Bike movie, upcoming meetings, and Portland/Seattle photos

Baltimore bike folks,

All this summer the Abell Improvement Association is running a free film series, showing movies in our little neighborhood park on Friday nights. This Friday (July 11th) we’ll be showing “The Triplets of Belleville” in honor of the high proportion of bicyclists in our neighborhood, the desire to increase that number, the fact that Bastille Day is around the corner, and the Tour just started. It’s a silly animated movie, although not quite appropriate for kids.

While the movies are being put on by the Abell Improvement Association and are intended for those members, I thought that some members of Baltimore ’s bicycling community might be interested in knowing about it. The film will be preceded by some shorts for children and projection will probably start around 8:45 p.m. this Friday (Saturday if it rains out Friday night) in the Abell Open Space on 32nd Street between Guilford and Abell Avenues.

The Triplets of Belleville
Abell Open Space
Friday, July 11th (Saturday if rained out)
Kid’s short films start at dusk (around 8:45 p.m.)

I also want to encourage each of you to invite your members/friends to attend the two upcoming Transportation “Community Conversations” for the development of Baltimore ’s Sustainability Plan. The Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee attended the first Transportation Community Conversation en force and I hope we can keep cyclists involved (along with transit riders, pedestrians, and other folks) as we get further into the details of making Baltimore a more sustainable city and a place where everyone can enjoy getting around by walking, bicycling, and taking transit.

I have listed the times, dates, and locations for the Transportation meetings below and also attached a brochure and poster for the upcoming Sustainability Plan Community Conversation meetings. The “Mayor’s Night In” on September 17th and a large public meeting on October 28th will be opportunities to provide input on all aspects of the Sustainability Plan, rather than issue by issue. So if you’d like to change anything about how transportation functions in Baltimore , come to our Transportation meetings in July & August and then to the general meetings in September & October.

July 15: Sustainable Transportation Community Conversation, 6 p.m. – Planning Dept., 417 E. Fayette St. , 8th Floor
August 21: Sustainable Transportation Community Conversation, 5:45 p.m. – Orleans Public Library, 1303 Orleans St .
September 17: Mayor’s Night In (Sustainability Plan focus), 6:00 p.m. – City Hall or War Memorial
October 28: Sustainability Commission Public Presentation, 6:00 p.m. – TBD

Finally, I just got back from a two-week trip to Portland , OR and Seattle , WA , where I was able to attend portions of the Toward Carfree Cities conference and Pedalpalooza. I also had a chance to take part in Portland’s version of “Sunday Streets” (an amazing experience, although auto parking should be restricted near the corners, street smoothness is very important because of the number of bike trailers, and they spent a LOT of time and money getting buy-in from the neighborhood). I’ve got lots of photos from the trip and am posting the best of them at <a href="http://patrickmcmahon.shutterfly.com/">http://patrickmcmahon.shutterfly.com/</a>;. Other events with photos on the site (or that will be) are a bike ride home with Sam Adams ( Portland ’s Mayor-elect), Breakfast on the Bridges for cyclists, the Multnomah County Bike Fair (mainly small- and tall-bike jousting), and bike/streetcar interfaces in Portland and Seattle .

Thanks. Hope to see you Friday night or at the July 15 or Aug. 21st meetings.

Patrick J. McMahon, AICP

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