The art of abandonment

A interesting read for those into urban revival but what struck me was this opening about a car centric city in all its spectacular gray:

IT IS January 2007 in Detroit; 8am, so morning is just starting to moan across the sky. Detroit is on the far western edge of the eastern time zone; winter days are short. You are preparing to head downtown from an Oakland county suburb—West Bloomfield, maybe, Southfield or Farmington Hills. To get into Detroit from any of them you’ll take the Lodge freeway. You have to: Detroit has no commuter trains, no subway, metro or underground. In the Motor City, you drive. So you trundle along on the Lodge, the morning growing lighter but not sunnier, the sky becoming the same nondescript grey as the tarmac, when, at the Lodge’s southward turn, where it meets the Davison freeway coming from the east, something unusual catches the corner of your eye.

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FIT! The Urbanite Guide to Getting Healthy and Being Well

Oops. Another year (or is it a decade?) has come and gone, and you’re no closer to being in shape and feeling healthy than you were last year at this time. You meant to join a gym and start a yoga program and bike to work and go for long walks and wake up early and work out … you really did. So what happened? You got busy, or bored, or you re-aggravated that trick knee from college and had to drop the regimen after a week. Or maybe you didn’t even know where to start.

Look around and you will find yourself in good company. Despite a burgeoning fitness industry and ever-more-compelling evidence linking excess weight to a constellation of public health problems, we keep getting bigger and bigger: The average Marylander has put on at least 18 pounds since 1988. The nonprofit United Health Foundation estimates that by 2018 more than half of Maryland residents will be obese, with the projected cost of additional health care to treat increased illness landing north of $7 billion. Kind of makes the cost of gym membership [or a bike] pale in comparison.
...

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Study: Baltimore Unsafe For Pedestrians, Cyclists

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― A new study ranks Maryland and the Baltimore area among the worst when it comes to pedestrian and bicycling safety.

Derek Valcourt has details on the study and why some question its findings.

Johns Hopkins student Miriam Frankl was killed by a driver while crossing the road, Chuck Yates, 67, was run over by a truck as he rode his bike through Baltimore and a 20-year-old ballet dancer was struck and killed as she was trying to cross Rt. 24 in Harford County.

The horrible headlines have become all too common and, according to a new study by Transportation for America, pedestrians and bicyclists make up 19.4% of Maryland's traffic-related deaths. That study labels the Baltimore/Towson area as the 29th most dangerous metropolitan area in the nation for both walkers and bikers. That's no surprise to many Baltimore natives.

"I've almost gotten hit down here and I've been working down here for over 10 years, at least three times trying to cross the street," said Carolyn Winder.

The study examines the amount of money being spent on pedestrian safety in Maryland. It ranks the state as second worst in the nation, spending only six-tenths of one percent of its total federal transportation funds on bicycling and walking projects.

State highway officials fault the study for only looking at federal dollars and not looking at how state dollars are spent, and they say more federal dollars are going toward pedestrian improvements than the study indicates.

"We're really probably a leader in the pack if you look at all of our spending and the whole picture," said Valerie Burnette Edgar, State Highway Administration.

[Baltimore Spokes: I can not emphasize enough the absurdity of the above statement, imagine going to a doctor to review your progress on your diet and he asks you how much money you have spent on diet food. And he responds you are making great progress as you are spending a lot on diet food. And you are thinking but I gained 100 lbs how is this good progress? Similarly Maryland's pedestrian fatality rate is now the 6th worst per FARS. Road safety is a lot like a diet as it requires a proper mix of a variety of items and some of those are very low cost items. In rearguards to supporting a variety of items for road safety Maryland is an epic failure. It's not about how much you are spending it's about results and how smart you are with spending.]

"I think the report does have some methodological problems to it, but the point is well taken that we need to be doing a lot more in terms of pedestrian safety," said City Transportation Deputy Director Jamie Kendricks.

