Laurie Lemiux and her dog, Carmen, commute from Greenbelt to College Park on a regular basis. And to keep them protected, Lemiux equips her bike with a pint-sized camera.
“Cyclists often get blamed for the accident,” said Lemiux. “If you have a camera that documented what really happened, you have your witness right there.”
Small cameras, usually installed in helmets can be used to document accidents or catch license plate number of vehicles that leave the scene.
...
Thanks to Joe for pointing this out. Heather Simmons, the driver who hit Diane Whitman from behind on Olney-Latonsville Road/Route 108, killing her, was found guilty of Negligent driving and "Not Keeping 3 Feet" and charged $400 in fines. That may be the first prosecution of the 3 feet rule in the region.
There doesn't seem to be any sign of points or loss of license. There may be a civil case that follows, but still it looks like 2 tickets for $400 is the extent of the punishment.
B' Spokes: First let me congratulate UMD for getting to this point of "too many" bikes. This is a great accomplishment and one they should feel proud of. This is good news!
From a campus arborist, ". The real concern is that the bike(s) will scar or damage the bark. Once the tree is damaged the tree must overcome that wound and there is the possibility the wounds can be so severe that the tree can die. There is also added foot compaction to the soil around the tree which limits the productivity of the roots. Overall it is best to keep items that cause mechanical damage away from the trees. " https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151076582051497&set=o.113115015368119&type=1&relevant_count=1
I'm sorry but saying there is a danger to trees from bikes parking against it is like saying there is a danger of bleeding to death from a paper cut. Granted I am not an expert here but the "dangers" of soil compaction caused by bikes has come up in various bike meetings and those in the know have always refuted the idea.
Don't get me wrong I love trees! And if there was adequate bike parking this would not be an issue. But some perspective is needed here: 1 bike replaces 1 car but it takes 250 trees to makes 1 car carbon neutral. I hate to sound snobbish here but bikes are saving the planet, so simple and yet they do so much, so their use should be encouraged, not discouraged!
In my previous critic of UMD bike parking regulations I strongly encouraged "If cyclists become such a "problem" then that shows that they need more accommodations" and they responded noting that they earned " Bronze level Bicycle Friendly University" from the League of American Bicyclists... well let's look at that:
The League of American Bicyclists has designated University of Maryland- College Park as a Bicycle Friendly University at the
bronze level. ... Four significant measures the university should take to improve cycling in the campus are:
* Increase the amount of secure bicycle parking throughout the campus. We encourage you to expand the parking so that each commuter has a secure spot to park a bike and parking is placed in areas around campus according to demand. In addition, implement an ordinance that requires bike parking. Ensure that bicycle parking adheres to APBP standards.
... http://bikeumd.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/league-of-american-bicycles-bicycle-friendly-university-feedback/
The Maryland Department of Transportation, along with the State Highway Administration and the Motor Vehicle Administration will be holding a community meeting for the bicycle and pedestrian community on Monday, November 5th beginning at 4:30 PM in the Harry Hughes Suite of the Maryland Department of Transportation, 7201 Corporate Center Drive, Hanover, MD 21076.
This is designed to:
• Introduce Acting MDOT Secretary Darrell B. Mobley:
• Hear from MVA Administrator John Kuo and SHA Administrator Melinda Peters
• Present recent and planned initiatives designed to promote bicycle and pedestrian access and safety
• Receive feedback from the public on concerns regarding bicycling and walking in Maryland
Motive power, seat or saddle, no more than 3 wheels, designed for speeds > 35 mph, is a type that must comply w/ all m/c Fed Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 11-136
Seat, step-thru chassis, 2 wheels 1 wheel = 10” = 2.7hp or = 50cc auto transmission Excludes off-road vehicles 11-134.5
2 or 3 wheels Pedals drive rear wheels, 1 wheel >14” = 1.5hp or = 50cc See Bicycle 11-134.1
Designed to be human powered 2 or 3 wheels, rear drive 1 > 14” 11-104
2 or 3 wheels not a motor scooter, moped, or farm tractor 11-134.4
Titling Required?
Yes
Yes, Effective October 1, 2012
Yes, Effective October 1, 2012
No
No
Registration Required?
Yes
Titling Decal Required to be affixed to the rear of the vehicle
Titling Decal Required to be affixed to the rear of the vehicle
No, but locals can 25-102a8
No See locals permits 25-102a 15
Drv’s Lic Required?
Yes Class M
Drv License or Moped Oper Permit 16-101b
Drv License or Moped Oper Permit 16-101b
No
No
Helmet Required?
Yes 21-1306b
Yes, Effective October 1, 2012
Yes, Effective October 1, 2012
If < 16 yrs Also Locals 21-1207.1
No
Passenger Allowed?
If designed, & has seat & foot rests, for passenger 21-1302 & 1305
If designed, & has seat & foot rests, for pass 21-1203
If designed, & has seat, for passngr 21-1203
If designed, & has seat, for passenger 21-1203
Liability Insurance Required
Yes
Yes, operator must provide proof of insurance upon stop
Yes, operator must provide proof of insurance upon stop
No
No
Allowed on Public Roads?
