MD Streets Rank No. 8 in Bicycle Safety

B' Spokes: (In reaction to the Silver Spring Patch article of the same name.) Er... no. LAB's ranking has nothing to do with safety, especially the overall ranking of all the following areas combined: Legislation and Enforcement, Policies and Programs, Infrastructure and Funding, Education and Encouragement, Evaluation and Planning.

I will also highlight LAB's feedback (note the last item in regards to safety.)

• Develop a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) curriculum for bicycling enforcement both for new officers and continuing education – focus on laws related to bicyclists, interactions between motorists and bicyclists, and bicycle collision investigation.
• Adopt federal funding project rating criteria that incentivize bicycle projects and accommodations. The state is spending a low amount, less than .50 percent, of federal funding on bicyclists and pedestrians, particularly on transportation enhancements.
• Bicycle ridership, while good, must continue to increase. Determine barriers that people face when bicycling and implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce barriers and increase ridership.
• Add bicycle safety as an emphasis area in the state Strategic Highway Safety Plan and aggressively fund bike safety projects.

The Patch article: <a href="http://silverspring.patch.com/articles/md-streets-rank-no-8-in-bicycle-safety-119465af">http://silverspring.patch.com/articles/md-streets-rank-no-8-in-bicycle-safety-119465af</a>;
LAB's report card for Maryland: <a href="http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlystate/bfs_report_cards/maryland.pdf">http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlystate/bfs_report_cards/maryland.pdf</a>;