[Baltimore Spokes: While I applaud the efforts the City is doing what Federal Aid money I can trace to Baltimore has been Federally earmark funds. That is to say we had to do an end run around the State to bypass the State not following recommend Federal policies in administering Federal Funds. And the absurd bit is now this counts as the State spending funds on our behalf.]

State highway officials say they plan to spend more than $113 million in bicycle and pedestrian improvements over the next five years.

City officials say they've already added 45 miles of bike paths in Baltimore and have plans to add another 60 miles of bike lanes next year.

[Baltimore Spokes: Here's a novel idea; (just to name one) how about also enforcing crosswalk laws? As I said it's about supporting a variety of items for road safety.and not what is being spent, not mention some things are very low cost.]

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Why MARC doesn't allow most bikes

By Michael Dresser

There was a lot of discussion on the Getting There blog last week about MARC and bicycles, with some readers questioning why the Maryland Transit Administration isn't more open to bringing the two-wheelers on board. I suggested that bringing bicycles aboard the trains could pose a safety hazard. Now we're getting the official version from Henry M. Kay, the MTA's deputy administrator for planning and engineering (at right in 2005 Sun photo).

Here's his explanation of MTA's policy:

When MTA tuned up its bike policies a decade ago we took a close look at MARC with the idea of making it as bike-friendly as Light Rail and Metro (since then the buses were also equipped with racks). Commuter railroads are very diverse in terms of their ridership, equipment, stations and operating environments so what might work on one system won’t work on another. As you correctly identify, our challenge is crowding on peak period trains and the safety issues associated with unsecured and protruding objects. The Penn Line in particular is the fastest commuter railroad in the nation so strict safety standards are in place.

Our solution was a vertical bike rack mounted to the side of each passenger coach. The bike storage area would be separated from the rest of the car by a partition. Our design was tested at the Federal Railroad Administration’s facility in Colorado. However, since it would have meant the loss of two rows of seats in each car we ultimately decided not to proceed. Adding a dedicated car for bikes is not an option for us because we are short on mid-day and overnight storage space. Under our current policy you can bring a bike on board if it can be folded and stowed out of the aisle. Otherwise, we have racks and lockers available at many stations. We are installing more when we receive requests. Here’s a link to a comprehensive description of our policies: <a href="http://www.mtamaryland.com/resources/bikesonmta/MTA_Bicycles_Brochure.pdf">http://www.mtamaryland.com/resources/bikesonmta/MTA_Bicycles_Brochure.pdf</a>;

From what I know of MARC's capacity issues, taking space away from passengers to provide secure bike storage would provoke a commuter revolt. I'm going with the MTA on this one.

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This time, someone took the whole bike rack in Charles Village

The problem: The bicycle rack at Baltimore's first on-street bike parking area in Charles Village is missing.
...
&quot;It was a big deal. ... To have it go away so quickly, it was like, 'Well, that's no fun,' &quot; Walther said.

The good news is, the bike racks will return - although there will be fewer spots for bikes than before, to balance with demand for car parking, said Nate Evans, the bicycle and pedestrian planner for Baltimore's Department of Transportation.
...
[Baltimore Spokes: IMHO the problem was the two hour limit on the bike Parking, people were afraid to park there and then have their bikes confiscated. That is after all the impression you get when you see a warning sign and no bikes. Please next time no time limit unless there is over use by commuters.]

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I-SUC for mandatory helmet use

image

WHO WE ARE

i-SUC is the passionate work of two founding members.

Robert Sikkernar
A upstanding member of his community, Robert is well-known from the tv commericals in which he stars, promoting his car dealership - The SUV Showroom. He is a leading member of his church, the Ford Enthusiast's Motor Club and in his spare time, he likes to relax at the shooting range. He says it best himself! "One of the most beautiful sights I know is that of a helmeted cyclist on the roads. Whenever I see one I honk and give them a big thumbs up!"

