New Rules for Bus/Bike Lanes
Video on WBAL: <a href="http://www.wbaltv.com/video/22073857/index.html">http://www.wbaltv.com/video/22073857/index.html</a>;
Video on WBAL: <a href="http://www.wbaltv.com/video/22073857/index.html">http://www.wbaltv.com/video/22073857/index.html</a>;
Help decide what 2010 will bring
Time is running out to tell us your concerns and hopes for transportation in 2010.
Our survey is brief, easy, and will help shape our priorities in the year ahead - but you still haven't taken it!
Take our brief survey before midnight on December 31.
In the past year, you've helped us push Congress to improve our nation's transportation system.
Together we've fought back when legislators tried to chop funding for initiatives like high-speed rail and infrastructure that makes it safer to walk, ride, and drive. And we've turned up the heat on Congress to build the 21st century transportation system America needs.
Thanks to the commitment of people like you, more of our leaders are realizing that many of the top issues facing our country - including the economy, climate change, and energy security - can't be solved without addressing transportation.
And people across the nation are being inspired to stand up for mass transit, speak out for pedestrians and cyclists, and fight for stronger communities. Americans are recognizing that it's time to have more ways to travel, commute, and get around our neighborhoods.
We need to build on this momentum in 2010. Will you help by telling us which issues are most important to you?
Help us hit the ground running in 2010 - take our survey before the year is out!
Thank you again, from all of us at Transportation for America, for making 2009 such an incredible year.
And Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Ilana Preuss
National Outreach Director
Transportation for America
Maryland Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Called Into Question
From Maryland-law.com:Bicyclist Struck and Killed by Bladensburg Police Car
Just yesterday we examined Maryland's deficiencies in the realm of pedestrian and bicyclist safety ( see <a href="http://www.maryland-law.com/library/maryland-pedestrian-safety-an-oxymoron.cfm">http://www.maryland-law.com/library/maryland-pedestrian-safety-an-oxymoron.cfm</a>; ).
Today we learn from the Washington Post that on Saturday November 7th, 2009 a local bicyclist was struck and killed in Bladensburg by a Bladensburg police officer.
Reportedly, the cyclist was emerging from Bladen Plaza shopping center onto Annapolis Road when he was struck by a Bladensburg Police vehicle operated by Officer Alex Salinas.
The cyclist was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
16th Annual "I've Ridden Every Day This Year!" Ride
ALL Paces, 5-45mi., ALL Conditions, Noon, Friday, Jan 1st, Mt Airy, Md.That's what you'll say the whole day, and hopefully many days following as you start 2010 with cycling miles. No downside. Healthy and fun. Well, there was that resolution about organizing the sock drawer. Besides, ya kinda are. Set aside a pair or two of thin woolies depending on the temp.
Don't worry, our noon start time allows plenty of time to slug down the Starbucks, chomp down some flapjacks, throw a few logs on the fire and cuddle with a loved one or two, catch a few cartoons, shovel out the minivan, dust off and inflate the tires on the bike from December hibernation, or even catch a few extra winks in the year's first sleep-in. You'll be home long before dark if you made a resolution to clean the yard compost the tree, or take down the lights.
This 'inclusive' ride almost guarantees no dropped riders - from the easy pace of the casual new-hybrid-for-the-holidays rider to the over-achieving racer - we will have local leaders to work with the breaks and stragglers alike in this known-for-being-conversational outing in 'possum country.
We'll mingle a bit in the lot, size up the clothing, bikes, chatter, and calves, and all start together.
After a few gasps of the country air on our initial beginners' slope start, many will know how much of a toll December's parties took out of them.
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Bicycling & Hostels Summary
Back in October Baltimore's Hostel hosted an event touring on two wheels.
Jeffery Marks shared photos and stories of his trip to Washington State and Victoria, BC.
Larry Black of Mt Airy Bicycle and College Park Bicycle fame did an excellent presentation on tandems. "What one change could you make to revitalize your health, relationships and sense of well being? Believe it or not, the answer could be a tandem bicycle."
If you have been thinking about a tandem, Larry shared an excellent resource: Why We Tandem. Be sure to click on the "Next Article" link at the bottom of the referenced page to go through all the information. And let's not forget to mention Larry's dedication to tandem bikes and making sure you find the one that is just right for you.
