Children Detach From Natural World As They Explore The Virtual One


by Peter Fimrite

Yosemite may be nice and all, but Tommy Nguyen of San Francisco would much prefer spending his day in front of a new video game or strolling around the mall with his buddies.
...
In Yosemite and other parks, he said, furrowing his brow to emphasize the absurdly lopsided comparison,

Continue Reading

  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

New map item: North Point State Park


I volunteered to help with Tour du Port so they stationed me out near North Point State Park. The roads through Dundalk were decent enough but the heavy industrial scenery is not my cup of tea. On the other side of 695 there is a bike trail that leads to North Point State Park. The park itself is wonderful and I wish I had more time to explore. Links to our mapping project and North Point State Park follow.

Continue Reading

  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Baltimore Retro Ride


Retro Ride is an excuse to wear your oldest jersey, ride your oldest bike, and appreciate the artisan workmanship of lugged steel.

Annual Baltimore Retro Ride

Saturday October 27th at Oregon Ridge Park, Shawan Road exit West off I-83.

- 9 am or so to socialize, check out bikes, take photos.
- ride begins at 10 am
- cost is FREE. No awards, no trophies. Just talking about and riding bikes.
- enjoy a 35 mile ride on Northern Baltimore County roads with beautiful Fall weather

Modern bikes are welcome too!

Directions to ride start - from Baltimore I-83 north to Shawan Rd west. At first traffic light turn left (Beaver Dam Rd), go about half a mile to the Oregon Ridge Center parking lot on the right.

Continue Reading

  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Site Going offline


We will be performing some equipment moves. Baltimore Spokes will be offline for 24 hours. Sorry for the short notice. We will be back online by 8pm 10/24/07 at the latest.
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

PEDALING EDUCATION


By JEFF MAPES
Two years ago, on a visit to Amsterdam, I watched a middle-aged motorist prepare to turn right off a busy highway onto a street bisected by a bicycle path. Both the driver and the woman next to him craned their necks looking over their right shoulders to make sure they would not hit a cyclist.

What struck me as I stood there, only a few feet away, was that there was not a hint of irritation or impatience in their faces as they waited 10 to 15 seconds until the road was clear and they could safely turn.

That simple awareness -- and patience -- on the part of drivers is one reason why it is statistically three times as safe to cycle in the Netherlands as in the United States, despite that virtually no cyclist in Holland wears a helmet.
...
Instead, I want the city, and ideally the entire country, to be a lot safer for all of us. The truth is that everyone is far too much at risk in traffic, whether in a vehicle, on a bike or walking.

Last year in the United States, 42,642 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, including 4,784 pedestrians and 773 cyclists. That's the equivalent of having two fully loaded jumbo jets fall from the sky and kill everyone aboard -- twice a week.

And here's the number that amazes me. Last year, 2.6 million people were injured on American roads. Your odds of being hurt in a crash are nearly one in a hundred, every single year. To me, these are not statistics.
...
As a society, we pay a lot more attention and money combating homicide, which causes half as many deaths as motor vehicles.
...
One professor, William Lucy at the University of Virginia, has made a cottage industry out of examining the combined death rates for homicide and vehicle crashes. He found that the overall death rate is higher on the suburban fringes of metropolitan areas in Virginia than in the high-crime cities of Richmond and Washington, D.C.
...
And this brings me back to that middle-aged Dutch couple, patiently waiting to make their turn. Part of their safety culture is watching out for the weakest among them. "There's a strong political and social interest to save vulnerable road users, to protect children, to protect elderly people," explained Fred Wegman, who runs the country's traffic safety research institute.

And in watching out for others, they are protecting themselves. We can do that here, too.


Continue Reading

  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Mayor


Some of the movers and shakers trying to make Baltimore more bicycle friendly
Back rowBarry ChildressEva KhouryGreg Hinchliffe
Baltimore SpokesBaltimore Bike/Ped CoordinatorMBAC Chair
Front rowRichard ChambersBob MooreGary Letteron
One Less CarBaltimore Bicycling ClubBaltimore Planning
Behind the camera: Mark Counselman
And there are other members who were not in attendance that night.
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Baltimore Real Ale Festival


Off topic, but a lot of fun if you like good beer.

The Society for the Preservation of Beer from Wood is holding its annual Chesapeake Real Ale Festival!

"The Region's Premier Real Ale Event"

Saturday, October 27, 2007
1-6pm
The Wharf Rat at Camden Yards
206 W. Pratt St, Baltimore

Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door

More information at http://www.spbw.org/realale

  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Safe streets - Not pedaling can kill you


A good article covering the following topics:
  • Biking is safer than it used to be.
  • Cycling is safer than you might believe.
  • Biking's health benefits massively outweigh its health risks.
  • Cycling is not as safe as it should be.
  • Making cycling safer is a main chance for healthy, lasting prosperity.
    1. Good cycling facilities.
    2. Bike- and pedestrian-oriented traffic laws save lives, too.
    3. Educating drivers and cyclists also boosts safety.
    4. Safety in numbers.

Continue Reading

  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)