Biking in Baltimore
In 2011, of all children between the ages of 10 and 15 who were killed in traffic crashes, one in five were pedestrians.[1] Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children ages 11 through 14 in 2009.[2] In other words, how we drive makes a difference.
https://trafficsafetyguy.com/2013/08/26/school-safety-buses-bicyclists-and-pedestrians-oh-my/
[B’ Spokes: Some nice PSA info on this page.]
by Ronald V. Miller, Jr.
The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled today that Maryland is not going to make the leap to comparative negligence, choosing instead to defer to the legislature. The court has the power to change the law, it wants you to know. But it chooses not to.
I think contributory negligence is inane which is why some few states have kept it. Should the court defer to the legislature to make the call? I really don’t know.
At some point, I’ll write about this case because that’s what you pay me for here. But I have already told you everything you need to know.
In the meantime, read the beginning of Judge Harrell’s very Harrellarian dissent.
Paleontologists and geologists inform us that Earth’s Cretaceous period (including in what is present day Maryland) ended approximately 65 million years ago with an asteroid striking Earth (the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event), wiping-out, in a relatively short period of geologic time, most plant and animal species, including dinosaurs. As to the last premise, they are wrong. A dinosaur roams yet the landscape of Maryland (and Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina and the District of Columbia), feeding on the claims of persons injured by the negligence of another, but who contributed proximately in some way to the occasion of his or her injuries, however slight their culpability. The name of that dinosaur is the doctrine of contributory negligence. With the force of a modern asteroid strike, this Court should render, in the present case, this dinosaur extinct. It chooses not to do so. Accordingly, I dissent.
My dissent does not take the form of a tit-for-tat trading of thrusts and parries with the Majority opinion. Rather, I write for a future majority of this Court, which, I have no doubt, will relegate the fossilized doctrine of contributory negligence to a judicial tar pit at some point.
…
https://www.marylandinjurylawyerblog.com/2013/07/comparative_negligence_is_not_1.html
A Winter of Cyclists, captures the inaugural Icy Bike Winter Commuting Challenge. The film follows twelve cyclist as they attempt to bicycle commute during the winter months. Watch as they challenge each other during the cold, dark and snowy Colorado winter and experience the surprising comradery that forms as nearly 200 like-minded riders from across the USA, Canada, and other countries join in the Challenge. For those who cycle in the winter now, this film is a tribute to you. And for those who are considering it , catch a memorable glimpse of what could await you.
Trailer: A Winter of Cyclists from ChainRing Films on Vimeo.
https://www.chainringfilms.com/
[B’ Spokes: We need to show this around here to show that year round commuting can be done.]
by Bob Shanteau, I am Traffic
How the car lane paradigm eroded our lane rights and what we can do to restore them
Not long ago I was riding in the middle of the right-hand (slow) lane on a 4-lane urban street with parallel parking and a 25 mph speed limit. I had just stopped at a 4-way stop when the young male driver of a powerful car in the left lane yelled at me, “You aint no f***ing car man, get on the sidewalk.” He then sped away, cutting it close as he changed lanes right in front of me in an attempt, I suppose, to teach me a lesson.
That guy stated in a profane way the world view of most people today: If you can’t keep up, stay out of the way. My being in the right-hand lane and therefore “in his way” violated his sense that roads in general and travel lanes in particular are only for cars, a viewpoint that I call the car lane paradigm. The car lane paradigm conflicts with the fact that in every state of the union, bicyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers of vehicles.
So which is it? Do bicyclists have the same right to use travel lanes as other drivers or not? Before lanes existed, bicyclists simply acted like other drivers. But now that travel lanes are common, most people grow up with the car lane paradigm with bicyclists relegated to the margins of the road. This article goes into the history of how the car lane paradigm came to be and what we can do about it now.
Reading this is going to take a while, so here is an outline of where we’re going:
…
https://iamtraffic.org/equality/the-marginalization-of-bicyclists/
Multi-use trails are no longer viewed merely as recreational outlets for people who like to bike, run, walk or skate. Advocates say they spark economic development, improve people’s health, provide transportation alternatives and enhance a community’s quality of life. What’s more, for metropolitan areas that want to attract and retain talented workers, trails are “part of being a competitive city in the 21st century,” said Eric Oberg, manager of trail development for the Midwest office of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
Saturday, October 12, 2013 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM (PDT)
Clarksville, MD
Time again to join Howard County cyclists on BAHC’s 6th Annual Bike HoCo Ride. Enjoy a GREAT Fall ride and social. Last year we had over 140 Howard County riders.
DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 12, 2013
LOCATION: The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
DONATION: Use our Donate button at https://bikehoco.org/donate
GENERAL INFORMATION:
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
… (follow the link to register and how to volunteer)
If Car Commercials Were Based on Fact not Fiction – 001 from Ivan Conte on Vimeo.
Via Streets Blog
It’s no secret that car commercials are, by and large, fiction. Shiny cars roaring along empty streets devoid of traffic jams or scarring their way through impressive landscapes. Selling the dream. With the emphasis on dream.
[B’ Spokes: I love this video! Just wish it could get some air time.]
by MTA Maryland
…
By Stephen Messenger, Tree Hugger
When early automobiles first arrived on the scene in the late 19th century, few people could have imagined that they would one day take over the world. In fact, some towns found the noise and exhaust from these novelty ‘horseless carriages’ so off-putting that early cars were actually outlawed in some places.
In time, of course, restrictions were lifted and the car soon became ubiquitous across the country — but there is still one place in the United States that has yet to change its mind. Meet Mackinac Island, where cars have been banned since 1898.
…
https://www.treehugger.com/culture/one-city-in-america-where-cars-have-been-banned-1898.html
"DOT encourages transportation agencies to go beyond the minimum requirements, and proactively provide convenient, safe, and context-sensitive facilities that foster increased use by bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities, and utilize universal design characteristics when appropriate."
–USDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Design Flexibility Memorandum
https://1.usa.gov/1fXLjTi
AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…
"During his two terms (1995-97 and 2001-03) as Mayor of Bogatá [Columbia], Anatas Mockus sought ‘change without violence’ using theatrical measures to educate and engage citizens in civic reforms… Famously, [he] hired 420 mimes to make fun of traffic violators; this entertaining public ridicule reduced traffic fatalities by >50%…"
–From a slideshow of examples from the McKinsey report How to Make a Great City https://bit.ly/17p97xt
[See the full 6 case study slideshow: https://bit.ly/17p97xt]
[See also photo at: https://hvrd.me/18TmofG]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.