ONE LESS CAR (OLC) UPDATE - LEARN ABOUT:

1. Transportation for Our Communities, Equity & Our Environment (May 14th)
2. Bike to Work Day (May 15th)
3. Mini Cycle Across MD/Chesapeake Bay Air Ride & Roll (June 5-7th)
4. Tour du Port Registration to Open May 15th
5. New Executive Director
6. OLC Supports Tour dem Parks
7. OLC Event Committee Forming
8. OLC Develops Advocacy Task Force
9. Bike Clinic
10. Legislative Update
11. OLC seeks New Board Members & Volunteers
12. Job Announcement
13. OLC Launches New Website
     

May 14, 2009 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm  Maryland Forum: Transportation for Our Communities, Equity, and the Environment

How should Maryland spend billions on transportation? What will it mean for you, your family, and your commute? Congress is about to draft the 6-Year Transportation Reauthorization bill that could bring billions to Maryland in national transportation funding and set priorities that will affect our region. If we choose to the right priorities, this money could be used to invest in Metro rail, the Purple Line, buses, and bicycle/pedestrian needs. We could link affordable housing to jobs to address the regional economic divide, all while ensuring that we reduce energy consumption, stormwater pollution, and green house gases by adopting smarter growth and transportation alternatives.  Click Here to learn more about this important event.

MAY 15TH - RIDE WITH OLC ON BIKE TO WORK DAY
    

Bike to Work Day 2009, will be celebrated across the nation on Friday May 15TH. Click here to register. 

What is Bike-To-Work Day?
Bike-to-Work Day promotes a “clean commute” and kicks off Clean Commute Month in the Baltimore region. May is the beginning of the ground-level ozone season, when we hear about Code Red and Orange Ozone Action Days. On those days, the air is dangerous to breathe – especially for the young and for the elderly. Single occupancy vehicles produce 20% of the dangerous ozone-emission pollution in the Baltimore area. Bike commuting can improve the air we breathe. Sound interesting? Give it a shot & join us for Bike-to-Work Day 2009 - May 15th! 

June 5th-7th - New Event - MINI Cycle Across Maryland (CAM) Bicycle Event

One Less Car & the American Lung Association present the Chesapeake Bay Air Ride & Roll at Salisbury University, MD.  Enjoy a weekend ride through sun-kissed fields, historic towns and sandy beaches and make a difference in the life of someone with lung disease. When you can't breathe, nothing else matters! This fundraiser supports the missions of OLC & the ALA!

REGISTER NOW at: http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/e01/team.jsp?id=2372&tid=35649  
For a $10 discount please make sure to join the One Less Car Team and use the discount code: OLC    Then click "JOIN OUR TEAM" in the top left corner of the page to begin the registration process.

Tour du Port - Baltimore's Premier Bicycle Event - OCTOBER 4th, 2009

Registration opens this Friday - May 15th.  To register CLICK HERE. Bring your family and friends to experience the charm of Charm City. Join thousands of riders at the Canton Waterfront Park to kick off the 16th Annual Tour du Port. Routes range from 12 to 52 miles! Tour through over eight historic neighborhoods, waterfront areas and parks. This fully supported tour includes lunch, refreshments at rest stops, map and sag and a post-ride festival at Tour's end.

This is One Less Car's Annual Fundraiser!  All fees go directly to advancing the programs and advocacy efforts of One Less Car, a non-profit dedicated to walking, bicycling and mass transit in Maryland. $35 for pre-registered adults; $15 for children under 13. 

One Less Car Names Carol Silldorff Executive Director

One Less Car works throughout Maryland to reduce car usage and decrease congestion so people can get to where they need to go efficiently. The goal is to increase walking, biking, carpooling, public transit, telecommuting, and flex scheduling opportunities. These Smart Transit choices promote physical activity, emotional well-being, social interaction, equity, environmental stewardship and resource conservation.

Ms. Silldorff is increasing One Less Car’s base of advocates and leaders in promoting this very timely message. “Carol comes to us with a background in advocating for the health and vitality of our region” said Greg Cantori, President of One Less Car. “We are excited to have her now use those skills in advancing our mission in making Maryland a better place to live and work.”

Ms. Silldorff has a Masters degree in Public Administration with a specialization in Environmental Management from the University of Delaware. Prior to Silldorff’s tenure with Baltimore Green Week (Works), she held a leadership role with the Prettyboy Watershed Association. Additionally, she has worked for the Delaware Legislature, an Environmental Consulting Firm, and was the Environmental Director of a fortune 500 Corporation.

In 2008, she received the Best of Baltimore award for her excellence in promoting the health of individuals, communities and our environment.

One of Silldorff’s top priorities is to launch a SMART TRANSIT program that will incorporate and link together existing and new transit opportunities and incentives. This program can be used by anyone - from individuals to large private companies, hospitals and even universities. Employees and employers can actually receive money for participating in the program! Silldorff is working to form partnerships to launch this program, and stresses how important partnerships are to the success of these initiatives. “We all want the same thing – happiness, a sense of community, health and prosperity and no one wants more cars on our roads."  It is time to rethink how we use our public space formerly known as roads into something for people not just for inanimate objects. Walking, bicycling, ride-sharing, bus and rail need to be emphasized not just for the environment but for personal health as well. The need for OLC to continue to provide programs that stimulate alternative transportation is more essential than ever. Silldorff has 20 years of experience as a cyclist so she knows the benefits of being active.

