 50 Mile, without having completed a single off-road training run. What makes these endurance feats even more incredible is that on July 6, 2004, Boyle was pronounced clinically dead, eight times.
About a month after his high-school graduation, while driving home from a swim workout, Boyle was involved in a car accident in southern Maryland. A dump truck slammed into the driver’s side of his black Camaro, pushing his heart to the right side of his chest, shattering his pelvis, crushing his ribs and collapsing his lungs. He lost 60 percent of his blood and all recollection of what happened. Boyle spent the next two months in the Intensive Care Unit at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland.
…
Continue reading “AN IMPOSSIBLE LIFE: A True Story About Cheating Death and Pushing Limits”
Missing person alert – Southern Maryland
-
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the disappearance of Michael Edward Bowen, 34, of Waldorf, who was reported missing by family members on March 31.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the disappearance of Michael Edward Bowen, 34, of Waldorf, who was reported missing by family members on March 31.
A preliminary investigation revealed Bowen was seen at his house on Sunday, March 27 by his roommates. Three days later, when family members were unable to reach him, Bowen was reported missing. Detectives checked his bank accounts which showed he made a withdrawal on Monday, March 28 at about 3 p.m. from the PNC Bank located at 3135 Crain Highway in Waldorf. He has not been seen since.
Bowen is a white male, 5’5”, 130 lbs., with red, shoulder-length hair; he usually wears prescription glasses. The bank surveillance photo showed Bowen was wearing a green, army style coat.
According to family members, Bowen is hearing impaired and mute and probably not able to communicate with anyone. They say if he leaves the house, he generally takes the VanGO public transportation bus or rides his bicycle which detectives say is missing. The bike is a light blue 21-speed, 16-inch Trek brand.
Anyone with information about Bowen’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective G. Higgs at (301) 609-6498 or (301) 932-2222.
Road Biking 101 Class Sunday May 1, 2011:
ANNOUNCEMENT
—————————-
Road Biking 101 Class Sunday May 1, 2011:
Bicycling Advocates of Howard County (BAHC) will teach its annual Road Biking 101 class this Spring at HC Health Department (7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, Maryland 21046) on Sunday May 1, 2011 (8:30am – Noon).
Check-in/bike checks will begin at 8:30am and class will run until about noon – about 90 min of classroom and about 90 minutes of practice riding around Gateway.
Registration will be online at the BAHC web site: https://www.bikehoco.org/bike101form.html
Class size will be limited to no more than 60 participants so please register early. There will be no cost associated with the class but donations through the paypal link on our web site are welcome.
Reminder: Classes are for intended for novice road riders (and bike commuters) – those who already can ride a bicycle but want to learn basic skills and techniques for doing so safely on the road. All Participant need to bring a helmet and a bicycle in good condition. Participants under 18 need to be accompanied by or to bring a waiver signed by a parent.
*************************************************************************
[B’ Spokes: I strongly recommend this course. Afraid of riding in the road with traffic… take the course! Thinking of picking up biking to work as gas prices are predicted to get above $5 a gallon… take the course!]
Best quote ever on Frosh opposing HB 363
From Bob Mionske’s BicycleLaw.com (Facebook)
Not as long as legislators like Brian Frosh believe that playing with your radio is more important than human life, and therefore should be consequence-free.
-Rick
Continue reading “Best quote ever on Frosh opposing HB 363”
Panel Puts Brakes On Stiffer Penalties In Bicycle Accidents
[B’ Spokes: Just to note I think this article is a mishmash of current thoughts from supporters and older news from Frosh. I don’t think anyone knows his reaction for yesterdays hearing yet.]
*******************************************************
WBAL
A proposal to create a new criminal penalty for drivers who fatally hit bicyclists or pedestrians is in trouble in the state Senate.
WBAL-TV 11 News reporter David Collins said the concern is the bill, as written, is too broad. For example, a driver could be charged after taking their eyes off the road because they turned the radio dial.
A group of bicyclists who took off from Baltimore City Hall to Annapolis on Wednesday in support of the bill support the proposed misdemeanor offense of criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle or vessel. The bill has already cleared the House of Delegates, but, as written, the bill is meeting resistance in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
Committee Chairman Brian Frosh said there’s still time to amend and pass the measure, listing the criteria in which it can be applied.
"I’m not sure we have room in our jails for people who have killed somebody totally accidentally while they’re changing a radio station. That’s negligence. I’m afraid this bill in its current form is at that point. I think it can be fixed," said Frosh, a Democrat who represents District 16 in Montgomery County .
The bill’s supporters traveled to Annapolis exactly a year to the day after Larry Bensky, 44, was struck and killed riding his bike along Butler Road in Baltimore County . The driver received a $500 fine and three points against his license.
"I’m sorry, I mean, you can pay more than that if you park illegally in Baltimore City and you get towed. What is the comparison here?" said Penny Troutner, a cyclist.
"I think if people understand that there is a penalty more than just a minor traffic penalty behind hitting a cyclist, then they’ll be less likely of being aggressive around us," said Harry Campbell, a cyclist.
For Tami Bensky, losing her husband that way has been unimaginable and difficult.
"When you’re going through the grieving process, you need something to hold onto that, yes, this terrible thing happened, but someone is being held accountable," she said.
State Highway Administration worker Rick Moser, 57, was struck and killed while clearing away debris from a Route 340 ramp in Frederick County . The driver received a $280 fine and three points against his license.
"A lot of people have come up with the idea that driving is a right, and there is a true responsibility that goes with this," said Moser’s wife, Laurie.
A driver with a history of driving offenses, including driving under the influence, struck and killed 15-year-old Conner Kohl in August 2008 as he pushed a dirt bike along a country road.
"He was struck and (dragged) 215 feet, and the driver took his foot off the brake after about 100 or so feet, and then, when he got out of the van, he didn’t offer any assistance," said Kohl’s father, Ed.
Under the bill, a person convicted of this offense faces a three-year jail sentence and $5,000 fine.
Continue reading “Panel Puts Brakes On Stiffer Penalties In Bicycle Accidents”
What’s wrong with this picture?
Seriously, we can’t even imagine people actually walking to a Metro station?
From Greater Greater Washington [Photo credit Cheryl Cort]