BikePed Beacon — September 2009

Guide for employees and employers now available in print and for download online
 
Cycling is a healthy, clean, economical and fun way to get to work!

If you are an employee interested in commuting by bike, download our Bicycle Commuter Guide for the Baltimore Region and find out how you can get ready to ride safely to work. Details include rules of the road, how to outfit your bike, and great places to ride. 

We’ve also got a great companion guide – Employer Guide to Bicycle Commuting: Establishing a Bike-friendly Workplace for your Baltimore Region Employees – for employers in the region who want to become a bicycle friendly employer.  Included in this guide are some great tips on how to encourage employees to commute by bike, providing bicycle facilities, and details on the Bicycle Commuter Act and tax incentives for employees. 
Print copies are available at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council offices, as well as at local planning offices, community organizations, and bicycle shops.   
You can also download your copy now using the link below! 
>>> Get your free copy of the Bicycle Commuter Resource Guide

Thank you to the 390+ bicyclists who responded to our survey!
 
Over 390 bicyclists responded to our request for feedback, providing us with an amazing 39% return rate on the survey.  Your input helps us prepare for Bike to Work Day 2010.

Out of the 390+ survey respondents we were surprised to find that almost half had participated in the Baltimore region’s Bike to Work Day for the very first time and many others who had bicycle facilities when they got to work.  Almost all of our cyclists received the notification of the upcoming Bike to Work Day through e-mail and pre-registered before the event.  Since there were so many new riders, it means that our outreach emails were well circulated.  
  
It was encouraging to hear from folks that they enjoyed listening to speakers and meeting sponsors at the rally sites.  However, there is still work to be done for those who can’t ride in with a convoy or stay at a rally site long enough before having to get to work. 
 Rest assured planning for Bike to Work Day 2010 has begun.  Since many folks want support for riding their bicycles to work more than one day a year please look for more events for bicycling during the Clean Commute months of April through June 2010, with Bike to Work Day as the focal point.

>>> Make every day Bike to Work Day.  Find out how.

Celebrate Walk to School Day on Monday, October 7, 2009, and promote safe walking and bicycling throughout the year.

• To enhance the health of kids – Increased physical activity can combat a host of health problems facing kids today.
• To improve air quality and the environment – Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can help reduce air pollution.
• To create safer routes for walking and bicycling – Sidewalks, education programs and traffic calming measures are some of the ways to improve conditions.

Currently, there are over 30 Walk to School Day events planned in Maryland on October 7th.  Use the link below to find out if an event is planned in your community or get the resources to plan your own Walk to School Day!

REGION’S LEADERS LAUNCH ‘STREET SMART’ PEDESTRIAN SAFETY CAMPAIGN

Campaign seeks to reduce injuries and deaths in the region
 

On Wednesday September 16 at 11 a.m. at Patterson Avenue and Reisterstown Road Plaza, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, in conjunction with the Maryland State Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Office (MHSO), launched the Street Smart Pedestrian Safety Campaign. Street Smart is an element of SHA’s “Choose Safety for Life” umbrella campaign and has been used successfully in the Washington, DC, area since 2002.

 
Throughout the campaign, drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists will be urged to look out for one another and obey the rules of the road, such as “Stop/Yield for Pedestrians”, “Wait for Walk”, “Cross after the Bus leaves the Stop”, and “Obey Signs and Signals.”
 
Why Street Smart is important to the Baltimore Region
 
The Baltimore metropolitan region averages 1,700 pedestrian and 500 bicycle crashes each year, resulting in an average of 50 fatalities per year. 
 
In 2008 in the Baltimore region:

231 lives were lost
23,574 people were injured
50,096 crashes were reported
44 pedestrians lost their lives

4 bicyclists died
Thirty-four percent of all pedestrian and bicycle crashes in Maryland occur in Baltimore City. 
The Baltimore region represents 39% of the total fatalities and more than half the crashes and injuries across the state.

The Street Smart Baltimore region campaign will follow on the success of the Regional Highway Safety Campaign, which focused on distracted driving and included radio spots with messages directed to teens and their parents to minimize distracted driving crashes.  Radio spots will debut in the Baltimore region during the third week of September, and will be repeated in the Spring 2010.
 
Street Smart will also work with local law enforcement to raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists to look out for one another on the roadway. 

 
Drivers should stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.  Pedestrians should use crosswalks, obey signals, and cross at intersections.  Learning to be Street Smart reminds us of the importance to use crosswalks, obey signals, and Share the Road before it’s too late.
>>> Find out more about Street Smart at www.drivesafebaltimore.com

• Best Use of Taxpayer Funds: Nate Evans, Bike and Pedestrian Planner for Baltimore City (Baltimore City Paper)

• Rep. Oberstar planning markup on full transportation bill after recess (Transportation For America)

• D.C. Bike Shelter Gives Commuters A Ticket To Ride (NPR)

• Surge in cycle commuting in USA (BikeRadar.com)

• Police training video regarding cycling and rules of the road (Streetsblog.org)

• Study Shows Traditional Neighborhood Development Encourages Walking (Planetizen)

• Cars And Cycle Lanes – Too Close For Comfort (WorldChanging)

• Rail Trails: Why They Matter (National Park Service)

EVENTS

• Environment, Justice, and Health in the Planning Process: Strategies for Maryland is Saturday, October 3  (MD Department of the Environment)

• Tour Du Port is Sunday, October 4 (One Less Car)

• International Walk To School Day is Monday, October 7 (National Center for Safe Routes to School)