by KATIE FITZPATRICK, Staff Writer, somdnews.com
Spring has sprung, and people are looking forward to warmer weather, sunshine and more outdoor activities.
One outdoor activity that seems to be a growing trend in Southern Maryland is hiking and biking on the many area trails, some of which have been expanded and some of which have been recently established.
Expansion, growth
With about 51 miles of various types of trails, Tom Roland of Charles County Parks said Charles has been “pretty progressive over the last couple of years” by continuing to add more trails.
“We hear from the public that trails are something that are desired by the community, and it makes Charles County a better place to live,” Roland said. “That’s part of our mission, to increase the quality of life for our residents.”
Residents and visitors can enjoy about 22 miles of trails in Maxwell Hall Park and Oak Ridge Park in Hughesville; about four miles of trails in Friendship Farm Park and Mallows Bay Park in Nanjemoy; and about two miles of trails in Gilbert Run Park in Bryantown.
Charles County’s major attraction is the 2½-year-old Indian Head Rail Trail, which offers 13 miles of paved trails, Roland said. The trail connects Indian Head with White Plains, and it primarily passes through undeveloped land.
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Continue reading “Plenty of hiking and biking to do on Southern Maryland’s trails”
One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss
By Christopher Mims, Grist
Copenhagen, the bicycle-friendliest place on the planet, publishes a biannual Bicycle Account, and buried in its pages is a rather astonishing fact, reports Andy Clarke, president of the league of American Bicyclists:
“When all these factors are added together the net social gain is DKK 1.22 per cycled kilometer. For purposes of comparison there is a net social loss of DKK 0.69 per kilometer driven by car.” 1.22 Danish crowns is about 25 cents and a kilometer is 6/10 of a mile, so we are talking about a net economic gain to society of 42 cents for every bicycle mile traveled. That’s a good number to have in your back pocket.
Staff editorial: Peddling a silly proposal
[B’ Spokes: I found the following comments rather interesting. On one hand, yes, College Park is ahead of a lot of campuses in Maryland and it has the Bronze level award from LAB for their The Bicycle Friendly University program (https://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlyuniversity/pdfs/bfu_master_award_list_march2012.pdf ) But the real question is what about the other college campuses in the state? To quote (from memory) what one official from a different university said when discussing bicycle access to the university "Not unnecessary because no one bikes here." :/ – That needs to change. ]
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By Diamondback Editorial Board
In addition to tackling the rising costs of tuition and graduate students’ unionization rights this legislative session, state Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s) introduced a bill last month that will require in-state universities to develop biker- and pedestrian-friendly facility master plans by 2014. At first glance, this editorial board thought the legislation seemed like a good idea — for other universities, at least.
We might harp on a lot of administrative issues, but if this university has done one thing right, it’s prioritizing exactly what Rosapepe’s legislation suggests — making the campus a safe and enjoyable place to ride your bike and walk around. So we were surprised to see that when asked about his thoughts on this campus in particular, Rosapepe responded: “College Park is behind a lot of other campuses around the world in bicycle access. The big picture here is the university ought to be setting goals for the percentage of students, faculty and staff who can commute to campus by bicycle.”
Apparently, Rosapepe hasn’t heard of a $600,000 project called the Facilities Master Plan — a recently Board of Regents-approved 162-page document that outlines the university’s future developments and landscaping. In the plan, the word “bicyclist” appears 17 times. The word “bicycle” shows up 60, and “pedestrian” is written a whopping 105 times.
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Continue reading “Staff editorial: Peddling a silly proposal”
Cycling [the meme]
Gallery walls: Cities embrace street art as a ticket to success
[B’ Spokes: Something to bike to.]
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By Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, Grist
Street artists from around the world are descending on Baltimore this spring to take part in an ambitious — and totally legal — exhibition, producing murals for an event designed to bring new life to a transitional neighborhood.
Launched this month and running through the end of May, Open Walls Baltimore is the city’s first officially sanctioned street art exhibition. Twenty walls throughout the Station North Arts and Entertainment District will serve as backdrops for murals that will be created over the course of several weeks. The walls to be painted are a mix of both private homes and commercial buildings, and represent both occupied and vacant structures. “It’s a museum for street art,” says the artist Gaia, who is curating the event.
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Continue reading “Gallery walls: Cities embrace street art as a ticket to success”
Yuba Mundo Cargo Bicycle in Baltimore Night Ride [video]
New Road Bike Riders! Road Biking 101 Clinic on 4/29!
Classes are intended for novice road riders — those who can already ride a bicycle but want to learn basic skills and techniques for doing so safely and effectively on the road. Local bike shops will do bike safety checks.
Register here: https://bikehoco.org/register-for-road-biking-101/
Class size is limited to no more than 60 participants so please register early. This is a FREE class but BAHC will greatly appreciate donations ($5 or more) through the paypal link on the Bikehoco.org web site.
DATE Sunday, April 29, 2012
TIME 8:30 am – Noon
SCHEDULE 8:30 am – 9:00 am Sign In & Bike Safety Checks
9:15 am – 10:30 am Classroom
10:30 am – Noon On The Road Practice
LOCATION Howard County Health Department, 7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046-2147
WARNING: All Participants must bring a helmet and a bicycle in working condition.Participants under 18 must be accompanied by or bring a waiver signed by a parent.
Continue reading “New Road Bike Riders! Road Biking 101 Clinic on 4/29!”
WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE!
By By Kati Harrison, WBJC
“I want to ride my bicycle,” is the only part of the song by Queen I know. It’s catchy and true for me! Last October I had the pleasure of riding in Bike Maryland’s Tour du Port. It was at that time that I became familiar with Bike Maryland. And now after having interviewed Bike Maryland’s Executive Director, Carol Silldorff, I know more about the organization and want to ride my bicycle! Hope you will too.
01 Bike Maryland interview
Bike Safety PSA by the Baltimore Police Department
Just to note our Bike PSA made it to Treehugger. Kudos to all who made this PSA happen.
https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/bike-safety-psa-baltimore-police-department-video.html
Father and son ride comfortably on Wabash buffered bike lane
[B’ Spokes: Too many bicycling facilities remind me of my kindergarten teacher with her (seemingly) constant “shut up” and “single file” banter. Wouldn’t be nice if trails were more then just the minimum width so people could ride side by side and talk even in the presence of oncoming traffic? And what about riding in the city? Cycling has an aspect of restoring civility and socialization that we have lost promoting cars, So I seriously have to question who says cycling can only be about traveling alone or at best traveling only single file and no talking! Can we get some socializing space somewhere sometimes, please?]