Two more Baltimore cycling blogs
100 Mile Bike Ride Article: 17 Cycling Safety Tips to Keep You Alive as a London Push Bike Messenger
And The 1000 mile summer - Bicycle Commuting in Baltimore…Ten Miles at a Time
U.S. car accident cost: $164.2 billion
I saw a commercial for On-Star automatic crash response "This can help save your life." Which seems like a continuation of the never ending "safe crashing" mentality which has actually done very little to improve car safety or reduce injuries. One of these days hopefully we will learn to put pressure on "safe driving" over "safe crashing" but till that day it got me thinking about the 37,261 traffic fatalities and the 2,346,000 traffic injuries by the 124,124,523 drivers*. That is 1 in 52 drivers that could use this service annually. My point in this post is everyone could use safer roads. And rest easy, drivers' in Maryland take a grueling 20 question test before being allowed to drive.
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By Catherine Clifford, CNNMoney.com staff writer
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Auto accidents cost each American more than $1,000 a year, 2-1/2 times the cost of the traffic jams that frustrate the nation's drivers, according to a report issued Wednesday.
The motorist advocacy group AAA said accidents cost $164.2 billion each year, which based on the methodology used in the report comes to an annual per person cost of $1,051.
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Yet, the annual tally of motor vehicle-related fatalities barely registers as a blip in most people's minds."
The nation needs to change its "cultural complacency" regarding accident deaths on its roads,
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Elly Martin, a spokeswoman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told CNNMoney.com that the cost of accidents to society could be even greater than what the AAA study is predicting.
Martin said a prior study by her group concluded"that the cost to society was $230.6 billion in 2000 and the likelihood is that it is even greater today."
"Society is paying a huge price for motor vehicle crashes on our roadways," she said. To top of page
Proposals seek to encourage more cyclists and to make Baltimore streets safer for them
Boson Au commutes from his Charles Village home to his downtown office by bicycle. He rides his bike to the grocery store and, with a group of cycling friends, to bars on weekends.Traveling by bike allows Au a more immediate and intimate experience of Baltimore than driving a car. "It makes the city seem smaller and closer," said the 32-year-old Web developer. "I'm seeing the streets. I'm feeling the bumps. It's made me more involved in the city."
But Baltimore's congested and pothole-ridden streets pose many hazards to cyclists. Au has been hit by cars twice - once while waiting at a stop light in Mount Vernon and once while riding in Harbor East during his lunch break - although he was not seriously hurt in either accident.
"I'm one of the lucky ones," he said, showing a mangled red rim - a memento from one of his crashes - that hangs from the ceiling at Velocipede, the Station North bike shop, where he is a collective member.
A passel of laws proposed recently by City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke is aimed at encouraging more people to travel by bike while making streets safer for riders.
US 40 Considered a Leading Danger Zone for Injuries and Deaths
According to the Baltimore Sun, since January 2003 at least 29 Maryland pedestrian fatalities have occurred in the 52-mile section of US 40 where it merges into Interstate 70 in Western Howard County. At least 8 of the pedestrian deaths occurred in Baltimore City, and except for 2 fatalities, the other pedestrian deaths occurred in West Baltimore. 21 pedestrian fatalities occurred in Baltimore County, Howard County, and Harford County, with the 3-4 fatalities that took place in the Maryland cities of Rosedale, Ellicott City, and Aberdeen occurring within a few hundred feet of each other.Maryland State Highway Administration spokesperson Dave Buck says US 40, a main arterial highway, was constructed before pedestrian safety was considered a priority. A recent report by Surface Transportation Policy Project and Transportation for America recently pointed to highway design as one of the main causes of pedestrian deaths.
The report noted that 56% of pedestrian fatalities occur on roads that weren’t designed with pedestrian safety in mind. The report says arterial roads usually have multiple lanes, high speed limits, and few (if any) crossing signals or crosswalks.
Other arterial loads linked to Baltimore pedestrian accidents include Ritchie Highway, US 1, Reierstown Road, Liberty Road, and Mountain Road. With so many pedestrians continuing to die and get hurt in US traffic crashes each year—4,378 US pedestrian fatalities, 69,000 pedestrian injuries, and 116 Maryland pedestrian deaths in 2008—local, state, and federal entities must make sure that roads are properly designed to limit the number of pedestrian injuries and deaths.
Maryland College Student Dies in Fatal Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident
Another late-October traffic fatality took the life of a University of Maryland junior who was apparently the victim of a hit-and-run pedestrian accident. Having represented victims of pedestrian injury accidents, I can understand the pain and grief of such a loss, not only to the family but to the friends and schoolmates of this young woman. When it comes to car and truck accidents, the occupants in the vehicles have a much better survival rate than the persons on foot.According to news reports, the Baltimore Police were investigating this particular hit-and-run accident, which claimed the life of Miriam Frankl just before 3:30pm on a Friday afternoon in October. Reportedly, police investigators had apparently questioned the owner of the white Ford F-250 truck that fatally injured Frankl while making an illegal left turn onto E. University Parkway from St. Paul St that day. Frankl died the following morning the University of Maryland Shock Trauma unit.