Emma Tidspild
A childhood friend of Robert's Emma started riding her bike when she was seven years old and the passion just caught on. She works at a law firm that represents large corporations like Tech Chemicals and she, too, is an upstanding member of her community. Emma says: "We live over 2 miles from the supermarket and Church so I don't ride much but my passion is teaching and tutoring parents to make their kids wear bike helmets. I have helped so many people see the light and that is a wonderful feeling."

[yes, this website is a spoof website, you moron.]
[My comment:] Which reminds me of this conversation:
Cyclist: "Watch where you are driving, that was really unsafe."
Motorist: "If you wore a helmet I would not have to drive safe."

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Top state bike transportation stories of the decade

Here is my take on the top bike issues

The Good:
* The Great Allegheny Passage - extending the C&amp;O Canal to Pittsburgh
* Woodrow Wilson Bridge opens with a bike path
* Baltimore City's Bike Master Plan and continued support

The Bad:
* Maryland's pedestrian fatality ranking by the Federal Analysis and Reporting System (FARS) started this decade as #20, we now rank #6 worst state in the union.
* The lack of spending much Federal Aid on bike/ped projects.
* State Policy in administering Federal Aid that is NOT in alignment with Federal Policies that essentially make the localities first prove they don't need the funding before getting any funding.
* Lower then the National average in bike commuting
* Hatem Bridge - We &quot;need&quot; two fast car only bridges about a mile apart not to mention the local residents &quot;enjoy&quot; all the 24/7 heavy truck traffic that utilizes the low cost yearly pass to bypass the tolls on I-95.

The Ugly (Things that should have worked out better then what they have):
Near the start of this decade we got:
* § 2-602. Public policy. The General Assembly finds that it is in the public interest for the State to include enhanced transportation facilities for pedestrians and bicycle riders as an essential component of the State's transportation system, ... and best engineering practices regarding the needs of bicycle riders and pedestrians shall be employed in all phases of transportation planning, including highway design, construction, reconstruction, and repair as well as expansion and improvement of other transportation facilities; ...
* Maryland Statewide 20-Year Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Master Plan - we are almost half way though the time period, how are we doing in making Maryland the best state for bicycling?
* § 2-603. Director of Bicycle and Pedestrian Access.

The most laughable assertion by the State:
The ICC a $4 billion highway (more expensive then the Bay Bridge) is both economical and environmentally friendly while the &quot;planed&quot; hiker/biker trail is nether economical nor environmentally friendly.

[Feel free to add your own in the comments.]
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Driving me Crazy

[Another Baltimore Bicycling Blog? What's going on in Baltimore anyway? An excerpt:]

Non-cyclists are forever saying that bike riders should be held to the same standards as motorists. Agreed, but turnabout is fair play. Motorists should have to abide by the same behavior expected of cyclists. For instance:

* When drivers arrive at a stop sign or red light, they must open the door and put one foot on the ground to prove they have made a full stop.

* Cyclists who momentarily leave the bike lane to avoid an obstacle always suffer the wrath of motorists. Similarly, cars should not be permitted to change lanes in order to avoid mattresses, ladders, pedestrians and the like.

* Group rides get hassled. So should large groups of motor vehicles. Find yourself driving in a long line of cars on the highway? You're disrupting traffic for everyone behind. The cops should be able to pull you over and even confiscate your vehicle. (Might be hard to get your car in the back seat of the cruiser, but that's a detail to be worked out later.)

* Who always gets blamed in a car-bike crash? You got it. Similarly, if a larger vehicle like a dump truck collides with a car, it must be the car's fault. Because they're operating a smaller class of vehicle, car drivers de facto don't know what they're doing and must be punished.

* Cyclists are constantly being told they don't belong on the road because they don't &quot;pay taxes&quot; by buying gas, paying tolls, etc., even though many riders also drive -- just not at this moment. Likewise, motorists shouldn't have access to public services like police protection on the road unless they are actually paying their taxes while driving. [Personally my likewise would be not to let people use the sidewalk unless their shoes where specially taxed to pay for sidewalks.]

Which, unfortunately, many drivers probably do.

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