B'more Bikes

Building Bike Advocacy in Baltimore at Founders’ Summit

Cycling advocates have joined forces to create a new advocacy organization to serve the people who bike in Baltimore.  Join the Alliance for Biking and Walking with other Baltimore cyclists to help create the strategy and next steps for success.

With other committed stakeholders ensuring the organization’s future success to build a strong, inclusive, cycling community, we will:

• explore what we need from the new organization as cyclists
• learn from strategies and successes of other organizations who have been doing this work for a number of years
• build commonality around how to lead, support, and drive the new organization to success.

Ultimately, we will kick off a new era of cycling in Baltimore, and we hope you will give your valuable time and wisdom to create a strong advocacy organization to serve the people who bike in Baltimore.

Interested?  Contact Jeremy Grandstaff for information

Guilford Bike Blvd Construction Progress

The new minicircle at Guilford Avenue and 32nd St intersection

Construction of the Guilford Avenue Bicycle Boulevard is progressing on schedule.  With unseasonably warm temperatures this winter, crews have been able to complete most of the project.  Here’s an update on the project:

• Three minicircles replacing 4-way stops have been constructed at the 22nd St, 24th St and 32nd St intersections
• Corresponding signs and pavement markings for the circles have also been installed
• “Sharrows” have been placed on some sections of the project
• Bike-friendly speed humps have been constructed on the 2600 and 2700 blocks of Guilford
• North Avenue median crossing has been widened
• Bicycle refuge area for northbound cyclists at North Avenue has been completed

What’s next?

• Enhanced pavement markings at the 33rd St intersection
• Wayfinding signs along the route
• Additional ‘sharrows’ and pavement markings on speed humps

Thanks to Jeremy Steeves for his support of this project in the Baltimore Sun

2012 Tour dem Parks Hon Coming June 10th

Probably THE coolest Tour dem Parks poster yet!!!  Mark your calendar for June 10th for this year’s ride.
Online Registration opens Valentine’s Day

Top 10 Reasons Why New House Trans Bill Is Bad For Bikes

Andy says it best here, so let your congressional representatives know

Make Mt. Royal Avenue Complete

Contributed by John Stechschulte

What’s a mile long, passes through two Baltimore universities, and features a Light Rail stop, the Lyric Opera House, and businesses and non-profits from book stores to the Baltimore Free School? Need a clue? Just a block away, you’ll find the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Penn Station, coffee shops, bars and restaurants. Still need more help? Also in the area are many row homes and apartment buildings, full of people who have chosen to live in this dense, walkable neighborhood.

One last clue: at the eastern end, it connects to the Guilford bike boulevard going north to Charles Village, and the Jones Falls Trail  going south to downtown (via the new cycletrack) and north to Hampden. This intersection has had a 130% increase in cyclists in the past year.

If you guessed it’s an interstate highway, you are completely, utterly wrong! It’s Mount Royal Avenue! And yet, when Mount Royal recently came up for a complete redesign, the Department of Transportation treated it more like an interstate than the complete street it should be. They ignored the Complete Streets Bill (passed unanimously by the Baltimore City Council in late 2010) by eliminating bike lanes from the new streetscape design for Mount Royal. The Complete Streets Bill aims to encourage “walking, bicycling, and transit use while promoting safe and contiguous routes for all street users.”

With so much vibrant city life on and near Mount Royal, and with its eastern end anchored by some of Baltimore’s premier bicycle infrastructure, it is hard to understand why traffic engineers want to treat it as if it’s the interstate highway that runs just a few hundred feet to the north. Cars already have that interstate—the residents of Midtown-Belvedere and Bolton Hill, the students of UB and MICA, the many cyclists who already use Mount Royal, and those who want to use it but don’t feel safe deserve a few feet of road to call their own. Bike lanes on Mount Royal will help to build the contiguous bicycle network that Baltimore needs, and will calm traffic to make everyone safer—pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

Let the Baltimore City Council, Department of Transportation and the presidents of MICA and UB know that Mount Royal Avenue needs a complete design, including bike lanes by signing the petition. Make sure to comment if you’re a local business owner or if you’re associated with MICA or UB.

Baltimore Rec & Parks 2011 Trail Summit

Chief of Parks Bill Vondrasek opens the Trail Summit

Baltimore City Recreation and Parks hostedthe city’s first trail summit on Saturday, January 28th at the Cylburn Arboretum’s Vollmer Center.  The city’s trail summit comes a year after the first Maryland Trail Summit.  The event was geared to bring together trail users, park managers and volunteers to celebrate the city’s trail system and plan for the future.  Bill Vondraskek, Chief of Parks, opened the summit by sharing of a chance meeting on local trails where he meet IMBA Trail Solutions‘ Dan Hudson.  The two saw the potential for developing the Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park trails into a world-class trail system.

Recreation and Parks has several other trail projects in the works.  Due for a February 2013 completion, Phase 4 of the Jones Falls Trail is under construction connecting Druid Hill Park, an old landfill (now park) with trails in Cylburn Arboretum.  Cylburn is also expanding its trail system with more sustainable designs.  Phase 5 of the Jones Falls Trail will begin construction this autumn connecting Cylburn with the Mt. Washington Light Rail Station.  The Herring Run Greenway will begin construction next year which will connect the existing trail system with Lake Montebello and Morgan State University.   Mr. Vondrasek commended A.J. O’Brien for leading the Friends of Stony Run in developing a neighborhood path from Wyman Park to Cold Spring Lane.  While the Friends group wants to discourage bike use of the path by leaving fallen logs on the path, these obstacles are considered ‘fun’ by mountain bikers.