OLC Supports Tour dem Parks!

Visit www.tourdemparks.org to learn more.

OLC Event Committee Forming

If you would like to become a member of the OLC Event Planning Committee please contact Carol Silldorff.  The Committee will meet on May 19th in Towson.  The current Committee focus is the coordination of the Tour du Port and Fall Bicycle Forum.  Later in the year, the Committee will focus on developing the Annual Transit/Bicycle Symposium and Cycle Across Maryland or a new bicycle event.

OLC Develops Advocacy Task Force

OLC is creating an advocacy task force to help plan, execute and win transit related campaigns.  We will meet before the legislative session and monthly throughout the session to develop a timeline, clearly define and assign tasks, prioritize legislative matters, strategize and more.  The first meeting will be scheduled in July.  To learn more please contact Barry Childress or Carol Silldorff.  A big THANK YOU to all of the advocates that worked diligently on the many bicycle related bills this session.

Back to the Beginning Bike Clinic

The first bicycle (1818) the bicycle rider's feet were in contact with the ground and over time the bicycle evolved to be the most energy efficient forms of locomotion (not to mention the most fun!) So for those who are having trouble with these newfangled bicycles are invited to join us and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks for a beginners bike clinic were we mimic the Draisine (pictured) by lowering the seat and (temporarily) removing the pedals and practice mastering these magnificent machines on some gentle grassy slopes of Druid Hill Park.

This clinic is for adults and by appointment only.  Please contact Barry Childress in regard to your availability and if you need a bike and helmet.

• Date when you can borrow a bike (RSVP required 410-919-7695) - Saturday May 16 (Druid Hill Park Disk Golf Course) 10:00 a.m.
• Continued practice (participants must supply there own bike and helmet) dates:
  Saturday May 30 (Druid Hill Park Disk Golf Course) 10:00 a.m.
  Saturday June 6 (Druid Hill Park Disk Golf Course) 10:00 a.m.
  Possibly more dates, stay tuned.

Legislative Update

For detailed legislative information visit Legislative Update.

• Speed Cameras: Legislation allowing speed cameras in work zones and school zones won approval. Montgomery County's program, which also permits cameras in residential areas, was grand fathered into the new program.
• Drivers' Licenses: Bills passed cracking down on drunken drivers, enhancing teen driver safety. Among these bills is one I sponsored requiring the Motor Vehicle Administration to suspend licenses of young drivers found guilty of hit and run, reckless driving or other serious traffic offenses. The bill closely follows Georgia legislation that dramatically reduced traffic accidents and deaths among teen drivers.
• Other Environmental Bills: Governor O'Malley's bill committing Maryland to a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gases won approval.

2009 Bills SUPPORTED

• House Bill 97 Criminal Law: Manslaughter by Vehicle
• Senate Bill 428 and House Bill 496 - Three Foot Bicycle Safety Bill
• House Bill 1197 – Removal of Mandatory Shoulder use and gives cyclists the right-of-way in crosswalks
• Senate Bill 98 - No Text Messaging While Driving
• House Bill 152 - Arrest for Leaving a Scene of an Accident Involving Injury
• Senate Bill 15 – House Bill 481 Funding for Bike-Ped Access to Schools
• Senate Bill 250 - SUPPORT SB 250 only with Amendment to Include Bicycles
• House Bill 1537 - Task Force to Study the Feasibility of Establishing Teleworking Centers on the Eastern Shore for Chesapeake Bay Bridge Commuters
• HB 1144 - as amended - added a representative from MNCCPC to MBPAC and increased MBPAC to 22 members. (That's the whole bill - all the rest of the text was deleted). As amended this passed unanimously in both houses.
• Speed camera and red light camera bills: Only the Work Zone bill passed both the PG and Baltimore City bills died in subcommittees.

2009 Bills OPPOSED:

• House Bill 187 Mandatory Helmet Law
• House Bill 25 Scooter Road Restriction  

OLC Seeks New Board Members and Volunteers

One Less Car seeks new board members with time, resources and talent - and passion for the OLC mission. Please contact Carol Silldorff if interested. Additionally, we are looking for experts to volunteer in these areas: grant writing, event coordination, fundraising, marketing, writing, community outreach, program development, administrative tasks and more.  Learn More.

Job Announcement

Seeking experienced  event coordinator and fundraiser.  Part time - approximately 10-20 hours per week.  Immediate opening.  Send resume, cover letter and references to Carol Silldorff.
 

One Less Car (OLC) launches new website: www.onelesscar.org

We’ve completely overhauled the site, making it much more user-friendly and adding some great new features. Take some time and look around and learn about OLC's events and programs. We are continuing to add new content daily. A new component of the website is the OLC BLOG which provides commentary or news on transportation alternatives and other topics of interest. Readers can leave comments in this interactive format.
 

Support OLC

Please support One Less Car. OLC is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your contribution is tax deductible. The OLC volunteer Board of Directors and Executive Director provide direction to a diverse group of volunteers, along with minimal staff, who advocate for providing safe and effective transportation alternatives for all citizens through education, lobbying, and facilitation between our communities, governments, and state and local representatives. We believe that Maryland can be an example of the economic and social good that comes from a society where everyone – regardless of age, physical condition or economic background - has the opportunity to bike, walk or use mass transit to get where they need to go.
DONATE HERE.