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'Town Hall' Upcoming for Bicyclists

By Ron Cassie, Baltimore Magazine

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The event is scheduled Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Windup Space in Station North and open to the public.
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<a href="http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/bikeshorts/2012/11/town-hall-upcoming-for-bicyclists">http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/bikeshorts/2012/11/town-hall-upcoming-for-bicyclists</a>;
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Business Insider: 13 Reasons You Should Start to Bike to Work

I assume most of my readers already know this but still just click the link to show there is in interest in biking articles.

<a href="http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/bikeshorts/2012/10/business-insider-13-reasons-you-should-start-to-bike-to-work">http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/bikeshorts/2012/10/business-insider-13-reasons-you-should-start-to-bike-to-work</a>;
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Police are currently looking for a silver Dodge Stratus

Baltimore City Police are reporting two robberies involving abductions in Roland Park.

Police say a woman was forced into a car, driven to an ATM machine and told to withdraw money. In another incident a man riding a bicycle was hit by a suspect's vehicle, then forced in the car and robbed. No serious injuries were reported.

Police are currently looking for a silver Dodge Stratus occupied by three suspects in connection with the robberies. Anyone with information is urged to call police.

<a href="http://www.foxbaltimore.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wbff_city-police-report-robberiesabductions-roland-park-16048.shtml">http://www.foxbaltimore.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wbff_city-police-report-robberiesabductions-roland-park-16048.shtml</a>;
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Bike Lane Failure Runs Down St. Paul St.

Once again Baltimore Velo has an excellent post: <a href="http://baltimorevelo.com/2012/10/bike-lane-failure-runs-down-st-paul-st/">http://baltimorevelo.com/2012/10/bike-lane-failure-runs-down-st-paul-st/</a>;
I applied their use of both complements and rational criticisms. A job well done!

To which I'll add two comments:

I am miffed the city has ignored my request to put the bike lanes on the left side of St. Paul. In NYC it is standard practice on one way streets to put the bike lanes on the left side. Parked car doors opening into the bike lane are fewer and if you ride the stripe of the bike lane closer to traffic, drivers know where the left side of their big honking SUV is a lot better then they know where the right side is.

Also safety advice tells cyclists to ride at least 3-4 feet from parked cars (measured from outside of your handlebars.) So if a car is parked against the right edge of the bike lane that puts your tire outside the bike lane or at best right on the stripe.

Conclusion: I agree with Baltimore Velo, no bike lane would be better here then what they put in.
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Audacious Ideas - CHRIS MERRIAM

Roughly a third of Baltimore residents do not own a car, the fourth highest rate of any city in the United States. Today, Chris Merriam is one of them.

Six years ago, Merriam accepted a job in Lutherville; although he did not own a car at the time, he was told that as a condition of employment, he must buy one. He did, but as he realized the job wasn't a good fit, he also struggled with high car and insurance payments.

Ultimately, Merriam moved on from the job, ditched the car, and let his bike guide him to a new path.

The Baltimore native enrolled in Morgan State University's Master's degree program in urban planning. He was determined to share his love of biking with his community while helping create a healthier, more affordable lifestyle for Baltimore residents.
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<a href="http://www.audaciousideas.org/author/chrismerriam/">http://www.audaciousideas.org/author/chrismerriam/</a>;
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Maryland mentioned twice as top of the chart for a whole lot of people using a whole lot of gas

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This chart is where it starts getting good. It shows the counties with the highest total gasoline usage and ranks them by per-capita gas usage, showing where there are a whole lot of people using a whole lot of gas:

This table takes the top gas-guzzling counties and ranks them based on per capita gas consumption. Chart from NRDC.

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http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/10/05/nrdc-gives-gas-consumption-maps-a-helpful-revision/
B' Spokes: if only there was some other way to get around these areas without an automobile. :/
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END of the road

The science of knowing when older drivers need to let go of the wheel

by Douglas Birch, John Hopkins Public Health (pg 37)

On a spring-like Saturday morning in February of last year, Jeanette Walke drove her silver Honda Civic northwest on University Parkway near Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus and made a right turn across a bicycle lane into the driveway of her apartment house. Police say she cut off 20-year-old Nathan Krasnopoler—science fiction fan, chess player, enthusiastic amateur cook and Hopkins computer science student—who was carrying a bag of produce home from the Waverly Farmers Market on his Trek bicycle. A police reconstruction of the accident said Krasnopoler swerved, collided with Walke’s car and was thrown in front of it, trapping him underneath. Badly injured and apparently unable to breathe, he was caught between the searing heat of the engine and the pavement. He was still wearing his bike helmet, according to police, but his lungs had collapsed. His broken glasses were found at the scene.
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While most media reports emphasized Walke’s age—“Elderly Woman Ticketed in Crash with Hopkins Bicyclist” was a typical headline—Walke told police she was in good overall health. She reported having had glaucoma surgery in 2009 in both eyes, but told police she had visited the ophthalmologist the previous month and was given “a good report.” Walke could not be reached for comment, but her attorney says he did not believe her age played any role in the incident.

