Month: May 2011

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How to fail at complete streets while "doing" complete streets

This article in the Patch about a 19 year old cyclists who got git by a car in AA County got me looking at Google Street View. It is as if SHA did a checkoff list for complete streets; bike lanes, check; sidewalks,check. And then went and “painted” with bold lines a six lane car centric roadway, much like they have always done and then “penciled” in the bike lanes and crosswalks so as not to disturb the car centricity.

One principle that I hold dear is to keep the fast large turning radii on the freeways where no bike/peds are present and when there are bike/peds present, slow down turning motorists so crossing movement will be less deadly with sharper turning radii. The next principle is clarify that turning motorists are invading other road users space, like this example from NYC:
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Now contrast the above with the intersection named in the article:
image

Is SHA really going to argue that their treatment is the best engineering practices as required by TR § 2-602.1? Did you notice the ONE crosswalk in this picture? Well don’t feel bad it is one of those less visible transverse marked crosswalks that SHA seems to love to do on high speed multi-lane roads. This is not a complete street!

Other sample problem areas near the crash and comments:
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Two really wide enter & exit areas for one shopping area allowing high speed entrance (blue car) and no crosswalk and nothing done to the bike lane to indicate potential cross traffic (no dashed lines or chevrons) signalling to motorists – full speed ahead, this is your right-of way and bike/peds are trespassers in this area. This is not a complete street!

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Does high speed turning radius, a freeway design (where there are no bicyclists) belong on local roads? Also note the low visibility crosswalk and solid striping (not dashed) of the bike lane across the driveway with conflicting solid turning guidelines for motorists. Why isn’t there a right turn / deceleration lane? Or is a landscape panel in front of a massive parking lot more important then mixed use safety?
This is not a complete street!
Continue reading “How to fail at complete streets while "doing" complete streets”

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Tour dem Parks, Hon! two weeks away from this Sunday

 

TDP1

 

 

Tour dem Parks, Hon!

 

Postcard

 

The annual bike ride that takes locals and
visitors through Baltimore’s parks and neighborhoods for
a close-up view of regional parks like Carroll, Patterson,
Clifton and Druid Hill, as well as some quietly tucked away gems.
Proceeds support Baltimore’s parks, environment, friends and
cycling groups.

 

 

Tour dem Parks, Hon!

 

START SPREADING THE
NEWS…

 

 

Do you “LIKETDP2” Tour dem Parks???  

 

We sure hope you do and that
you’ll be joining us this June 12th at Carroll
Park.   

 

 

We also hope you’ll visit our
all new Facebook page and
“LIKE” us there.  Our old Facebook page will be
retired shortly, so please be sure to check out the new one!

 

We’re also hoping to spread the
word about our ride to those cyclists up and down the Right Coast
who may not have heard of our ride yet.  We’re asking those of
you who do the Facebook thing, who do the Twitter thing, or any
other social media thing to help us put out the word to your
friends who like cycling, who like parks, and who like a good bike
ride.  We’re hoping 2011 will be our biggest and best ride yet
– and we want to spread the word.

 

RIDING FOR THE FIRST
TIME?  RETURNING TO RIDING AFTER A LONG ABSENCE?  HERE
ARE SOME TIPS:

 

  • Take a short ride several
    evenings every week until the Tour.
  • Make a date with your
    bicycle every weekend.  You can even take your bike on
    the Metro, Light Rail and MTA buses.
  • Check www.meetup.com
    — there’s a group in Baltimore that meets for bicycle rides.
  • Cycling is becoming part
    of Baltimore’s transportation future-take this opportunity to
    join the fun.

If you haven’t yet registered
for TdP ’11, click here
to register today.   

 

Early bird rates remain in effect
until June 1st.

 

We hope to see you on June 12th!!!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

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First Horizontal Mural Announced for Baltimore City Intersection

Baltimore, Md.  Local community artists and volunteers will assemble on June 5 to paint Baltimore City’s first horizontal mural at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Harford Road.

