Month: April 2011

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Bicycle Thefts On Rise with Warmer Temperatures

By Ron Cassie

Got a bike? Engrave* it and lock it. Or lose it, Baltimore County police say.

The Baltimore County Police Department suggests all bike owners engrave their bikes. It’s simple to do, and if necessary, owners can go to the local precinct and borrow an engraving tool, Baltimore County police said in a press release.

Police say using the ID numbers from a driver’s license or Maryland ID card is the best way to mark your bike. Never use a social security number as an ID number, they caution.

Police also suggest when storing a bike in a shed or garage, lock and attach it to a lawn mower or other heavy, bulky equipment. Thieves break into sheds and garages, but attaching a bike to a piece of heavy equipment makes it more difficult to just walk or ride away from the area.

For more information on how to safeguard your bike and other valuables in your home, garage or shed, contact Precinct 12’s Community Outreach Officer. The precinct’s main number is 410-887-7320.

The following is a sampling of recently reported bicycle thefts in Precinct 12:
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*[Engraving on carbon fiber NOT recommended.]
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Research Bolsters Case for Cycle Tracks While AASHTO Updates Guide

from Streetsblog New York City by Adam Voiland
For decades, dueling camps of cycling advocates have feuded about how to best accommodate riders. Some have pushed for the construction of Dutch-style cycle tracks, arguing that separated lanes make bicycling safer and less intimidating, while others have insisted such infrastructure isolates riders and makes cycling more dangerous than simply remaining within the flow of traffic.
Though the debate has grown bitter at times, neither group has had much in the way of rigorous peer-reviewed research to argue their case through the years. However, in the last decade a small but energetic group of academics has started to publish regularly on the topic.
The latest salvo, published online in February and in the current edition of Injury Prevention, comes from Harvard University researcher Anne Lusk. Her study compares crash rates at six cycle tracks in Montreal to nearby streets that had no bicycle facilities, and bolsters the argument that cycle tracks are safer. Lusk found that relative risk of injury was 28 percent lower on cycle tracks compared to the on-street routes.
In addition, she found that about 2.5 times as many cyclists used the cycle tracks than the on-street routes. The finding agrees with the conclusions of a number of other recent studies that show protected bicycle lanes improve safety and help attract new riders.
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Ladies Ride Wednesday, May 18

What: Ladies Ride
When: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 6:30 PM

Where: World Trade Center
401 East Pratt Street #232
Baltimore, MD 21202

Why: We need more women riding bikes in Baltimore… and it will give guys a chance to get in touch with their feminine sides (come in drag if you dare!). Men in conventional clothing not excluded. route: www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Ladies-Night-Ride

Check it out!

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Kinetic Art Sculpture Race May 7th

via Proteus newsletter

It’s that time of year for the Kinetic Art Sculpture Race

Store hours Saturday, May 7th will be 2pm-6pm.

Candy Haus

We are opening late Saturday for our annual shop outing to Baltimore’s Kinetic Art Sculpture Race! It’s the most amazing event of the year. Last years’ champion, Candy Haus was pedaled by one of our favorite customers!

Kinetic Art Sculpture Race

There is no better a celebration of all things bicycle powered. It’s a great day for folks of all ages. Come join us!

Sincerely,

Jill DiMauro

Proteus Bicycles
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Contributory Negligence Report

Highlight:

IV. IMPACT OF ADOPTION OF COMPARATIVE FAULT IN OTHER STATES

…
In its 2004 Report, the Department of Legislative Reference reviewed a number of the studies that had been made, including the ones presented to the Rules Committee, and drew this general conclusion:

“Relatively few studies have attempted to address this subject. Some have found no or a small overall impact, while others have concluded that a switch from contributory to comparative leads to substantially higher costs. Regardless of result, those studies have been criticized for lack of academic rigor and/or for not having taken into account other factors that could have contributed to increased costs, in studies that reached this conclusion. In the absence of any comprehensive study, it is impossible to state with any certainty the direct and indirect consequences of changing to a comparative negligence system.”
(Emphasis added).36

The Rules Committee’s review of those studies leads it to the same conclusion. The basis of the MDLS conclusion is set forth in greater detail in Chapter 4 of its Report, and the Committee respectfully directs the Court’s attention to that analysis. The one salient factor, as to which there is no dispute, is that none of the 46 States that adopted a form of comparative fault have switched back to the common law contributory negligence approach, whatever the impact may have been from the initial change.
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Nate Evans:The “outcry” from cycling advocates was definitely not widespread. (About Nathan Krasnopoler’s crash)

from Issues with City Paper’s “Bike Issue”
from Bike Baltimore by Nate Evans


3.  The “outcry” from cycling advocates was definitely not widespread.  A few letters to editors, blog posts or emails to me does not constitute bike advocacy.  “Complaining because you care” also does not constitute advocacy.  Seeking an audience with decision makers to express concerns and offer assistance in creating a safer environment is advocacy.

But …
from Basics of Bicycle Advocacy


Build constituency—It is important to generate a network of individuals who share your goals. Politicians react to constituent interests. If you generate a network of people who lend support to your goals, you will be much more successful than acting as an individual, no matter how worthy your project may be.

And on letters to the editor, there is no doubt in my mind that Jeffery Marks and Michael Dresser have done more to educate motorists and create a safer cycling environment then anything the City has done to date. Education and outreach to those who need it most is bicycle advocacy!

It seems rather ironic that Nate seems to be critical of the very tools and mythology that established his job in the first place. But don’t get me wrong Nate is a wonderful guy and no doubt he was very instrumental in a favorable outcome as was the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and Mary Pat Clarke. And maybe we could have sat on our hands and let them carry the ball… maybe… but what if the early statement “the investigation of the accident concluded that the cyclist was at fault because he rode into the car.” really stuck like it did for Alice Swanson in DC… But I don’t think that is the real issue Nate is trying to get at.