Still, the tragic death of Nathan Krasnopoler bore some of the hallmarks of collisions involving older motorists. Walke, who was charged with negligent driving, told police she looked but didn’t see Krasnopoler riding in the bike lane on her right as she approached her driveway. “I kept checking,” she said, according to the police investigation. Experts say that drivers older than 80 or so who are involved in collisions are more likely to report never having seen the other vehicle.
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Researchers are seeking ways to help keep older people behind the wheel for as long as they can drive safely and to prepare them to call it quits if they can no longer do so. The goal: Help governments, families and society improve road safety while respecting the rights of older citizens.

Answers, however, have been elusive. “The evidence is really just not there yet on what policies and programs are most effective, and much more needs to be done in the area of older driver research,” says Andrea Gielen, ScD ’89, ScM ’79, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP).
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Read more: <a href="http://magazine.jhsph.edu/2012/fall/_pdf/2012-fall-mag-features.pdf">http://magazine.jhsph.edu/2012/fall/_pdf/2012-fall-mag-features.pdf</a>;
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But, but, jaywalking isn't illegal

By JACK BARTHOLET, John Hopkins News-Letter [excerpt]

“Not to be overlooked [is that] city police have initiated warnings and issuance of citations for jaywalking violations in an effort to educate and direct pedestrians to cross at the proper locations. This past weekend, 40 warnings were issued by city police officers for jaywalking during late evening hours. These initiatives are part of the coordinated state, city, and university effort to introduce improved traffic engineering, enforcement and education measures recommended by university and city consultants targeting improved pedestrian safety,” Kibler wrote. [Major George Kibler, the Hopkins Campus Safety and Security officer in charge of operations]

<a href="http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2012/09/27/construction-to-enhance-safety-underway-85181/">http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2012/09/27/construction-to-enhance-safety-underway-85181/</a>;
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B' Spokes: Ummm, jaywalking is not illegal. See this for full explanation: Surprising Aspects of Pedestrian Laws <a href="http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120724122923346">http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120724122923346</a>;

Given: Multi-lane roadways made uncontrolled pedestrian crosswalks unsafe. The motorist yielding compliance rates were less than 2% overall at these crosswalks.
Ref: Case Study: Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons in St. Petersburg (baseline) <a href="http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120917210334134">http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120917210334134</a>;

I will strongly assert that with yield rates that low it is safer to cross mid-block.

It makes no sense to me for the police to solely target pedestrians for something that is not even a violation while letting speeding, rolling through stops and unyielding cars that could kill or maim go off scot free. I will strongly assert that proper safety enforcement should have at least 10 motorist tickets to one pedestrian ticket [There are a lot more motorists then pedestrians.] And no mention of having even one motorist ticketed or warning issued... well that is just wrong!

Again see: Does Hopkins get pedestrian safety or are they playing the blame the victim game? <a href="http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120908155605576">http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120908155605576</a>;

And this got National blog attention: Hopkins, this is how you do it. <a href="http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120918004011869">http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120918004011869</a>;

Hopkins is clearly not getting what makes for pedestrian safety, if you are inclined, write or call:
Major George Kibler 410-516-6628 kibler@jhu.edu (And just a reminder, be polite, these maybe new concepts to him.)
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An additional thought:
Oregon gets 20 mph speed limit on streets to make them safer and less deadly while doing 40+mph on a 35 mph street is the norm and no accountability for drivers who put others in danger.
Ref: Speeding and its negative impacts on community safety <a href="http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120922154522375">http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20120922154522375</a>;

Highlight from the comments:
Per <a href="http://stko.maryland.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=q18ZFLd3XN4%3d&amp;tabid=190&amp;mid=1039">http://stko.maryland.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=q18ZFLd3XN4%3d&amp;tabid=190&amp;mid=1039</a>;
Baltimore represents 32% of the state's pedestrian crashes and 31% of the injury crashes, that's huge!

I will also note in my 2006 crash analysis Baltimore stood out as having 50% pedestrian crashes at intersections and 50% mid-block. I am not convinced that &quot;crossing in designated areas&quot; will help one bit.
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Draft [Baltimore's] Climate Action Plan (CAP) Open for Comment



Draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) Open for Comment


The Draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) for the City of Baltimore has been released and is still open for comments.  All comments can be sent to sustainability@baltimorecity.gov and should be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on October 8th.

The Commission on Sustainability will have a public meeting to discuss and vote to approve the Draft Climate Action Plan on Tuesday, October 23, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.,
417 E. Fayette Street, 8th Floor.  This meeting is open to the public.

If you have any questions, please contact me.  Access the Draft here.
Alice Kennedy, LEED Green Associate
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability

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