A Smart Growth Future for Maryland
* Strive for less traffic congestion and more transportation choices, as measured by a reduction in vehicle miles traveled;
and additionally
* Provide a greater percentage of new homes affordable to working families;
* Create more jobs near transit stations and in communities that need them most;
* Ensure that the water in our creeks, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay is clean and healthy for fish, crabs and people
13 Scary Facts about Global Warming
35% -- Increase in the global carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels since the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1992.
34% -- Percentage that 2008's Arctic seasonal sea ice melt outpaced normal levels.
$427 million -- Amount spent by the oil and coal industries in the first six months of 2008 in political contributions, lobbying expenditures and advertising to oppose climate action.
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I am an optimist, I believe someday we will have the power to do reasonably cool things with and for bicyclists but that will only happen with the involvement of Government and its citizens. The days of backroom deal making were never really ours to enjoy so I do not understand why some groups and individuals take the lone warrior tactic, especially when the outcome results in a blank page.
The hearing for the 3-foot bicycle bill
Thank you,
Carol
Carol Silldorff, M.P.A.
Executive Director
One Less Car
Speeder City
[Per capita Baltimore has about twice the crash rate of New York City, what's valid in NYC should be doubly valid here.]
"New York City can't keep looking the other way while speeding takes the lives of children, grandparents and neighbors by the dozens," Wiley Norvell said. "Speeding contributes to three times as many crashes as drunk driving, and yet Albany has denied New York City the one tool needed to enforce against this crime: speed enforcement cameras."
-- NY Daily News, 2/12
T.A. surveyed over 15,000 vehicles at 13 locations throughout the five boroughs. |
Although any cyclist, pedestrian or person with a pair of eyes could have assumed as much, this survey of over 15,000 vehicles at 13 locations throughout the five boroughs provides the data to back up that long anecdotal estimation.
The study found: on East Houston Street, 70% of drivers sped through a school zone; on Rogers Avenue in Brooklyn, 88% answered the call of a lead foot; and on Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island's most dangerous road, cars were often clocked traveling more than 60 miles per hour.
Each of these horrifying figures not only shows the below-bar quality of the NYPD's speeding enforcement programs, but also indicates that speeding drivers put hundreds of thousands of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers at risk every day.
Speeding contributes to roughly 2,400 motor vehicle crashes in New York City each year--nearly three times the number attributed to drunk driving. The likelihood of a crash resulting in a pedestrian fatality increases exponentially with speed; a pedestrian struck at 40 mph has only a 30% chance of survival.
Something must be done to address NYC's speeding epidemic. To this end, T.A. is calling on the City to design streets for lower speeds, for the NYPD to collect data that documents the frequency of speeding, and for the State Legislature to pave the way for speeding enforcement cameras in NYC.
Symposium Thank You
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Baltimore County Projects “Shovel Ready” but no bike projects :(
Bike trail for ICC may go unfinished
...
"Here's what people like myself struggle with -- how can this be the environmental tipping point given what we are doing and the protections that are necessary?" A frustrated Councilmember Roger Berliner says. "And how can the costs be that much greater to add 15 feet on a six lane highway, in which we pledged to the community that we are going to make this piece connected?"
...
Right on Red Enforcement Support Letter
I am writing on behalf of the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (MBAC) to express our support for the city’s efforts to enforce current laws that govern vehicles when turning right on a red signal light at key intersections, particularly where there is significant bicycle traffic. We believe that aggressively enforcing “No Right on Red” prohibitions and the requirement for a full stop before making an authorized right turn on red is essential to protecting the safety of cyclists and pedestrians and to enhancing the livability of the City of Baltimore . The use of photo enforcement strikes us as important as it is not practical for police officers and Special Traffic Enforcement Officers to be present at all times and all locations.
The majority of intersections in the city permit drivers to turn right at a red light, after coming to a complete stop. “No Right on Red” signs are only put in place when a clear danger to pedestrians, cyclists, and/or drivers has been identified. Some “No Right on Red” signs have even been put in place as a result of accidents or fatalities at the intersection. Unfortunately, some irresponsible drivers have been ignoring the prohibition. At intersections where a right turn on a red signal is authorized, some drivers have been ignoring the requirement to come to a complete stop before turning and are “rolling” through the intersection as if at a “Yield” sign.
Cyclists waiting to proceed through the intersection can easily be overlooked by drivers because they are smaller than a motor vehicle. Thus, “No Right on Red” rules at select locations and the requirement for a full stop before making an authorized right turn on red are vital in the prevention of bicycle accidents and fatalities.
Because of the clear danger posed by their violation, we hope that the city will do its utmost to enforce “Right on Red” restrictions.
Sincerely,
Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee