Biking in Baltimore
[B’ Spokes: Has there been any tickets in Maryland for violation of our 3 foot law?]
https://www.myfoxdc.com/story/29477458/enforcement-of-bicycle-passing-distance-up-slightly-in-va
Continue reading “Enforcement of bicycle passing distance up slightly in Va.”
BY NELSON RICE, Bicycling
Here’s more reason to keep riding well after you’ve eclipsed 40 years old: Endurance exercise may keep your brain working at full-tilt as you age, according to a new study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin attempted to determine the correlation between a person’s cardio fitness and cognitive function in middle-aged adults.
…
https://www.bicycling.com/training/health-injuries/exercise-makes-you-smarter-you-age
By MICHAEL LEWYN, Planetizen
Some months ago, I wrote that laws against so-called “jaywalking” (that is, crossing in places other than crosswalks or where traffic lights encourage pedestrians to cross) fail to promote safety, because traffic lights are inadequate guides to safety. When crossing midblock, a pedestrian need only watch out for traffic coming in one direction—right toward her. By contrast, when crossing at a light, a pedestrian may be in less danger from cars coming straight at him, but may be attacked by cars making left and right turns. Moreover, it is not at all clear that jaywalking is a major cause of pedestrian fatalities; although most crashes do occur outside intersections, these crashes often occur in places where there is no easily available crosswalk. According to traffic writer Tom Vanderbilt, “While jaywalking is often cited as a cause of pedestrian accidents, less than 20 percent of fatalities occurred where a pedestrian was crossing outside an easily available crosswalk.” And even where a pedestrian is jaywalking, a crash may be caused primarily by driver misconduct.
…
https://www.planetizen.com/node/79023/case-against-jaywalking-laws-part-2
“What you see in discourses about cycling is the absolute classic 1960s and 1970s social psychology of prejudice,” he explains. “It’s exactly those things that used to be done about minority ethnic groups and so on – the overgeneralisation of negative traits, under-representation of negative behaviours by one’s own group, that kind of thing. It’s just textbook prejudiced behaviour.”
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/01/sabotage-and-hatred-what-have-people-got-against-cyclists
And similar:
Drivers’ antagonism toward cyclists termed ‘classic prejudiced behavior’
-> Dublin ranks just under Los Angeles for having some of the worst traffic jams in the world. The problem is predicted to get worse as the city quickly growssomehow, it will have to squeeze in 20% more commuters over the next decade. That’s why the city is now deciding to make a radical shift: It wants to ban cars from several major downtown streets. In the proposed plan, the city wants to route cars around the city center, and turn major streets into car-free plazas and passages for buses, bikes, pedestrians, and a new tram line. [https://bit.ly/1IggFqg]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
[B’ Spokes: Greater density calls for greater density forms of travel and single occupancy vehicles with three or more empty seats is not it.]
-> USDOT: Many communities across the U.S. have embraced an approach that reduces roadway congestion and stretches our transportation dollars: bicycle infrastructure. Even better, improving bicycle infrastructure boosts economic growth.
In Texas, for example, the City of Austin estimates that a planned protected bike lane network will increase the citys traffic capacity by 25,000 trips a day (https://bit.ly/1GKk38q). And, a report from the New York City DOT shows that installation of protected bike lanes on Columbus Avenue actually led to a 35 percent decrease in vehicle travel time (https://bit.ly/1yeUe19)…
Bicycle infrastructure can be a significant contributor to economic growth… a Furman University study reported increases in commerce ranging from 30 percent to 80 percent for businesses within 250 yards of a greenway, and linked more than 75 percent of Saturday business and 40 percent of weekday business to greenway use…. [https://1.usa.gov/1dyqZh5]
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/ph-ac-cn-marc-release-0701-20150701-story.html
“One-way separated bike lanes should have a minimum width of 5 ft. ”
See Figure 8
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/separated_bikelane_pdg/page07.cfm#chapter5_dir
“Ten-foot lane widths would mean ample room for safer, buffered and protected bike lanes. On the other hand, making travel lanes wider would lead to higher vehicle speeds that’d then make it more difficult to make downtown College Park walking and biking-friendly.”
There’s plenty of room for safe bike lanes in College Park
https://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/26574/theres-plenty-of-room-for-safe-bike-lanes-in-college-park/
[B’ Spokes: Maryland has had a complete streets policy since 2001 and we are still waiting for something more than a spot improvement here and there that involves a capital expenditure. And in the following article they are complaining after 3 years. Welcome to our world were even the League of American Bicyclist award words over action.]
********************************************************
https://www.streetsblog.net/2015/07/01/your-city-has-a-complete-streets-policy-but-does-it-have-complete-streets/