Bicycle helmets do an outstanding job of keeping our skulls intact in a major crash. But they do almost nothing to prevent concussions and other significant Brain inJuries—and the very government agency created to protect us is part of the proBlem. the time has come to demand something safer.
...

For more than thirty years, medical researchers have known that concussions occur because of brain spin, not blunt force. Helmet makers ignored the concussion problem because they assumed they couldn't solve it, and their customers didn't much care. Riders assumed they were safe because the government certified every helmet sold. What they don't know is that the government standard is the very thing that prevents helmets from getting better -- and addressing the concussion problem.

And that problem is getting worse. The death rate for bicyclists has steadily declined over the past 15 years. The concussion rate for bicyclists is going the other direction. It's growing faster than the sport.

The good news: There is a solution. It's available on the shelf today. You just have to know where to look.

Via http://www.brucebarcott.com/2013/05/your-bike-helmet-doesnt-do-what-you-think-it-does-heres-why-.html
The PDF: http://www.bicycling.com/sites/default/files/uploads/BI-June-13-Helmet.pdf

Boloco's giant burrito airstream trailer took a road trip to follow Tim Johnson's Ride on Washington. It was quite the epic adventure...! Watch all the way to the end for a special offer (hint: help us support cycling, and we'll help your stomach)!

4 Days Left to Register for RECRIDE and get the Early Bird Rate!
Weather calls for 80 degrees and sun!      

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - Get the early bird rate until May 16th. Register today!

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Please support Bike Maryland's programs!  Click here to become a member or click here to make a donation.  Thank You!

by Tanya Snyder, Streets Blog

Deaths from motor vehicle crashes rose 5.3 percent in 2012, according to new numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It’s the first time since 2005 that fatalities have gone up. Vehicle miles traveled only rose 0.3 percent last year.
...

Fatalities rose the most in the northeast (>15 percent)...

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/05/03/nhtsa-traffic-deaths-shot-up-5-3-percent-to-34080-in-2012/

The Department of Transportation Services is offering select UMD students the opportunity to exchange their current parking registration and forgo their eligibility for a 2013-2014 commuter parking permit for a Fuji bicycle (pictured below) and safety accessories (U-lock and helmet). Students interested in participating in this exchange must take a 30 minute course on bicycle commuting to receive the bicycle.

Why should you do this?
UMD is actively working to meet sustainability goals of carbon neutrality, and this is a great chance to do your part. In addition to helping the environment, you'll save money on a parking permit, receive a free bicycle, and get more exercise.

Who is eligible?
Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior standing students with active commuter license plate registration and who are registered for the 2013/2014 school year.

What if I find that I need to register for parking next year even though I wasn't planning to?
Students who participate in this exchange are not eligible to register for parking in the upcoming school year. Students who signed up for the exchange and change their minds after receiving the bicycle may register for parking, however the following conditions apply:

1. You must return the bicycle to DOTS.

2. Your parking registration will include the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) fee in addition to the normal commuter rate.
Is this real?
YES! Students will receive a Fuji hybrid bicycle to keep forever. DOTS and bikeUMD are happy to support you as a cyclist however possible, but maintenance and storage of your bicycle will be up to you. The Campus Bike Shop offers free service to UMD students.

ACT NOW: This new program is limited to 20 participants.

Any other questions? Contact Michael Levengood, DOTS bikeUMD bicycle coordinator for more information. He can be reached at bike@umd.edu<mailto:bike@umd.edu>.

[cid:image004.jpg@01CE41A6.02D875C0]http://www.transportation.umd.edu/images/about/pdfs/tradePermit.pdf


Sincerely,

Beverly Malone
Assistant Director - Marketing, PR and TDM
University of Maryland Department of Transportation Services
Regents Drive Garage, Bldg 202
College Park, Maryland 20742
301.314.7275

by TODD LITMAN, Planetizen

...
The root of the problem is that automobile transportation is costly - more costly in total than other modes. Motorists spend, on average, about 18% of their income on their vehicles and fuel, and about 10% of their housing costs for residential parking. This heavy cost burden makes motorists selfish; they often argue that somebody else should bear the costs of road and parking facilities in order to make driving affordable, and that no transportation funds should be "diverted" to support other modes. As a result, alternatives are underfunded: although 10-15% of urban trips are made by walking and cycling, non-motorized modes only receive 1-3% of total transportation funding, and far less if parking facility costs are also considered. A better solution than increasing subsidies for driving is to invest more in affordable modes, particularly walking and cycling facilities, in order to reduce total transport costs.
...

http://www.planetizen.com/node/62128

A worthy group to support and a chance to win a folding bike.

