Biking in Baltimore
Via CBS Baltimore
Newly appointed Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Bishop Heather Cook will be charged in the death of cyclist Tom Palermo at a press conference Friday.
Cook was charged with vehicular manslaughter, DUI, texting and leaving the scene of the Dec. 27 accident, which took the life of the 41-year-old father of two was hit and killed while riding his bike on Roland Avenue.
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Baltimore Sun
Baltimore County has the distinction of ranking among the top 10 jurisdictions in the country based on the Complete Streets policy the County Council initiated that takes into account the use of roads by cyclists and pedestrians, as well as motorists.
[B’ Spokes: While special thanks to Tom Quirk and David Marks are in order, I really must highlight the large discrepancy between near the best in policies and near the worst outcomes for cyclists and pedestrians. We also have this problem on the state level, maybe we should get some award for the best double talking politicians or something. LAB loves our policies`at the state level but the results on the ground are still a bit different, like a bike mode share less than the national average (just one quick stat among several), not bad for being in or near the top 10 bike friendly states. :/]
[B’ Spokes: A well written piece from Dan Rodricks about the future of Baltimore becoming accomidating of cyclists, along with special kudos to the Episcopal Diocese and their unusually candid series of public statements.]
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-rodricks-0108-20150108-column.html
By Fern Shen, Baltimore Brew
The first people to stop and try to help cyclist Thomas Palermo – some Boys Latin students on their way to the school to play soccer on a sunny Saturday – did not see the car crash that threw the 41-year-old from his bike and ultimately kill him.
All they saw was a man lying in the street, on the southbound side of Roland Avenue, his head on the sidewalk curb, and they went to see if he needed help, said Matt Manzoni, a Boys Latin senior.
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What He Saw
“We saw somebody on the side of the road, so we did a U-turn at Lake” Avenue, said Manzoni, speaking last night. “It was a man lying alone. No one was around.”
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by Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times
"’Healthy obesity’ is quite a misleading term,” said the lead author, Joshua A. Bell, a doctoral candidate at University College London. “It sounds safe, but we know that it’s only healthy in a relative sense. The healthy obese become unhealthy and progress into the highest risk group. This is a real challenge to the idea that the obese can be healthy in the long term.”
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/many-healthy-obese-dont-stay-healthy/
By Robert Steuteville, Better! Cities & Towns
Traffic engineers and transportation planners are aware of the research favoring walkability, they know that complete streets work, and yet many are unwilling to face the logical implications: Their long-held practices need to change.
We need more than a few good transportation engineers.
Janette Sadik-Khan was a rare Department of Transportation official, under former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who challenged long-held practices. She pushed hard to make the city’s streets and public spaces better for people outside of motorized vehicles.
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Knowing the futility of finding better solutions that way, Sadik-Khan was clever. When a big change was warranted, she proposed the idea as a temporary test. Traffic studies are notoriously unreliable—they often overestimate traffic substantially, contributing to the design of larger, faster streets and roads that discourage walking and induce more traffic. The system is guaranteed to confirm conventional practice. Traffic studies often delay projects for years and raise costs.
A temporary test project, instead, generates real-world data in real time. When these tests worked, the city made the changes permanent. Then new changes were proposed.
In that way Times Square and many other places in New York City were substantially improved. Half of the space in Times Square is now given to people to enjoy. Business is up, safety is improved, and the traffic still flows. One of the top three tourist attractions in the world now has better transportation balance. Using the old system, such a result is hard to imagine.
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https://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/robert-steuteville/21381/seeking-more-few-good-transportation-engineers
[B’ Spokes: This all sounds good till you realize we had the same conversation in 2002 and since that time the state’s own survey of bicycling improvements (Bicycle Level of Service) has remained virtually unchanged since then. And please, please, please get rid of the signs that say "Bikes Share the Road"]
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WBAL
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On Monday, members of bike advocacy groups brought their concerns about creating safer bike lanes to Maryland highway officials. The advocacy groups are talking to the state about a specific project but want to ensure all major transportation projects include safe bicycle routes.
Cycling advocates don’t think "share the road" signs, like ones on Maryland Route 170 in Linthicum, are enough. They want a buffer built to better protect bicycle lanes as the state prepares to make improvements along Route 170.
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https://www.wbaltv.com/news/bicycle-safety-advocates-call-for-road-improvements/30540456
San Martin Drive near JHU is a cycling gem, both as a commuter route and a scenic pleasure ride. JHU is in the process of rebuilding it, and it is imperative that the new design accommodate bikes. Attend the public meeting and make your desires known.
San Martin Drive Improvements Meeting
Wednesday, January 7
6:30 pm
Johns Hopkins Keswick
3910 Keswick Road
Classrooms A & B, South Building
Johns Hopkins University is planning improvements for San Martin Drive, including improved safety for all user groups,
upgrading conditions and appearance, and creating a better first impression while entering the Johns Hopkins campus from the West.
There is plenty of free visitor parking after 5 pm at the South Building (under the overhang),
To access the parking lot:
–From 37th Street go up the hill and park under the overhang
–From Keswick Road (at Craybombe) turn right and drive up the hill and park under the overhang
Be prepared to sign in and show ID at the building entrance which will be in front of you once you park
Please contact if you plan to attend:
Jennifer Mielke, Director
Office of Community Affairs
Johns Hopkins University
Jmielke3@jhu.edu
Via https://www.facebook.com/groups/bikebmore/763031053751119/?ref=notif¬if_t=group_activity
by Rory McKeown, Daily Echo
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Police are continuing to investigate the incident and have today confirmed a 33-year-old man from Waterlooville has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by driving without due care and attention.
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https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/11699100.display/
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[B’ Spokes: Could you imagine the impact if this happened here after every cyclists and pedestrian fatality? Why do we let drivers that kill off while investigation takes place, why not jail or posting bond while investigation is on going?]
BY LEONARDO BLAIR, Christian Post
The Baltimore Police Department confirmed Monday that it’s building a criminal case against Bishop Heather Cook, 58, the second-highest ranking official of the Episcopal Church of Maryland, after she crashed into a married father of two as he cycled along a local roadway then fled the scene as he lay dying two Saturdays ago.
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[Detective Howard] "In the interest of preserving the investigation and not contaminating a jury pool we will not release any aspects of the case prematurely. … We don’t want facts and evidence about things floating out in space before a person is charged for the crime," he said.
"Investigations of this nature are typically a methodical process. There’s a lot of forensic evidence that has to be reviewed and evaluated … so it’s still an active and open investigation," he added.
Addressing the deceased’s supporters’ concerns that Cook be swiftly charged with murder, he said that investigators needed as much time as necessary to prove that a crime was committed and there’s no specific date on when this would happen.
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