Wheels of change: Baltimore's bike crusade
By Andrew Zaleski, For b
For 23 years, Penny Troutner has owned Light Street Cycles in Federal Hill. And she had seen bicycles on Baltimore's streets, for recreation and transportation, even before she opened her bike shop. But Troutner holds up 2011 as the year she noticed drivers giving cyclists in the city more room on the road.
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But infrastructure improvements have also contributed to safer streets for cyclists. Since 2006, 140 miles of cycling lanes on city streets have been installed, a measure that garnered Baltimore recognition from the national League of American Bicyclists as a bicycle-friendly community.
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"We're going to see a visible difference in the next two to three years of bike infrastructure in the city," said Billy Hwang, 40, the deputy director for administration at the city's Department of Transportation.
Hwang said this year marks the first time Baltimore is "dedicating federal and local funds to bicycling," a total of about $3.1 million to put toward bike infrastructure, including another 500 bike racks that will be placed citywide over the next year.
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Nowhere has that call for better infrastructure been stronger over the past year than inside Bikemore, a cycling advocacy group founded in 2012.
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Hear the plan
Bike and pedestrian planner Caitlin Doolin will present the Downtown Bicycle Network at the central branch of the Enoch Pratt Free library (400 Cathedral Street) from 5-7 p.m. on Feb. 4.
<a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bthesite/bs-b-0122-baltimore-bikes-20140121,0,1736056,full.story">http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bthesite/bs-b-0122-baltimore-bikes-20140121,0,1736056,full.story</a>;
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[B' Spokes: Click the link above at least to show support for more articles like this as well as I skipped a lot of good stuff so there is a lot more in there.]