The mural – a sunflower with a compass embedded in the center – will cover the entire middle portion of the intersection between the crosswalks on either side. A crew of approximately 15 volunteers will paint the 2,000 square foot street surface that morning, barring any weather-related interruptions. The project will take advantage of the closure of Harford Road for the neighborhood’s annual Indie 900′ Downhill Derby, which itself attracts more than 1,000 spectators and participants.

“The Hamilton neighborhood has a rich tradition of supporting local industry, whether it is farming, cuisine, or the arts,” stated Whitney Frazier, neighborhood resident and the lead artist on the project. “This mural is going to make the intersection a focal point, and we expect that it will draw attention from artists and residents in communities across the City,” added Regina Lansinger, Director of Hamilton Lauraville Main Street.

Notably, more than 18,000 commuters use Harford Road every day, according to the Harford Road Corridor Study of 2008, which will help ensure the mural’s visibility in the neighborhood.

The project represents the hard work of numerous partners and agencies, including New Lens, Hamilton Lauraville Main Street, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, and the Marion I. & Henry J. Knott Foundation. In addition, Hamilton Arts Collective and Hamilton Gallery, both of which are located at the intersection where the mural will be painted, have been instrumental in shaping the vision and plans for the project.

“Murals like these have been done in cities like Portland, Oregon with great success,” shared M. Gregory Cantori, Executive Director of the Knott Foundation. “They provide a unique platform for bringing the community together – whether the goal is related to neighborhood beautification, pedestrian and vehicle safety, civic involvement, or simply artistic appreciation.”

Rebecca Yenawine, Executive Director of New Lens, a youth-driven social justice organization that makes art and media about issues where a youth perspective can inspire change, commented on the goals of the project: “We hope that this project will be successful in helping adults and youth to work together in slowing down traffic, in bringing new beauty and inspiration to the neighborhood, and creating opportunity for larger community celebration and participation.”

Learn more about New Lens at www.newlens.info

Learn more about Hamilton Lauraville Main Street at www.hamiltonlauravillemainstreet.org

Learn more about the Knott Foundation at www.knottfoundation.org

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Bikelash on Dr. Gridlock’s chat

from TheWashCycle by washcycle

A couple of questions came in to Dr. Gridlock on bicycling that argued that cyclists are breaking the law (when they aren’t) or using poor judgement, even though they’re following the law.

As near as I can tell, in Maryland, bicycles are considered “vehicles” by the Transportation Code (11-104) and bicyclists are subject to “all duties required of the driver of a vehicle (21-1202). Those duties invclude stopping at stop signs and not passing on the right except in certain limited defined circumstances (beating a line of cars stopped at a red light not among those). Maybe DC and VA have similar laws, but I wonder why we don’t seem to see these in your frequent columns on bicycles. Just this morning I had a bicyclist go between two lanes of traffic stopped for a red light and then proceed through the red light and resume a blocking position in the right lane.

Of course running a red light is still illegal in Maryland, but lane splitting is not according to WABA. So the commenter is wrong on that (it’s also legal in VA and DC).

Dr. Gridlock says

Bicyclists across the region are supposed to obey the traffic laws, and as I frequently point out, many don’t. (I also point out that drivers at least slow down for stop signs.)

That’s the third time he’s said that recently, as though that somehow absolves drivers. Of course drivers slow down (and so do cyclists more often than not). They’re going faster to start with, had less time to look as they approached the intersection, have poorer vision and don’t have the benefit of stereoscopic hearing. If I were half blind and half deaf, I’d be more cautious too. But either one is opposed to scofflaw behavior, or one is not. And even slowing down, drivers are still probably more dangerous at intersections.

The next commenter wrote

The WaPo has had quite a few stories about, yes, it’s legal for bicyclists to take a full lane while riding. I wonder though whether it is prudent to exercise this right on (for example) a single lane curvy uphill road with a 35 mph speed limit, when you have trouble maintaining 6 mph. None of the stories ever seem to address the safety aspects of what can be an enormous speed differential.

