Filmed by Bike, a festival of independent bike-themed short movies from around the world, is accepting entries until Feb 15, 2009. All submissions must be eight minutes of less. A jury will make the final selections. Hundreds will enter from around the world, but only 30 can make the final cut. Visit FilmedByBike.org for more info.
[Having been involved with some of the conversations between LAB and the State and with LAB and the City of Baltimore I can say LAB is starting to make a difference in Maryland, please consider your support.]
We know the holiday season is a busy time, and that this year everyone is taking a much harder look at what they spend.
The League relies on your membership dues and additional contributions for the majority of our income – and over the years members like you have given us an incredible boost by closing out the year with a generous gift to help us continue our work on your behalf.
Just before Thanksgiving, we mailed you a summary of the progress we’ve made this year thanks to your support: here are the highlights. We:
We also identified some of the incredible opportunities (and challenges) ahead of us in 2009.
Consider this:
A new Congress and Administration will commence work in just 30 days on three absolutely critical, and potentially transformative initiatives – a massive economic stimulus package, a new transportation funding bill, and climate change legislation. Taken together, these will direct more than one trillion dollars of infrastructure investment in the next five years – shaping our nation’s future every bit as dramatically as the New Deal, World War II, and the Interstate Highway System.
Our programs that we have built with your support provide a roadmap – better still, a bike map – for ensuring this investment creates sustainable, bicycle-friendly communities for the future. We can’t afford to pour all that money into 1950’s-style highway projects and programs.
We have to have a voice at the table, and your support now is critical.
If you have already sent an end-of-year contribution, we thank you, and we look forward to serving you – promoting and protecting the rights of cyclists – in the year ahead.
Sincerely,
Andy Clarke
President
League of American Bicyclists
2-604 Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan.
[LA just adopted the following:]
We would like to request photo submissions for the Sustainability Plan that highlight Baltimore and its people for the following seven chapters:
In addition we would be interested in cityscape photos that could be used in the introductory sections. Full credit will be given for any submissions used. Please send submissions by December 30th to Cassandra Kapsos-Scouten at Cassandra.Kapsos-scouten@baltimorecity.gov
The Sustainability Plan will be posted online starting December 30, 2008 at http://www.baltimorecity.gov/government/planning/sustainability/ and will be available for public comment for 30 days.
Please consider the environment prior to printing;
Does caffeine inhibit or improve athletic performance? According to Australian researcher John Hawley, it helps. "With the ingestion of both caffeine and carbohydrate, the overall amount of glycogen stored in the muscle for the four-hour period was 60 percent higher than with carbohydrate alone," Hawley is quoted as saying in the following VeloNews piece. "There is absolutely no question that this additional muscle glycogen would improve performance." Potential downsides: the recommended dose can cause side effects such as insomnia, jitteriness, and gastrointestinal upset.
[From the League of American Bicyclists]
Come check out the entries (as well as the eight finalists) of the North Ave. Bike Rack Project!!! This Friday, Dec 12th at the North Ave Market.
BALTIMORE – Going gray waiting for the MARC? Wet leaves bring your
commute to a screeching halt? Maybe that red-light camera got your
number. Or the bike lanes that only seem to run through other
people's neighborhoods just aren't big enough for an OCLV carbon frame
AND and a '78 Buick. Any which way, Eight-Stone Press (ESP) wants to
know!
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Moving On
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Friends,
It saddens me to say that I will be leaving my post as Executive Director of One Less Car this month. It's been a great twenty-two months and I've had a wonderful time working with all of you. One Less Car is a very small non-profit and I would be lying if I said its been easy juggling a full schedule of events, advocacy and administrative minutiae. But looking back I see a lot for OLC members to be proud of - Bicycle racks on all MTA buses, the repeal of the state ban on bikes and peds on MdTA bridges, the OLC BRAC report, the Fall '08 Bike Summit, the Baltimore transit summits and, of course, CAM and Tour du Port. I know that OLC will continue on a path where advocacy will be a central focus. Marylanders need a strong advocate for bike and pedestrian issues and OLC can certainly fill that role. Carol Silldorff, a former consultant for Baltimore Green Week, will be the Interim Executive Director of One Less Car starting in Mid-December. I hope you will all join me in wishing her the best of luck. Richard Chambers, Executive Director 
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Public comments on MARC and commuter bus cuts must be received by December 26th!
As you may know, the Maryland Transit Administration is proposing drastic cuts to MARC rail and commuter bus service in the Baltimore and Washington areas. Most dramatic is the proposal to cut commuter bus service from Columbia to Downtown Baltimore to the very bone. If you use MTA commuter services, or if you just happen to think Maryland should be cutting new road projects (like the ICC) before cutting essential transit service, please contact MTA BEFORE DECEMBER 26th! Click here for information on who to send your letter or email to. |
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Checklist of Maryland's Bike Problems
Below is a list of some of the reasons why
the League
of American Bicyclists ranked Maryland a
lowly 35th in their annual ranking of
bike-friendly states. One Less Car
strongly encourages you to read over
the list and demand that the Maryland
Department of Transportation address these
issues. We believe that this checklist should
serve as a workplan for MDOT staff as they
move forward on improving bike accessibility.
No 3ft or greater safe passing law
Existence of a discriminatory mandatory
bike lane law
No Complete Streets or Bicycle and
Pedestrian Accommodation policy (Note: the
state has language encouraging bike/ped
accommodations, but no plan for ensuring that
these accommodations are actually built)
No Mountain Biking Plan
No CO2 Reduction Plan that includes
bicycle usage
No policy requiring bike parking at state
owned facilities
No system in place to determine
percentage of state highways that have paved
shoulders
No dedicated state funding source for
bicycling projects or programs
No questions regarding the
responsibilities of motorists towards
cyclists on driver's test
Bicycle safety is not addressed in
Highway Safety Plan
No education of officers on cyclist
rights & responsibilities through academy or
continuing education
Information on cyclists rights and
responsibilities not made available to
traffic judges
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Last chance to stop the Intercounty Connector
In a time when billions of dollars are being taken away from sustainable transportation projects statewide Governor O'Malley has chosen to continue his support of the multi-billion dollar Intercounty Connector highway project. In case you did not know, the ICC is a proposed toll highway that will connect Laurel to Montgomery County. If built, Maryland taxpayers will be out billions of dollars that could be used on everything from schools and parks to bike infrastructure and mass transit. Learn more about the ICC boondoggle here. |
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12 Steps for a safe and comfortable bike commute
Start off easy
Don't feel you have to go the distance
Figure out your route
Test it before you commute
Find a bike buddy
Learn the rules of the road for bicycles
Investigate parking
Devise a cleanup plan
Carry flat fix essentials
Learn emergency adjustments
Inspect your bike before every ride
Perform routine maintenance |
