Month: July 2011

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Bicycle Spoken Here: The State’s Role in Safer Cycling

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The Oregon DMV manual has a 900 word section on bicycling safety, and writes frequently about the motorist in relation to other traffic; bicycles, pedestrians, motorcycles, children.

Repeatedly, the Oregon manual emphasizes the message to use caution for bicyclists.

This specific phrase appears several times, “Be especially alert for bicycles and motorcycles as they are narrower than most other vehicles and can’t be easily seen.”

Bicycle safety has its own section, titled “Sharing the Road,” which details best practices for multimodal transportation.

In it are listed five, very specific examples of errors that cause people to strike a bicyclist:

  • Turning left without noticing an oncoming bicyclist.
  • Turning right at an intersection or driveway without checking for a bicyclist on the right who is continuing straight ahead or a bicyclist coming from the opposite direction in front of you.
  • Entering or crossing a street without checking for a bicyclist in the street or on the sidewalk.
  • Opening a vehicle door into the path of a bicyclist or swerving into a bicycle lane.
  • Trucks, RVs, and vehicles pulling trailers with wide mirrors passing too close to a bicyclist

“We would also like to amend and add improvements to the DMV Bicycle Safety webpage,” Gilbert said. “The Virginia DMV has a unique power: that of educating every single driver to be in the state.”

“…Bicyclists are bound by nearly identical laws, and many people who drive also bicycle,” Gilbert said. “Therefore, additional information in either the Virginia Driving Manual itself, or another medium, would be extremely beneficial.”

I gained the perspective of a cyclist through commuting, and in turn became a more conscious motorist. Yet, a majority of people claim that they don’t want to try bicycling or commuting because of the danger they feel on the road—a Catch 22.

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After One Year, Zipcar Drives Transportation Change in Baltimore

Baltimore-area Zipsters Own Fewer Cars, Drive Less, Use Public Transit More,
Helping to Reduce Parking Demand, Congestion and Harmful Emissions
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Key findings from the survey include:

Fourteen percent bike more, 21 percent walk more, and 11 percent use public transportation more. More than a third of respondents say they use public transit to get to a Zipcar.
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"We’ve shown that by working together, the city and Zipcar can make a positive impact on city life for our residents and businesses," said Rawlings-Blake. "Fewer cars on the streets means less competition for limited parking spaces. It means fewer vehicles in rush hour traffic. And it means less pollution in the air. But best of all, this program offers affordable and convenient transportation at a time when many people in the city are looking for cost-saving options."
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Continue reading “After One Year, Zipcar Drives Transportation Change in Baltimore”

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TAKE THE TEST

[B’ Spokes: Some more great material from the Annapolis Department of Transportation (now if we could get the MVA to be even half this good.)]

1.     When making a right turn:

A. Look for young cyclists who may be using the sidewalk and crosswalk.
B. Check for pedestrians crossing the street.
C. Check to see if there are cyclists behind or on your right that may be going straight.
D. All of the above.

2.     Passing a cyclist is acceptable:

A. Whenever you need to keep up your speed.
B. When you are in a hurry.
C. When you are sure that there is ample space between you and the cyclist and there are no blind spots or dangers by moving over to allow safe passage.
D. When the bicyclist is going slower than you are.

3.     You must be extra vigilant of cyclists when:

A. Opening your car door after parking on the road.
B. Backing in and out of driveway.
C. Making left and right hand turns.
D. All of the above.

4.     When making a left turn:
A. You can always be faster than a cyclist so you don’t have to be so concerned about the potential cyclist approaching since a cyclist man power is no match for your horse power.
B. Make sure you can see into the distance to make sure no motorists or cyclist are in a close proximity and never assume you can turn faster than an approaching cyclist.
C. Just make sure no cars are approaching.
D. It is safe to go when the light permits.

5.     A good response when you witness a cyclist making a traffic error

A. Honk your horn.
B. Hate all cyclists for the rest of your life.
C. Realize that this individual made a mistake and not make blanket assumptions on the cycling community at large.
D. Run them off the road to teach them a lesson about disrespect.

True or False:

6.     True or False: Cyclists are allowed to ride in the flow of traffic.

7.     True or False: It is customary to honk at cyclists to let them know you’re approaching.

8.     True or False: Cyclists have the same rights to the road and motorists and must adhere to the same road rules.

9.     True or False: Cyclists must hug the right side of the road, be in a bike lane or be on bike paths at all times.

10.   True or False: Cyclists are a menace to motorists.

 
Answer Key [you’ll need to follow the link for that.]
Continue reading “TAKE THE TEST”

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Bike Tour of Community Gardens!

Charm City Garden Tour, August 13, Tour 2-5pm, after party 5-7pm

Join us for the 2nd annual Charm City Garden Tour! This year’s tour will explore and celebrate the gardens of Baltimore’s west side. Choose from either our bicycle or charter bus tour options.
Stick around for the post-tour garden party at Whitelock Community Farm complete with locally-sourced refreshments, live entertainment, and games!

