Background

In 2003 MTA purchased and installed 200 front-end bicycle racks on buses stationed at the Northwest Division Bus Yard in Baltimore City. The racks were purchased through federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds. The cost of these racks was roughly 200,000 dollars.

Due to a lack of proper training for MTA bus operators and maintenance personnel all of the racks have been damaged or destroyed. As of July 2007, no buses in the MTA system currently operate with bicycle racks.

During a meeting with One Less Car and the Transit Riders Action Council of Metropolitan Baltimore MTA Administrator Paul Wiedefeld said that he was committed to seeing that all buses have bike racks in the future. However, MTA has yet to commit to a timeframe or funding plan for purchasing and installing bicycle racks.

It is important to note that the bike racks currently installed on WMATA buses in the Washington DC area were paid for in part by a 600,000-dollar grant from the Maryland Department of Transportation in 2004. As on July 2007, all WMATA metrobuses were equipped with front-end bicycle racks. Although statistics are not yet available, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association states that the racks have been a success with bicyclists and transit riders. Transit ridership on the WMATA system has increased since the installation of the racks.

Most major mass transit systems in the United States, including the systems serving Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago, Annapolis, Montgomery County, Maryland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Virginia Beach operate all or a significant majority of their buses with functioning bicycle racks.

Ciclovia is a community event that brings new life and fun into the streets! During Ciclovia, miles of partially closed roads give way to a festival atmosphere where thousands of families, cyclists, casual and serious strollers, dog walkers, skateboarders, skaters, joggers and runners of all ages and races have a great time together!

Ciclovia (meaning bike-way in Spanish) originated in Bogot

Mass Transit will receive more funding

The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board is a 10-member group responsible for providing regional transportation planning and policy making for the Baltimore metropolitan region. Every four years the board updates its regional long-range plan that outlines the area's transportation needs and priorities.

The first draft version of the plan put aside billions for highway expansion, while leaving mass transit with a small share of the available funds. One Less Car, in conjunction with our partners at the Transit Riders Action Council and B'More Mobile, worked to draft a plan that set aside more money for needed mass transit upgrades.

The BRTB listened to some of our suggestions and the new plan adds 300 million dollars more to mass transit projects. Although this is still far less than what we need, its a step in the right direction.

The BRTB will be accepting comments on the revised plan until Tuesday, November 13th. We need you to make your voice heard by going to the BRTB website and demanding that even more resources are devoted to bike/ped and mass transit projects. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Save the Date - Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
Come and learn about bicycling and walking in Maryland at the annual Maryland Bicycle/Pedestrian Symposium. This year the symposium will be held at the President's Conference Center at the Miller Senate Building in Annapolis.

Come share information with bike and pedestrian planners, advocates, and legislators on making Maryland a better place for everyone. Representatives from organizations and government agencies involved in bicycle and pedestrian issues will have exhibits and presentations throughout the day.

Meet your legislators. Let them know that for a community to be livable and sustainable it must be safe and accessible for bicyclists and pedestrians.

One Less Car introduces a new road safety program

Anyone who has watched the news lately knows that too many pedestrians are being killed on Maryland streets. The speed of automobile traffic is one of the main causes of these tragedies. Its a shocking fact, but a person hit by a car at 30 mph has an almost 90 percent chance of surviving, while if that same person is hit at 40 mph the chance of survival is less than 20 percent.

Community Pace Car is a program that gives Maryland residents a chance to impact traffic safety by taking charge of their neighborhood streets. People who agree to the Community Pace Car pledge agree to do something simple - put the Maryland Community Pace Car sticker on the back of their car and do what the sticker says - drive the speed limit.

A person who joins the Community Pace Car team takes personal responsibility for the impact and example of his or her own driving. As a member of the team he or she keeps traffic at the posted safe speed on neighborhood streets.

In the next five years over 28,000 new households will be relocating to the Baltimore Metropolitan Area because of the recommendations of the US Military

From One Less Car:
Hello Everyone,

I wanted to give you all a brief synopsis of a meeting that Mark Counselman and I had last Thursday with John Porcari, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, Neil Pedersen, the SHA administrator and Sam Minnitte, the director of planning for MDOT. Our agenda centered on ensuring that the state of Maryland have a fully engaged "complete streets" policy where the safety and convenience of all road users (bike/ped/ transit/cars) is accommodated.

The best news was that the Secretary agreed that county transportation engineers need training to ensure that local roads are safe for bikes, peds and transit users. His proposed solution (which we fully agree with) was to make complete streets training a state funding requirement for local DOTs. This means that state funds that go to the counties for road construction would come with a comprehensive complete streets training component. Right now training for bike/ped/transit accommodations is lacking in many county DOT offices. This could potentially remedy that problem. We will definitely be following up with the Secretary to make sure that this becomes a reality

Volunteers are needed to be route marshals, ride marshals, registration workers, and for other jobs. If you have volunteered before we hope that you will join us again. I have heard from some of you who wish to volunteer during Tour Du Port 2007. All those interested in volunteering for Tour du Port, please take a moment to complete our online volunteer registration form.

First review the volunteer activities listed below, as some may have changed since you last served as a volunteer with One Less Car's Tour du Port

Click this link http://www.onelesscar.org/support/volunteer_waiver.php to complete our volunteer application form.

Benefits of volunteering include a colorful Tour du Port t-shirt (select shirt size on volunteer registration), food, one-year complimentary membership in One Less Car, and a fun time!