Evaluation of State bicycle master plan by FHWA criteria


[underlined not done or not done well. Grade]

In brief, this guidance makes the following key points relevant to State and metropolitan area transportation planning for bicycles and pedestrians:

  • Plan elements should include goals, policy statements, and specific programs and projects whenever possible. C
  • The plan should identify financial resources necessary for implementation. Fail
  • Bicycle and pedestrian projects may be onroad or off-road facilities. Off-road trails that serve valid transportation purposes as connections between origins and destinations are considered eligible projects consistent with the planning process. D
  • Any regionally significant bicycle or pedestrian project funded by or requiring an action by FHWA or FTA must be included in the metropolitan TIP. [In my experience no on-road bike project can make it to the TIP so we will not see any regionally significant on-road bike projects.] Fail
  • Bicycle and pedestrian elements of transportation plans should include:
    • Vision and goal statements and performance criteria. C
    • Assessment of current conditions and needs. A [but with no strategic plan to correct.]
    • Identification of activities required to meet the vision and goals. D
    • Implementation of the bicycle and pedestrian elements in statewide and MPO transportation plans and TIPs. Epic Fail
    • Evaluation of progress using performance measures. Fail [While we do have performance measures we have met or near meeting those measures. The last attainment report recommended revising those goals but to date we have not found who is responsible for revising those goals.]
    • Public involvement as required by Federal transportation legislation and FHWA/FTA planning regulations. Fail [While all the motion of public involvement is done the State uses the design and defend method so public input is negated. And what goes into consideration for bike/ped projects is all political with no public involvement.]
    • Transportation conformity requirements for air quality, where necessary. Fail [Bicycling has not been part of the air quality equation.]

Statewide Bicycle and/or Pedestrian Plans

At the State level, bicycle and pedestrian plans establish policies, goals, and actions for State agencies (i.e., within a State DOT and transit agencies) to accommodate and improve conditions for biking and walking. These plans often include design standards/guidance for local and regional governments, and they typically address education and safety issues as well.

The primary objective of a statewide bicycle and pedestrian access plan is to guide future transportation projects in the State, and to establish programs that support and encourage bicycling and walking. The following types of activities may be included in a statewide bicycle and pedestrian planning process:

  • Public outreach that spans all geographic and jurisdictional regions of the State, and jurisdictional outreach that ensures the involvement of local stakeholders. D
  • Assessment of existing facilities, planning activities, programs, and policies. This may include extensive analysis of the current transportation system to identify deficiencies as well as an analysis of travel patterns and opportunities. D
  • Identification of policies and legal barriers to implementing bicycle and pedestrian improvements (including zoning and subdivision regulations) and development of strategies to address these barriers. Fail
  • Prioritization of locations needing improvements (based on existing conditions analysis and a relative assessment of demand), prioritization of programs, and other actions needed in order to support pedestrian and bicycle transportation. Fail
  • A phased implementation plan that identifies specific recommended actions, identifies the jurisdictions and/or agencies responsible for each action, assigns an estimated cost to each action, and identifies a timeframe for implementing the plan. D

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Bike Clinic Series


The Velocipede Bike Clinic Series is a six-part program that is designed to cover the most common areas of bicycle repair. Every other Monday at 7pm - 9pm, we select a specific component and go into detail the process to service and maintain it.

The Velocipede Bike Clinic Series is taught by members of the Collective as well as other knowledgeable volunteers. There is no cost to attend these clinics!

Please feel free to email us at info"at"velocipedebikeproject.org if you have any questions.

Below is the most recent schedule of clinics
Date...............Topic...............................................Instructor
March 9th.......Wheel Hubs...................................Ben, Charlie
March 23rd....Wheel Truing and Assessments. Boson
April 13th.......Headsets.......................................TBA
April 27th.......Bottom Brackets...........................TBA
May 11th........Brakes and Cable Theory............Charlie, Boson
May 25th........Gears and Chain Theory..............TBA

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T4America Platform


As Congress develops the next transportation authorization, these six priorities should guide them.

