Month: April 2012

Posted on

Pedestrian safety slogan exhorts but does not educate

[B’ Spokes: Just to note we generally share the same cambaign with DC, so this is applicable here as well. I also wounder when they will alow public comment on these cambaigns before they hit the streets? Oh people who have contributed to Maryland having the 4th highest pedestrain fatality rate know what they are talking about… right. :/ Seriosly, lets start with a public comment period, OK?]

by Ben Ross. Greater Greater Washington

No one questions the need for public education about pedestrian safety, but Washington-area agencies are missing a real opportunity to educate the public in this year’s annual “Street Smart” safety campaign.

image
Photo from Street Smart.

Both drivers and pedestrians are ignorant of some important rules of sharing the road and only dimly aware of others. With the slogan “Obey pedestrian & traffic safety laws” now visible all over the city, Washington-area transportation agencies have substituted empty exhortation for education. Their publicity campaigns should teach pedestrians and drivers how to share the road.

Few drivers understand when they must yield to pedestrians and when pedestrians must yield to them; few pedestrians know when they can and cannot cross a street in the middle of a block.

…


Highway agencies recognize that education about pedestrian safety must accompany engineering and enforcement. But our region, especially outside the District and Arlington, has a spotty record in engineering and enforcement. That makes educating the public about pedestrian safety all that more important.


[Emphisis mine sinse this goes double for the Balto Metro area.]

https://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/14348/pedestrian-safety-slogan-exhorts-but-does-not-educate/

Posted on

Register for Bike To Work Day

Bike to Work Day 2012 Banner

Bike to Work Day 2012, sponsored by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, will be celebrated in the Baltimore region and across the nation on Friday May 18, 2012.

This year marks the 15th annual event in the Baltimore region and will feature events at locations around the region

Up-to-date details will be posted in the Bike Ped Beacon e-newsletter and on our Facebook page! Sign-up today!

Register For Bike To Work Day 2012

Our registration system has changed for 2012. Please click on the link below for where you plan to attend a Bike To Work Day 2012 event.

Annapolis
Baltimore City
Bel Air
Columbia
Towson
Westminster

White Marsh

Read more: https://www.baltometro.org/commuter-options/bike-to-work-day

Posted on

Few Fatal Vehicle-Bike Crashes Lead to Arrest, Data Show

By Alex Goldmark , WNYC
Four years ago, 31-year-old assistant professor Rasha Shamoon was struck and killed by a Range Rover at the corner of Bowery and Delancey while riding her bike home at 1:30 a.m.
Police interviewed the three people in the car, but listed no other witnesses in the police report. Several people called 911, but it’s unclear if they saw the crash. Cops determined Shamoon caused the crash and let the driver go.
But Rasha’s mother didn’t buy the story.
Samira Shamoon turned to the courts to get more answers. She brought a civil suit against the 21-year-old driver where he and his passengers were required to give detailed testimony. In February, the jury placed 95 percent of the fault on the driver, and 5 percent on Rasha Shamoon.
That finding stoked the mounting anger in the cycling community. Bike activists took it as evidence that the police were not serious about investigating cyclist deaths.
Last year, 21 cyclists were struck and killed but only two drivers were arrested. And about 40 percent of the time a driver is involved in a fatality – a pedestrian, cyclist, other motorist or themselves – not even a ticket is issued.
“We as a society have chosen to drive these big cars," said Joe McCormack, an assistant District Attorney for the Bronx whose job it is to prosecute traffic crimes. "And we also as a society have chosen not to criminalize every single small mistake that just has a dramatic consequence because you’re driving a car.”
…
Continue reading “Few Fatal Vehicle-Bike Crashes Lead to Arrest, Data Show”

Posted on

The Monument to Monument century ride

Sunday, May 6, 2012, 7:45 AM

Washington Monument
699 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD

image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring has sprung and the Monument to Monument ride is upon us. We had over 35 riders last year. I’m hoping for a big diverse group of eager riders again this year. 

M2M is a 92 mile roundtrip single day bike ride from Baltimore to Washington DC on safe, lightly trafficked roads. We keep it slow and steady for this ride, enjoying the company of fellow riders and the excitement of arriving in another city by bicycle. 

Read more: https://www.meetup.com/Biking-in-Bmore/events/59718302/?a=ea1_grp&rv=ea1&_af_eid=59718302&_af=event&_af_mid=13466589

Posted on

Is the three-foot bicycle passing law working in Baltimore, Maryland?

Abstract

Maryland (MD) recently became one of fourteen states in the United States to enact a traffic law requiring motor vehicles to pass bicyclists at a distance of greater than three feet. To our knowledge, motorist compliance with the law has never been assessed. This study measured the distance between overtaking motor vehicles and cyclists [e.g. vehicle passing distance (VPD)], to develop baseline metrics for tracking implementation of the three-foot passing law in Baltimore, MD and to assess risk factors for dangerous passes. During September and October 2011, cyclists (n = 5) measured VPD using a previously published video technique (Parkin and Meyers, 2010). Cyclists logged a total of 10.8 h of video footage and 586 vehicle passes on 34 bicycle commuting trips. The average trip lasted 19.5 ± 4.9 min and cyclists were passed on average 17.2 ± 11.8 times per trip. VPDs of three feet or less were common when cycling in standard lanes (17%; 78 of 451 passes) and lanes with a shared lane marking (e.g. sharrows) (23%; 11 of 47 passes). No passes of three feet or less occurred in bicycle lanes (0 of 88 passes). A multiple linear regression model was created, which explained 26% of the variability in VPD. Significant model variables were lane width, bicycle infrastructure, cyclist identity, and street identity. Interventions, such as driver education, signage, enforcement, and bicycle infrastructure changes are needed to influence driving behavior in Baltimore to increase motorist compliance with the three-foot law.