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/05/01/support-streetsblog-get-a-chance-to-win-a-folding-bike/

The article I am responding to: https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/973a9ee48bc8

B' Spokes: First a bit from Slate on this topic:

"Something felt wrong. It wasn't injustice, exactly—all of these bikers broke the law. But was their behavior any great public-safety risk? Even after hearing about the spate of tickets, I haven't changed my behavior. What's the point of traffic laws for bikes? And if there is a point, is there any way to get me and my stop sign-flouting cohort to follow the rules of the road?"
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/transport/2009/10/stop_means_stop.html
(There's more interesting points in there as well.)

So while the article discusses "If there weren't cars, we wouldn't need stop signs [or stop lights]," what it misses is that if you put in bike lanes and detectors that detect bicycles you get a higher obedience to stop lights from cyclists. So what the police are really doing is ticketing cyclists for the failure of DOT to accommodate cyclists. That is an injustice!

Let's see if I can make a stronger case. Given the following (incorrect) summary of the law:
-> The law says the bicyclist has the responsibility to move aside and let you pass
http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20101012170700484
And more recently something very similar: http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20130430133239834

So what's supposed to happen at an intersection if a cyclist is the first one at a light and some motorists feel it is the cyclist obligation to let them pass? What I am trying to get to here there is a social pressure that cyclists are not welcomed at intersections and should get the heck out of there. And there is a cycling sweet spot staying behind a platoon of traffic that has been queued at a light as "the bother" to motorist is minimal while maintaining this position.

So I find it very ironic that we want to "crack down" on this behavior when there is a element in there of trying to be considerate to motorists. If the police and the state is going to put out incorrect information, you have to expect some bizarre ways of trying to deal with this. So let me conclude with the Slate article conclusion:

"As a biker, my wish would be for police to crack down on more dangerous behavior, such as riding at night without a light or tearing the wrong way down a one-way street [or riding against traffic in general]. ... If cops started handing out more tickets for one-way infractions, bikers like me would probably clean up their most-outrageous behaviors. Once that happens, maybe all of us—cyclists and car people and activists and cops—could agree to leave the rolling stop alone."

-=*=-
After thought:
Let's say we totally support strict traffic law enforcement and if the police were doing their job well we would see a lot of motorists getting tickets for failing to stop before making a right turn and passing a cyclist with less than 3 feet. The fact that it seems the police let these more serious crimes go unpunished and then ticket a cyclist for crossing a street with no traffic seems like harassment of cyclists. Does that fit within the Cyclists Bill of Rights for the city? http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20110308133257644

[B' Spokes: The first thing I thought of: '"Why can't this be done here?" Then I thought: "Liability issues." Ironically sad we can't teach younger folks about traffic safety because of the perceived lack of traffic safety on today's roads. There is also the point how kids bike 15 kilometers (almost 10 miles) while here we bus kids at an incredible expense from the education budget not to mention promoting the obesity epidemic by busing kids away from playgrounds as soon as school is over as a matter of policy.]

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The Link: http://maps.roads.maryland.gov/cyclemaryland/

B' Spokes: First kudos for getting this up on the web. But I'll note if you turn on the "Bicycle Level of Comfort" layer they grouped grades C & D together and that's not right. That would be like saying here is a list of restaurants that are satisfactory and less than satisfactory and we are not going to tell which is which so go ahead and just try them out and if you don't like it well that's what a grade D means.

I have to ask how is that promoting bicycling or encouraging people to ride if the state knowling says roads that are less than satisfactory are satisfactory? This also ties into the state's 20 year bicycling plan (which is currently being updated) which has a goal of 80% of state roads with a BLOC grade D (unsatisfactory) or better. We need a goal of 100% BLOC grade C or better and no more BS about how goals need to be attainable and then the state knocks out a 20 year goal in less than a year and then we got stuck with no improvement for the next ten years. The CTP is for attainable goals not the long range plan!