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Cycling gunman robs pedestrian in Glen Burnie

By By BEN WEATHERS, Capital Gazette

Anne Arundel County Police are searching for a man on a bicycle armed with a gun who robbed a pedestrian Wednesday night.
...

He is black and in his late teens, about 6-feet tall and weighs between 160 and 170 pounds. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and a ski mask over his nose and mouth. [on a black and red BMX style bike]

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Metro Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-866-7LOCKUP or by texting “MCS” plus a message to CRIMES (274637).

<a href="http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/cycling-gunman-robs-pedestrian-in-glen-burnie/article_dbf6649e-0fd2-5bbf-aeaf-0b04a54b2ee6.html">http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/cycling-gunman-robs-pedestrian-in-glen-burnie/article_dbf6649e-0fd2-5bbf-aeaf-0b04a54b2ee6.html</a>;
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[B' Spokes: Not that far from the B&amp;A trail so cyclists may want to be on the look out as well.
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4th Annual Howard County Bicycling Advocacy Forum

By BikeHoCo

4th ANNUAL HOWARD COUNTY BICYCLING ADVOCACY FORUM

Wednesday October 30, 2013

www.bikehoco.org

 

Bicycling Advocates of Howard County (BAHC) invites you to meet and share information with other local cyclists, local and state officials/planners, and regional advocacy groups on issues relating to improving bicycling safety and accessibility in our community. We will focus this year on accessibility and the Howard County Bicycle Master Plan.

 

Date & Time:

*WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013*

▸ Pre-Registration online at https://bahcbikeforum.eventbrite.com – please let us know if you are coming!

▸ Check-in/Registration (with sandwiches & cookies) begins at 6:30 pm

▸ Presentations/Discussion from 7:00 – 9:10 pm

 

Location:

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Building 1, Parsons Auditorium, 11000 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723

 

Directions:

...

The full announcement: http://bikehoco.org/2013/10/4th-annual-howard-county-bicycling-advocacy-forum/
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Kamenetz Announces 23 Miles of New Bicycle Routes

Towson, Maryland (October 8, 2013) – Bicycle riders in Baltimore County will have over 23 miles of new bikeways thanks to $229,600 in grants awarded to Baltimore County from the Maryland Department of Transportation Bikeways Program.

&quot;In this era of high gas prices, traffic congestion and a renewed emphasis on physical fitness, designating bike routes really make sense,&quot; said Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. &quot;We thank the State for its support of our growing network of trails and bikeways.&quot;

New or expanded bicycle routes are planned for Dundalk, Towson, Lansdowne, Baltimore Highlands, Woodlawn, Catonsville and Arbutus.

Improvements

The improvements are based on current pedestrian and bicycle access plans, and include striped bike lanes, bike route signs, and &quot;share the road&quot; pavement markings. The Baltimore County departments of Planning and Public Works will be meeting with community groups to review and refine each community's improvements before implementation.

<a href="http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/News/releases/1009bicycle.html">http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/News/releases/1009bicycle.html</a>;
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Ghost Bike Memorial Ride To Honor Cyclist Killed in Riva in August

Update: And another nice summary: 'Because the Driver Didn't Want to Wait 15 Seconds, My Kids Don't Have a Mother'
An article about today's ride http://southriversource.com/2013/09/26/ghost-bike-memorial-ride-to-honor-cyclist-killed-in-riva-in-august/

image
Sentiment of the day from Jerry Cunningham: 15 seconds. The time it would have taken for the van to wait for Trish to crest the hill. 15 seconds to save a life. A powerful thought in our go-go lives....

From: Trish Cunningham Memorial Rally And Ride

There were some requests for information on what hill where this happened. This is where the ghost bike is set up per my GPS displayed on Google maps.

And this is truly the most disturbing part of this fatality... the driver just could not wait a little bit till the road opened up to pass.On google maps.

It was so sweet to see a lot of her students, friends and family there at the event. If there ever was reason to make an example of a driver who kills needlessly this should be it.
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6th Annual Bike HoCo Ride

Saturday, October 12, 2013 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM (PDT)
Clarksville, MD

Event Details

Time again to join Howard County cyclists on BAHC's 6th Annual Bike HoCo Ride. Enjoy a GREAT Fall ride and social. Last year we had over 140 Howard County riders.

DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 12, 2013

  • Check-in/Registration -- 8:30am
  • Group Photo -- 8:45am (Wear your Club's jersey!)
  • Rides start -- 9:00am sharp!

LOCATION: The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

  • Start/Check-in: APL Softball Field Parking Lot
  • Post-Ride Social: APL Picnic Pavilion
  • GPS/Google Maps location: Across from 7150 Sanner Road, Clarksville, MD 

DONATION: Use our Donate button at http://bikehoco.org/donate

  • BAHC is a §501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization.
  • We request a minimum donation of $5 per rider to help fund our efforts as advocates for Howard County bicycling.
  • This is BAHC's only 2013 fundraiser, so please consider donating even if you don’t ride. 