Highlights

► The three-foot bicycle passing law is not being observed by many motorists. ► 17% of motor vehicle passes of cyclists were three-feet or less. ► Streets with bike lanes were safer for cyclists. ► Interventions are needed to influence motorist to comply with the law.

Continue reading “Is the three-foot bicycle passing law working in Baltimore, Maryland?”

Posted on

The Bike Maryland RecRide Bicycle Tour Sunday, May 20th!

Bike Maryland

The May 20th Bike Maryland RecRide will start and finish at the incredibly exciting BikeJam event in Patterson Park, Baltimore!

                

REGISTER HERE – registration is limited to 500 cyclists – First 200 registrants receive a free t-shirt!

Two scenic RecRide bicycle tours give you a close-up view of beautiful Charm City on May 20th.

The Lolly Pop Ride: 12 Miles
Flat with a few rollers! Travels past the community gardens, farmer’s market, on the Fallsway and the new Guilford Avenue bike lanes, continues along the Jones Falls into the Clipper Mill neighborhood and then into Druid Hill Park (rest stop with refreshments), along the zoo periphery, around the lake and back to Patterson Park for the celebration!
The Parks Ride: 30 miles
Rolling with hills! This route takes you on a lovely tour of Baltimore’s beautiful parks before returning to BikeJam at Patterson Park. Includes Druid Hill Park rest stop for refreshments.
Join the celebration at the end of the RecRide – stay in Patterson Park and celebrate as BikeJam 2012 plays host to Pro Bicycle Championships. International caliber pro-racers and local racers compete for cash and prizes all day. Enjoy food vendors, beer, kid’s activities, live music and the super-fast BikeJam 2012 pro bicycle races! Enjoy the fun at the Bike and Health Expo.
Proceeds support Bike Maryland!

Register HERE

 
           

                   

April 25 in Columbia, MD – An event you don’t want to miss! The Path Forward – Cycling Innovations from Across the US.

                
A revolution is occurring across the country and it’s a good thing! Cycling is on the rise and more and more communities are making investments to make cycling easier and safer. Join the Columbia Association (CA) and Jennifer Toole, lead consultant for Connecting Columbia and founder of Toole Design Group, who will speak about innovative communities across the US and how they are making way for bicycling. Toole is a nationally-recognized leader in bicycle and pedestrian planning and design. Bike Maryland is a co-host of this important event!
Registration is appreciated, but not required. Please RSVP here. This event is part of CA’s Community Building Speakers’ Series, which hosts thought-provoking speakers that stimulate us to discuss, engage and build our sense of community. If you have any questions, please contact Scott Templin or 410-715-3166. 

Bike Maryland got you 3 feet and we are working to strengthen the existing 3 foot law!

   
In one of the first U.S. studies of its kind, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future at the Bloomberg School of Public Health have found that bike lanes in Baltimore improve cyclist safety, in a paper published in the Journal Accident Analysis and Prevention on March 27, 2012.  Read the full paper here. Bike Maryland thanks Dr. David Love for initiating and completing this important study.
The study looked at drivers’ behavior around cyclists on roads with and without bike lanes, and the good news is that drivers pass significantly wider when cyclists are in bike lanes. The bad news is that on roads without bike lanes, drivers had trouble sharing the road with cyclists, which often violated a state law aimed at making cycling safer.  In 2010, with the support of Bike Maryland, Maryland passed what is known as the “3-foot law,” which requires that drivers must pass cyclists by three feet or more. The study authors found that one in six motor vehicle passes in Baltimore, or about 17 percent, violated the 3-foot law.
Researcher David Love, PhD, says that, “As cyclists, we knew the 3-foot law was not being followed, and we wanted to quantify the problem. Now, for the first time, we have baseline data to inform future transportation and planning efforts.”
Violations to the 3-foot law were virtually non-existent on streets with bike lanes.  Love notes, “we need to find ways to separate car traffic from bike traffic, and bike lanes are one way to do that.”
The study was conducted by a team of six Johns Hopkins University faculty, staff and students who routinely commute to work or school by bicycle. The authors attached video cameras to their bicycles, recording commutes in the Fall of 2011. By translating video footage into data, the study authors documented experiences that others in Baltimore have reported only anecdotally.
Researcher Jared Margulies says, “many cyclists feel safer in bike lanes, and our data indicates that drivers do give cyclists more room when bike lanes are present.”
The study was sponsored in part by Bike Maryland as we support research to assess motorist compliance with the law.  

Please Support Bike Maryland’s Advocacy Work

Become a Bike Maryland Member Today.

Click HERE to become a member.