Banning cyclists from going uphill, is the same as banning cycling. I wonder how often the situation described above has ever occured. Plus we just recently talked about how a driver should be prepared to stop for a stopped vehicle, so 6mph should give a pretty good cushion. The only reason it would be dangerous, is because of bad drivers. Dr. G does a better job with this one.

When I hear cycling safety advocates urge bikers to take the lane, it’s usually in this scenario: They’re driving on city streets with cars parked along the sides, and they’re hugging the curb, then pulling out to get around cars, then pulling back to the curb, then pulling out to get around cars.

That’s not a safe situation. They’re confusing the drivers — sometimes they’re there, and sometimes they’re not. It would be better to remain in the drivers’ field of vision at all times, rather than popping in and out.

Continue reading “Bikelash on Dr. Gridlock’s chat”

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Lock your bike

I’ve been seeing a lot of stolen bikes in my news feed so make sure your bike is locked to something secure, even if it is in a shed or garage.

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Department Of Transportation Celebrates Record Number Of Participants For National Bike To Work Day

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation Director Khalil Zaied is proud to announce that a record number of cyclists participated in Baltimore City‟s Bike to Work Day. The event was held this morning, Friday, May 20, 2011 from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. at various commuter stations throughout the city.

This year marks the 14th annual Bike to Work Day event held in Baltimore, which originated back in 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists. Now a part of National Bike Month, Bike to Work Day is held annually across the United States and Canada to promote bicycling as a viable option for commuting to work.

“Bike to Work Day is an excellent way to motivate citizens to use alternative modes of transportation,” said Khalil Zaied, Director of Baltimore City‟s Department of Transportation. “The City of Baltimore is making great strides in becoming bicycle friendly, and we are excited that so many cyclists took part in this year‟s event.

To promote Bike to Work Day in the city this year, the Department of Transportation organized a number of „commuter stations‟ at various locations throughout Baltimore in leau of having one large event.

These „pit-stop‟ locations made it more convenient for cycling enthusiasts to participate, as they provided easier access during their morning commute, and contributed to the success of this year‟s event. The seven commuter stations included:

  • Baltimore Bicycle Works (Maryland Avenue and Falls Road)
  • Carroll Park (Monroe Street and Washington Boulevard)
  • Harbor East (Aliceanna and President Streets)
  • Joe‟s Bike Shop (Falls Road and Kelly Avenue)
  • Johns Hopkins University (Homewood Campus, Mason Hall)
  • Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes (North Caroline/Jefferson Streets)
  • University of Maryland School of Law (Lombard and Paca Streets)

Over 300 biking enthusiasts registered for Baltimore City‟s event, which is the highest number of participants ever since the program began back in 1997. In addition to Baltimore City‟s Bike to Work Day event, morning rallies were also held in other local municipalities. Participating jurisdictions included Baltimore County (Towson and White Marsh), Anne Arundel County (Annapolis), Carroll County (Westminster), Harford County (Bel Air) and Howard County (Columbia).

The Department of Transportation is aggressively implementing its Bicycle Master Plan, which will connect the city through a network of bike lanes and trails. Within the past four years, 77 miles of bikeways and 35 miles of trails have been designated in the city. The Department of Transportation has also placed over 300 bike racks in neighborhoods throughout Baltimore for safer and more convenient bicycle parking.

Continue reading “Department Of Transportation Celebrates Record Number Of Participants For National Bike To Work Day”

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78 years of age, Betty Kriss rides a bike

By WILLIAM WHITE | Opelika-Auburn News
DADEVILLE — At 78 years of age, Betty Kriss is traveling hundreds of miles while seeing the sights across East Alabama and pedaling her bicycle.
“People think they can’t when they just need to give it a good try,” said Kriss, who is from Silverhill, during a lunch break Monday at the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Tallapoosa County.
…
She said staying healthy has been one of the benefits of riding since she started in the 1970s.
“I don’t have to take any medications,” she said. “And I feel great and sleep like a log.”
…
Continue reading “78 years of age, Betty Kriss rides a bike”