Month: August 2011

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Prix Fix

From the City Paper – The Mail

I’m in total agreement with the letters of both Charlie Cooper and Tom Chalkley that the Rawlings-Blake City Hall’s bet that the Baltimore Grand Prix will be a money maker is wishful thinking (“Race to the Bottom Line,” The Mail, Aug. 24). A much more forward-looking investment would have been to upgrade all our major streets for bicycle traffic. Establishing Baltimore’s reputation as the mid-Atlantic’s most bicycle-friendly place to live would have enticed the growing, upwardly mobile, bicycling-to-work population that’s out there to put down roots here and become solid, tax-paying citizens for decades to come. Unfortunately, it seems, City Hall has chosen to remain mired in backwardness and poverty.

Herman M. Heyn
Baltimore
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The popsicle test

from Switchboard, from NRDC by Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
In a recent post on his firm’s excellent blog, PlacesShakers and NewsMakers, Scott Doyon reminds us of the “popsicle test” of a well-designed neighborhood: if an 8-year-old kid can safely go somewhere to buy a popsicle, and get back home before it melts, chances are it’s a neighborhood that works. Note that there’s no planning jargon in there: nothing explicitly about mixed uses, or connected streets, or sidewalks, or traffic calming, or enough density to put eyes on the street. But, if you think about it, it’s all there.
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[B’ Spokes: Yet too many are essentially saying "No, we don’t want that, we want to go fast in cars first and other peoples kids come last."]
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No Rain on Their Parade – Charm City Garden Tour Goes Off In Spite of Rain

From Parks and People:

It was a rainy Saturday, but over 100 people braved the weather to attend the Second Annual Charm City Garden Tour, hosted by the Community Greening Resource Network (CGRN) and the Maryland Master Gardeners. About half of the participants stayed relatively dry on the bus while the cyclists hunkered down with rain ponchos.

Both groups visited several terrific gardens on Baltimore’s west side including: Whitelock Community Farm, Reservoir Hill Community Garden, Druid Hill City Farm, Roosevelt Park City Farm, Ash Street Community Garden, Lennox Street Community Garden, Newington Avenue Beautification Garden, Eric Waller Mt. Washington Vegetable Garden, Cordelia-Hayward-Cuthbert Community Garden, Park Heights Urban Renaissance Garden, Our Community Garden, AFYA: Park Heights Health Alliance and the Lennox Street Community Garden. 


The post-tour party had to be moved indoors, but that didn’t stop the music,
fun and locally grown food from flowing.
 
You can see pictures of the tour and party here on our Facebook page or click here to view photos courtesy of Howard Fink.
 
Thanks to the additional sponsors of the event – PNC Bank and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.
 
SUPPORT
 
Invest In Parks & People Today!
Please check your snail-mailbox or your email inbox for our fall appeal! This is Parks & People’s busiest time of the year so each donation that we receive goes directly to funding our greening and youth programs. When you invest in Parks & People, you can see the results immediately – cleaner parks, greener schoolyards, more children playing sports and enjoying nature. Join us as we grow a better Baltimore!
 
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The real reason why bikes are not allowed on Amtrak

Greater Greater Washington goes into detail why buses are cheaper then Amtrak (they don’t have to pay for their "tracks" for one) and I will assert those reasons are the same as why Amtrak really will not allow bikes… "there is very little room on the existing railroad to add new trains." and most seats are sold.
This is why it makes sense to drop billions of dollars in subsidies for roads and next to nothing for everything else. ???
https://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=11732

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Driver makes illegal turn, hurts cyclist … Impairment is not suspected. No citation issued at this time.

[B’ Spokes: While this is in San Francisco this seems to be almost a universal problem. ]
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Excerpts from SF Streets Blog by Bryan Goebel
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“I can’t imagine a situation where a citation would be more blatantly called for, you know what I mean? Somebody lying under the sign [No Right Turns] and a car there at an angle, obviously just made the turn, you know?”
But there was no citation issued. “Impairment is not suspected. No citation issued at this time,” a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, Sgt. Michael Andraychak, wrote in an email to Streetsblog. He described the collision itself in cop talk that seems forgiving of the driver, with no mention that the turn was prohibited.
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Lax Enforcement
As this latest case illustrates, drivers routinely get away with causing collisions and injuring bicyclists and pedestrians at Market and Octavia without so much as a slap on the wrist.
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Continue reading “Driver makes illegal turn, hurts cyclist … Impairment is not suspected. No citation issued at this time.”

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What’s Better for the Environment: Raising the Gas Tax or Fuel-Efficiency Standards?

Excerpt from Infrastructurist. by Eric Jaffe
Morris makes some strong points here — without even mentioning the fact that a gas tax increase, unlike higher fuel-economy standards, will also generate revenue for the Highway Trust Fund. (If anything, raising CAFE will hurt gas tax revenues, since fuel-efficient cars don’t have to be filled up as often.) The gas tax is also better for congestion, and consequently the accident rate, and we still get the benefit of a cleaner fleet over time, because high gas costs will create a demand for fuel-efficient cars.
Continue reading “What’s Better for the Environment: Raising the Gas Tax or Fuel-Efficiency Standards?”

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Maryland Advocates Win Bike-Friendly Revision to State Driver’s Manual

from Alliance for Biking and Walking by Camie Rodan

This fall, Maryland cyclists can feel more confident when sharing the road with vehicles, thanks to a revision to the Maryland State Driver’s Manual that specifically addresses sharing the road with bicycles.

In recent months, a diverse coalition of regional groups, including Alliance members Bike Maryland and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association worked closely with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and State Highway Administration to improve driver’s education and new driver’s licensing examination questions.

Questions about the effectiveness of the previous manual arose at an early Bike Maryland legislative task force meeting, after misstatements by the MVA printed in the paper insisted that the new 3-foot passing law did not negate the duty of cyclists to move out of the way of cars. This set advocates into action, prompting them to provide MVA with comments and suggestions on how to revise the current manual to mention how bicyclists and cars can safely share the roads.

As noted in the new Sharing the Road section, the manual now outlines that cyclists can lawfully ride in a travel lane. The new language gives cars suggestions on how to approach cyclists, rather than simply pass safely. Fines are now mentioned for motorists that violate the newly imposed rules, too.

While advocates are still waiting for promised improvements to the Maryland Driver’s test — which will help to further progress bicycle safety — this work has clearly strengthened the relationships between bicycle advocates and the Highway Safety Office and the MVA.

Read the full text of the Sharing the Road section here and follow Bike Maryland’s 2011 Legislative Agenda for more updates.

Continue reading “Maryland Advocates Win Bike-Friendly Revision to State Driver’s Manual”

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2nd Annual Ride with the Mayor [of Frederick]

[B’ Spokes: Now if we could only get more Mayors doing this.]
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UPDATE: Canceled due to weather
The Frederick Bicycle Coalition is proud to host Frederick’s Second Annual Ride with the Mayor event. Mayor McClement will join us as we ride from the gazebo behind the William Talley Recreation Center to the Harry Grove Stadium to watch the Frederick Keys take on the Potomac Nationals. All participants will receive a free general admission ticket to the game! All ages are welcome; however, we ask that children under the age of six either ride in a trailer or in a tow behind bicycle. Registration will begin at 12:45pm and we will leave for the stadium at 1pm. Come out and join us!!!!
Here are the details:
Where – William Talley Recreation Center (121 North Bentz Street, Frederick, MD)
When – Sunday, August 28, 2011
Registration – 12:45pm
Leave for Stadium – 1pm
Please ride responsibly and wear a helmet
Continue reading “2nd Annual Ride with the Mayor [of Frederick]”