Yes, except if =< 1.5hp or < 70cc prohibited from control access hwys & where SL > 50 mph 21-1303.1
Not on expway, Not on roadway if SL > 50mph or a smooth shoulder or a bike lane, w/exceptions 21-1205.1
The brown mailing envelopes in which Maryland drivers receive their registration or drivers license renewal forms this month include the message "Give bikes THREE FEET when passing, IT'S THE LAW" along with the standard sketch showing a cyclist to the right of a compact car. The message runs about 30% of the length of the envelope, right above the address window, so alot of people will probably notice it. Running along the bottom of the envelope the entire length of the address window is the message "Share the road, You could save a life."
The Motor Vehicle Administration has also created a public service message in which MVA director John Kuo explains that cyclists may use the full lane before he introduces himself. That explanation is provided over about 18 seconds of video shot from a bicycle while cars pass safely. Mr. Kuo goes on to explain the importance of leaving three feet while passing a bike, with more footage of cars passing bikes, including a bike in the middle of a door-zone bike lane.
Although some advoates have argued that the presence of a double yellow line allows drivers to ignore the three-foot rule, that is clearly not the view of the Maryland Department of Transportation: several of the shots show drivers crossing the double yellow line to leave a safe passing distance.
Barry Childress deserves credit for regularly speaking with Mr. Kuo during 2010-2011 to get MVA to promote bike safety. Then last year, the highway safety office was moved to MVA, which put Mr. Kuo in a position to do more.
(Jim Titus is on WABA's Board of Directors and represents Prince George's County on the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The views expressed here do not represent the official position of either WABA or MBPAC)
B' Spokes: I'll first point out that my assertion is if the road design is well balanced for all uses that traffic fatalities should be in the percentage of the local transportation mode share. If pedestrians are getting killed in a higher percentage of their mode share then the street design needs to be made more pedestrian friendly (not to mention enforcement should center on the thing that kills i.e. cars.) This should be the basis of splitting road safety money.
The problem is of course how to identify the worst spots and in some ways we rely on national efforts to find and correct major issues as this is an emerging field. While the Dangerous by Design report has helped tremendously bringing attention to pedestrian issues nation wide but it seems to miss Maryland. The answer to this is rather simple, our worst pedestrian areas are split up between two different metro areas and Baltimore's metro area gets combined with counties that are not that bad, so our averages seem better then what they would be if broken down by localities.
Not to say anything bad about Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) but they are a quasi federal agency stuck between state agencies and local agencies. And in the case of Maryland (at least) it is the State that holds most of the money to fix these issues and it is the locality that pushes for fixes to get this money. So my point here is we to convince the State as well as the locality that there is a real issue here that needs to be addressed. Hence this report... This is how Maryland localities look up against the top ten worst metropolitan areas as identified by Dangerous by Design:
County
Fatalities % that are pedestrian
ANNE ARUNDEL (3)
32.4
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJPA
31.10%
MONTGOMERY (31)
29.8
ST. MARY'S (37)
27.3
Los Angeles-Long BeachSanta Ana, CA
27.20%
BALTIMORE (5)
27.1
San Francisco-OaklandFremont, CA
26.10%
BALTIMORE CITY (510)
25.6
WASHINGTON (43)
25
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
24.90%
PRINCE GEORGE'S (33)
24.7
CARROLL (13)
22.2
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
21.80%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
21.60%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
21.50%
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI
21.10%
Maryland Total
20.5
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY
19.30%
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV
19.10%
HARFORD (25)
17.4
CHARLES (17)
16.7
CALVERT (9)
12.5
CAROLINE (11)
12.5
FREDERICK (21)
12.5
GARRETT (23)
12.5
CECIL (15)
11.8
QUEEN ANNE'S (35)
9.1
WORCESTER (47)
8.3
In this table I just threw in some metro areas for comparison.
Location
Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
3.5
GARRETT (23)
3.33
CAROLINE (11)
3.02
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL
3
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
2.9
ST. MARY'S (37)
2.84
Jacksonville, FL
2.8
WASHINGTON (43)
2.71
PRINCE GEORGE'S (33)
2.54
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV
2.5
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA
2.4
CARROLL (13)
2.39
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
2.3
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
2.1
QUEEN ANNE'S (35)
2.09
ANNE ARUNDEL (3)
2.04
CHARLES (17)
2.04
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
2
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA
2
BALTIMORE (5)
1.99
CECIL (15)
1.98
WORCESTER (47)
1.94
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA
1.9
Baltimore-Towson, MD
1.8
Maryland Total
1.75
HARFORD (25)
1.63
BALTIMORE CITY (510)
1.61
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
1.6
MONTGOMERY (31)
1.43
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC
1.4
FREDERICK (21)
1.28
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
1.2
CALVERT (9)
1.12
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN
1.1
Note: Both tables omitted Maryland Counties with no pedestrian fatalities.
Critique of the reports "Pedestrian Danger Index"...
B' Spokes: I never really understood why it's governments obligation to provide parking for businesses free of charge. If a business wants a parking let them pony up ~$2000 a spot every few years (IIRC). If businesses were actually paying for their parking we could move it from on-street to a vacant lot turned into a parking lot, we would have options to accommodate all users but as it is there is barely money to keep the status quo. Think about this: Exactly how much gas tax is generated by a stopped and parked car?
I know home owners that are charged for sidewalk repairs and alley repairs, so why are business exempt from on-street parking repairs?
By Pamela Brown, WJLA