I’m going to stick my neck out a bit and read between the lines, Nate seems a bit over justifying police statements as misquotes or more to the point the police are finally starting to work with us and just in the nick of time I might add, just a month or two before Nathan’s crash. So we finally have something good going and it will probably not do us any good to dig up “old” issues. Fair enough but still Nate’s definition of what’s not bicycle advocacy needs work but I will agree what he does define as bicycle advocacy is very desirable.

I should also note that the City Paper was over critical on the City’s approach to establishing bike lanes. The way Baltimore is doing it is the most economical way to do it, seriously do people have a problem with that?

My only complaint is on one way streets have the bike lanes on the left side of the street. No stupid buses to play leap frog with, lower risk door zone, drivers know were the left side of their honk’n big SUV is a lot better then the right side.
Continue reading “Nate Evans:The “outcry” from cycling advocates was definitely not widespread. (About Nathan Krasnopoler’s crash)”

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Educating motorists during Distracted Driving Awareness Month

from Bikeleague.org Blog by Darren

In a video response to questions from Twitter, Facebook, and his blog, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, reminds us that April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The League has been working to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and support state laws to outlaw it. See our Advocacy Advance report on Distracted Driving. While the League focuses every day on cyclist education, distracted driving campaigns are important because they put the onus on drivers to do the right thing in keeping themselves and all road users safe. In that spirit, this month we are sending a mailing to ask members to support our work to do even more to stand up for cyclists and make motorists accountable.

STOP texting

The Bicycle Friendly State program evaluates motorist education programs and allows us to share best practices, create model driving test questions, and provide solid information to DMVs and driving instructors. We will continue to work with the Department of Transportation as well as pedestrian and motorcyclist groups and participate in the Decade of Action on Road Safety, which is being launched during Bike Month — and, of course, we will continue to spread the word about Distracted Driving. This story from Minnesota shows that distracted driving is still a major problem for cyclists.

We are telling motorists that sharing the road is a two-way street.

My Signature

Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.

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Grow Arts – Gourd Vectors

45
Backers
$2,066
pledged of $3,000 goal


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Grow Arts – Gourd Vectors is a living sculpture designed by Doug Retzler aimed at illustrating our connection to nature and the important place that nature has in the lives of children and adults alike, particularly in an urban environment such as Baltimore. Gourd Vectors is a dynamic structural design evolved from 2010’s Gourd Palace. It will be comprised of a maypole-like form with a 22’ center pole and grow lines (vectors) radiating from a yin/yang gardening base. Gourd Vectors will be planted with selected gourd varieties in Leakin Park, the largest of Baltimore’s urban forests, at the
Carrie Murray Nature Center. The sculpture will be planted during the May 21, 2011 opening ceremony of  Faerie Rings & Eco Things – a one day celebration of Spring & Nature Spirits, as well as the beginning of the summer long nature-based art installations called Nature Art in the Park


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Grow Arts – Gourd Vectors will function as an evolving grow sculpture that is the fulcrum of the Nature Art Trails leading to and from the Carrie Murray Nature Center. The sculpture will come to full maturity and fruition by the Nature Art closing celebration on September 3, 2011. The sculpture and the activities surrounding it are in support of Carrie Murray’s Summer Urban Gardening educational programming for children. Funding will help facilitate the creation of the Grow Art sculpture, programming and related activities.

To get back to this project, search on kickstarter grow arts or kickstarter retzler


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Our Bay: Legislators miss the boat for the bay

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Surely, given their professed support for the Chesapeake and its waterways, the fact that the elections were over and the increasingly costly obligation to meet clean-up benchmarks, our legislators would take tangible steps to clean up the bay in 2011, right?
Wrong.
Nearly every major environmental policy initiative that was put forward in the 2011 legislative session died. Like a school of menhaden trapped in a dead zone, these initiatives were bottled up in committee and unable to survive.
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Pedestrians involved in traffic crashes, Baltimore City represents 32% !!!

Pedestrian On Foot Involved

County 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 AVG. %
Allegany 15 4 6 7 8 8 0.3
Anne Arundel 206 219 220 218 217 216 7.5
Baltimore 420 423 432 425 400 420 14.6
Calvert 30 18 14 13 12 17 0.6
Caroline 5 5 4 10 3 5 0.2
Carroll 45 22 36 22 34 32 1.1
Cecil 18 19 27 26 46 27 0.9
Charles 47 36 42 28 28 36 1.3
Dorchester 12 15 5 11 14 11 0.4
Frederick 37 40 29 31 47 37 1.3
Garrett 5 8 6 2 5 5 0.2
Harford 54 59 45 62 36 51 1.8
Howard 38 62 54 60 53 53 1.9
Kent 3 3 3 1 5 3 0.1
Montgomery 430 421 405 436 405 419 14.6
Prince George’s 487 430 449 427 408 440 15.3
Queen Anne’s 5 10 7 10 6 8 0.3
St. Mary’s 21 18 21 23 23 21 0.7
Somerset 1 4 7 2 2 3 0.1
Talbot 10 14 15 10 8 11 0.4
Washington 55 58 50 47 34 49 1.7
Wicomico 34 50 44 33 41 40 1.4
Worcester 43 50 34 45 39 42 1.5
Baltimore City 934 972 973 874 832 917 31.9
Total Crashes 2,955 2,960 2,928 2,823 2,706 2,874 100.0

Continue reading “Pedestrians involved in traffic crashes, Baltimore City represents 32% !!!”