Date: Saturday, August 13th
Time: Registration begins at 1:00pm
Tours will run from 2:00pm-5:00pm
Party begins at 5:00pm
Party Location: Whitelock Community Farm (Brookfield and Whitelock in Reservoir Hill)
Prices: Bike Tour, $15
Bus Tour, $20
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Georgia Mom Convicted of Vehicular Homicide For Crossing Street With Kids

Talk about dangerous by design and apparently the users (not the designers) can held accountable for "letting" a loved one get killed by an automobile.
Roads are for the convince of cars where even 2 second "delays" must be avoided at all costs for the "poor" cars. But for everyone else they must go through extreme inconvenience measured in double digit minutes. Or as I like to put the engineering principle of the times: since pedestrians go slow they should be forced to go significantly slower and since cars can go fast they must be accommodated to go even faster even though they could easily make up small delays because of their speed.
Is this the sign of things to come if bike/ped spending is considered not part of the transportation mix?
Read more here:
Georgia Mom Convicted of Vehicular Homicide For Crossing Street With Kid
https://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/07/14/mother-convicted-of-vehicular-homicide-for-crossing-street-with-children/
and here:
Prosecuting the victim, absolving the perpetrators
https://t4america.org/blog/2011/07/18/prosecuting-the-victim-absolving-the-perpetrators/

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SHARROW [Good and bad advice.]

[B’ Spokes: Sharrows are used when there is not enough space for a bike lane, sometimes sharrows can create a quasi safe place for riding side by side with motoring traffic and sometimes not. But it is noteworthy to point out that in Maryland sharrows are used on roadways where it is legal for a cyclist to use a whole lane. So use your best judgment, avoid the door zone of parked cars which means avoid the sharrows as well (if minimal guidance is followed, which it usually is, see pic)
image by Dan Gutierrez

So without further ado here is the City of Annapolis’ take on sharrows (but major kudos for being the first government agency to try to get at least this much info out there):

What does a SHARROW mean for motorists and bicyclists?

Motorists

  • Expect to see bicyclists on the street
  • Remember to give bicyclists at least three feet of space when passing
  • Follow the rules of the road as if there were no SHARROW

Bicyclists

  • Use the SHARROW to guide where you ride within the right hand side of the lane and with the direction of traffic
  • Remember not to ride too close to parked cars
  • Follow the rules of the road as if there were no SHARROW

SHARROW diagram

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Continue reading “SHARROW [Good and bad advice.]”

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Pedestrians struck in Salisbury, OC

SALISBURY — Authorities in Ocean City and Salisbury are investigating separate incidents of pedestrians struck by vehicles on Friday, including a 6-year-old boy.
Both victims were conscious and remained hospitalized late Friday.
About 2 p.m., a 34-year-old man was pinned beneath a car near 123rd Street and Coastal Highway, according to the Ocean City Fire Department.
The victim was freed after about 15 minutes by Ocean City firefighters and paramedics, the fire department said.
He was conscious when transported by helicopter to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, authorities said.
An hour later in Salisbury, a 6-year-old boy on a bicycle was struck by a commercial recycling truck, said Sgt. Jessica Hill at the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy was thrown, and the bicycle was pinned beneath the truck, Hill said. The accident happened at 3:30 p.m. on West Road between Booth and Oliver streets.
The child’s condition was uncertain Friday afternoon, the sergeant said.
Both accidents are under investigation.
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2 Bicyclists Hurt In Hit-And-Run Crashes

[B’ Spokes: If you see a car with front end damage roughly matching the descriptions below, get the tag number and report it to the police.]
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Update: https://glenburnie.patch.com/articles/police-seek-driver-of-sedan-that-hit-bicyclist-in-brooklyn-park
Alex Hernandez, 25, of Baltimore City died from injuries suffered in a hit-and-run accident
Police believe the car struck the left side of the bicyclist and may have caused damage to the front of the vehicle in the area of the headlamp hood, windshield and mirror on the passenger side.
The suspected driver of the vehicle was described as being a black woman wearing pink medical scrubs, according to police.
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ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — A pair of unrelated crashes in Anne Arundel County sent two bicyclists to Shock Trauma.

In Glen Burnie, Marco A. Garcia, 41, was hit by a truck on Crain Highway near Georgia Avenue just after 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Police said Garcia was riding his bicycle legally in the northbound lanes when he was struck by possibly a gray Chevrolet or Saturn sedan.

The driver, who police said sped off, was described vaguely as a white man with a beard, who was last seen wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a baseball cap.

Garcia was taken to Shock Trauma, where he was listed in critical condition.

About 20 minutes later, Alex Canales Hernandez, 25, of Baltimore, was hit in the 5800 block of Ritchie Highway near Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Police said Hernandez was riding in the northbound lanes when he was struck by a sedan, possibly a Hyundai. Police said a woman driving the car stopped, got out briefly and got back in her car and fled the scene.

Hernandez was also taken to Shock Trauma, where he was listed in critical condition.

There was no indication that Thursday’s incidents were related, according to investigators. Police said both victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

If you have any information regarding these continuing investigations, you are asked to call the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section at 410-222-8573 or Police Communications at 410-222-8610.

Continue reading “2 Bicyclists Hurt In Hit-And-Run Crashes”

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Encourage bicycle travel with more dedicated lanes

I am a member of the Boy Scouts of America, and I am writing to you about how Columbia should advance its pathway system. We have a great community, and far better pathways than most cities, but the cycling community is growing, and it would be beneficial to Columbia to add more places for bicycles to travel.

Gas prices are going through the roof, and more people who have relatively close jobs are switching to biking to work. Other countries have made cycling one of the main modes of transportation, and it is working very well. We need to start making that switch for ourselves. With the increased number of cyclists, we should have more paths by the roads or, for road cyclists, a bike lane on the shoulder.

Continue reading “Encourage bicycle travel with more dedicated lanes”