GENERAL INFORMATION:

  • 63/45/34/26 mile routes. BAHC has cue sheets and GPS data file on its web site at http://bikehoco.org/cue-sheetsand we will have paper copies at check-in.
  • Sign in @ 8:30 am -- ALL riders must sign waiver
  • Staggered start @ 9am -- Faster Metric riders first and slower 26 mile riders last
  • Princeton Sports will again provide SAG support.
  • Rest stop @ Glenwood Community Center (Rt 97 & Carrs Mill Rd) hosted by MMTC (Thank You!). Otherwise, routes go by various convenience stores.
    • o   BAHC will supply water/Gatorade and snacks.  Please bring your own picnic supplies (we will have grills) and drinks.
    • o   BYOB and some to share (especially if it is a good micro brew). Alcohol only in the picnic pavilion area; not in the parking lot.
  • Post-ride social @ APL Picnic Pavilion (on the other end of softball field from the parking area).

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

... (follow the link to register and how to volunteer)

https://6thbikehocoride-eac2.eventbrite.com/
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Was fatal car-bike collision on Riva Road a homicide?

by Jim Titus, Annapolis Patch

Two years ago Maryland created a new crime of vehicular negligent homicide in Maryland, which allows prosecutors to seek criminal penalties when a sober-but-aggressive driver causes an accident that kills someone. Anne Arundel County prosecutors should be seriously thinking about using this statute in the case of Patricia Cunningham, an Annapolis high school coach who was killed August 21 on Riva Road.
...

Aggressive drivers who kill are rarely prosecuted unless they are drunk or leave the scene of the accident. Perhaps because many “respectable people” drive aggressively, it is hard to feel comfortable sending people off to jail when they accidentally kill someone while driving in a way that most people drive. But it is also hard to feel good about the idea that killing someone has no legal consequence. Courts and the Maryland legislature have wrestled with this paradox for decades.
...

<a href="http://annapolis.patch.com/groups/use-the-full-lane/p/was-fatal-carbike-collision-on-riva-road-a-homicide_d66e038b">http://annapolis.patch.com/groups/use-the-full-lane/p/was-fatal-carbike-collision-on-riva-road-a-homicide_d66e038b</a>;
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[B' Spokes: This is a very good article and goes into some detail about our laws and how they are supposed to work. I'll add from what I have seen drivers that leave the scene of an accident are rarely prosecuted, sure if they do bring up the charge for a fatality it &quot;helps&quot; to get stiffer penalties. There is a local case where the hit-and-run car was IDed but not the driver so the police took no action against the owner of the car.

I'll also note that Bike Maryland put out an action alert that looks like it has been very effective for this stage of the investigation. If you are inclined to also write to the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's office see <a href="http://bikemd.org/page.php?id=623">http://bikemd.org/page.php?id=623</a>; but my main point here is to give a thank you for Bike Maryland in helping rasing awarness of this issue, a job well done.]
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Resurging cities, resurging metros, the impoverished and the Metropolitan Revolution (continued)

[B' Spokes: This bit caught my eye:]
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By Richard Layman, Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

...
This reminds me of my brief experience working for Baltimore County Government a couple years ago. I thought Baltimore County wasn't striving--they are mostly content comparing themselves to Baltimore City, which has been on a downward spiral for 50+ years, and thereby judging as wildly successful most any of the County's economic initiatives.

But if local elites instead chose to reference and benchmark the County against the most successful counties in the Baltimore-Washington region and the US more generally, it would be found wanting. Going forward, to be successful on a national basis, Baltimore County and many other communities need to reset their expectations, goals, and standards for achievement.
...

<a href="http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2013/06/resurging-cities-resurging-metros.html">http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2013/06/resurging-cities-resurging-metros.html</a>;
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Dear bitchy fat lady driving her car on the shoulder...

Dear bitchy fat lady driving her car on the shoulder,

I really do not need to say more than that, as some outdoor exercise would do your mood and figure a world of good. But to address your statement that the world would be better off with no cyclists... I need to point out the reason why you felt compelled to illegally drive on the shoulder was too many cars in your way, that with an exaggerated sense of self importance that you needed to get to the red light before anyone else no matter whose life endangered. Really, cyclists riding on the shoulder are the problem here, really?
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How bike crash stories are spun locally

The accident occurred .... A preliminary investigation indicates that Patricia Cunningham, 50, ... was riding a bicycle when it collided with a 2011 Honda Odyssey, Anne Arundel County police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said.

Local reporting from the Capital Gazette

As the popular athlete and Annapolis High School track coach neared the shaded top of that hill on her bicycle Wednesday evening, she was hit from behind by a Honda van whose driver was eager to get around the lone cyclist.

Meanwhile the reporting from the more bike friendly DC region the Washington Post

A Van traveling possibly 40 or so mph saw the female cyclist and decided to pass her as she was going over the hill. As the van went to pass on the other side of the road a vehicle coming the other way appeared. The Van immediately swerved right RIDING OVER the cyclist.

And then from another cyclist
B' Spokes: I am getting rather annoyed with too many of the local cycling crash stories being stated as the bike hit the car when it is rather apparent that it was the other way around.
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