1 Establish Accountability for Responsible Investment
Under the current system, most federal transportation dollars go to state departments of transportation, with few questions asked. DOTs remain largely geared toward building highways between metropolitan areas rather than providing multiple options for mobility within metropolitan areas. This is despite the fact that the United States population is highly urbanized, with 80 percent of us living in metropolitan areas and 85 percent of our nation’s economic activity occurring within them. The current law assigns metropolitan areas responsibility for transportation planning, but it does not give them real authority to implement those plans.

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Pedestrian deaths in Chicago are up despite safety measures


[Chicago is concerned about a pedestrian fatality rate of 20/M, Baltimore's rate is 25/M.]

Pedestrian deaths are on the rise in Chicago, despite increased safety measures such as red-light cameras, countdown signals and crosswalk awareness initiatives.

Fifty-six pedestrian fatalities were logged last year—up from 49 deaths in 2007 and 48 deaths in 2006. Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Steele said the agency is reviewing the reasons behind the uptick but said in certain cases, problems with pavement markings, faulty signage and construction projects may be to blame.

Steele also pointed to an increase in pedestrians in Chicago—named the country's fourth most walkable large city in 2008 by Walk Score.

Still, Steele said, "One fatality is one too many. Fifty-odd pedestrian fatalities is close to an average of one a week, and that's far too many. We're committed to this, and the most difficult part of this is changing driver behavior."

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SB 426 Vehicle Laws - Reckless Driving While License Is Suspended or Revoked - Penalty for Serious Bodily Injury


Synopsis:

Establishing a penalty for a person who, while in violation of provisions of law related to driving while a license is canceled, suspended, refused, or revoked, commits a violation of a specified prohibition against reckless driving that results in serious bodily injury or death.

...IS SUBJECT TO A FINE OF NOT MORE THAN $1,000, OR IMPRISONMENT FOR NOT MORE THAN 3 YEARS, OR BOTH.

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SB 388 Baltimore City - Vehicle Laws - Speed Monitoring Systems


Authorizing the placement of speed monitoring systems on specified highways in Baltimore City; making specified provisions of law relating to the enforcement of speed limit laws with speed monitoring systems applicable in Baltimore City; etc.

[Note that Montgomery County already has this law.]

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The lack of public access to Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee


MBPAC exists by State statue (Transportation § 2-606) and its discrepancies with the Open Meetings Act.

It has come to my attention that there was a meeting discussing State shoulder striping policy (more info follows on why we should be concerned with this policy) with no public notice. While I was given opportunity to comment after the fact via email the lack of pre-notification concerns me as I feel this is part part of an ongoing problem, MBPAC subcommittee meetings and agenda\'s (where most of the work is done) are NOT public, the minutes from those meetings are NOT public, the agenda for upcoming MBPAC meetings are NOT made public but are only available by special request and only for the next meeting. Per Micheal Jackson, this is per his boss\' orders. IMHO this is going way overboard, what opportunities do exist for the public should be encouraged not discouraged. As a reporter and a representative of not only the BBC but of the BRTB BPAG as well, the fact that MBPAC is not willing to accommodate my interest in what MBPAC is doing is very disconcerting. My time is limited so I can\'t always participate and for the most part I trust what the committee members are doing but the lack of NOT even being informed what MBPAC is doing and general poor communication at this level should not be tolerated. Additionally it would be nice if a visitor gets quoted in the minutes they should be given a chance to comment on the draft before going public with it. (I will note that it is good to see the MBPAC meeting minutes going on-line, one positive thing anyway but the last two meetings (4 months) are not up yet, real timely information. :( )

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A world where “cars have a right to housing and people don’t”


Via Wired, a transportation planner makes an impassioned plea for overhauling our car-centric mindset. Our cities have become places where “cars have a right to housing and people don’t,” lamented Timothy Papandreau at a recent symposium called Expanding the Vision of Sustainable Mobility.

Just think of the space required to support our car habit, he said: “You have to have a place to park at home, a place to park at work, and a place to park at retail establishments.” Not to mention how inefficiently our freeways use space — the 200 people that are carried (on average) by 177 cars could be carried by just three buses instead. “All that road space could become something else,” he said, advocating for a comprehensive government initiative to disincentivize driving.

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