Dan Hudson describes a "stacked loop" trail system

Dan Hudson gave a detailed presentation on natural surface trails in the Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park.  In partnership with Recreation and Parks, Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is conducting an assessment of natural surfaces trails.  The assessment will identify and correct erosion problems, minimize environmental impact, user conflicts and maintenance.   Mr. Hudson described a planned “stacked loop” trail system which will provide trail experiences for all user groups from families out for a leisure stroll to trail runners, equestrians and mountain bikers seeking more challenging terrain.  Trail improvements will rely on to volunteers and trail contractors create sustainable trail systems in the City of Baltimore.

Nate Evans, from the Department of Transportation (DOT), described the trail efforts conducted by his office.  Phase 2 of the Jones Falls Trail is now under construction from the Inner Harbor to Penn Station.  This section of trail will connect the existing Jones Falls Trail at Falls Road and Maryland Avenue with the Gwynns Falls Trail at the Maryland Science Center.  DOT is also assisting Under Armour with development of the Fort McHenry Greenway.  The Greenway will connect Tide Point with Ft. McHenry along the CSX Railroad to Silo Point and across Fort Avenue.  DOT is also creating bicycle & pedestrian connection to existing trails.  The Guilford Avenue bicycle boulevard will connect Charles Village with the Jones Falls Trail at Mt. Royal Avenue.  A planned bike boulevard is in the works along Briarcliff Road connecting the Winans Way Sidepath (which connects directly with the Gwynns Falls Trail) to the Edmondson Avenue bike lanes, which will further connect to the Catonsville Trolley Trails.  Mr. Evans also unveiled the 2nd edition of the Baltimore Bike Map, which is due for release this spring.

John McDonald and Katie Gore discuss good bike routes on the new Baltimore Bike Map

Molly Gallant closed the Summit by sharing volunteer opportunities for National Trails Day and other trail projects.  With over 6000 acres of parkland, guided hikes and rides with training sessions will be available.   As Baltimore’s trail system expands, the number of people using the trails will also increase.  Recreation and Parks needs assistance from the community to make our trail investments last!  To get involved, contact Molly Gallant.

Support Pro-Mountain Bike Bill in Baltimore County

Contributed by Bob Compton and Dave Blum
MORE Loch Raven Trail Liaisons

Baltimore County Councilman David Marks (R) represents the Towson area (including the land surrounding the Loch Raven Reservoir) and has sponsored a resolution (#4-12) to the County Council to allow mountain biking in the buffer zone surrounding Loch Raven. There will be a work session this Tuesday, January 31st at 2:00pm in the Council Chambers located at 400 Washington Avenue Towson, MD.

Councilman Marks has asked that we get as many mountain bikers as possible to show up and testify. This is a great opportunity to let the entire County Council know how we feel. I strongly suggest you pass this on to every mountain biker you know and show up on Tuesday!

“Cities For Cycling” in Chicago

In October 2010, the NACTO “Cities for Cycling” Road Show came to Baltimore.  Recently, the C4C came to Chicago, but took it to the next level. C4C will be in Atlanta in March.

NACTO’s “Cities for Cycling” Roadshow Rocks Chicago from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

January 2012 Bike Counts Shows Continued Increase in Bicycle Commuting

From Tuesday, January 10 through Thursday, January 12, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation conducted its latest round of bicycle counts. The work counting bikes on the winter days was done by 26 volunteers, all of whom deserve a lot of thanks for braving the elements to ensure that we could track the growth of bicycling in Baltimore.

Bicycles were counted from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. and from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the following locations: Falls Road & Maryland Avenue, Guilford Avenue & Mt. Royal Avenue, Aliceanna Street & Boston Street, Pratt Street & South Street, Keswick Road & Wyman Park Drive, and at bike racks at Penn Station. The locations were selected to gauge ridership along some of the major commuting routes, recognizing that a large proportion of the City’s bicyclists never pass by these points. Listed below are some of the relevant numbers from the counts and comparisons between the numbers from January 2011 and January 2012 at the three locations counted both times.

• Total bikes counted:  1,466
• Change from January 2011:  137% increase
• Bikes parked at Penn Station:  135
• Location with the biggest increase:  Aliceanna & Boston (185% increase)
• Largest Single Count:  122 (Pratt & South, Thurs. evening)
• Percentage of Female Cyclists: 17%
• Highest Percentage of Female Cyclists:  Pratt & South (23%)
• Helmet Use:  67%
• Most Helmet Use:  Keswick & Wyman Park (75%)
• Least Helmet Use:  Aliceanna & Boston (49%)
• Use of Lights (during dark time periods):  36%

The fact that more than twice as many bicyclists were counted as last year is an indicator of just how much bicycling is growing in Baltimore. Documenting this change is an essential part of the effort to improve conditions for bicycling in Baltimore. Counts at even more locations will be taking place in May and a lot of volunteers will be needed to help collect data.

Thanks to all of those who helped out and to everyone continuing to commute by bike through the winter.

Bike Culture in the Rust Belt (Pt. 5?)

Comparing Baltimore’s bike scene to Portland, Amsterdam or Copenhagen is an apples and oranges exercise.  Differences in local mentality, economics, policies and the physical environment play too much a role in how acceptable and feasibile bicycling can be.  The term “Rust Belt” was developed to describe once thriving, but now economically challenged cities in the northern hem of the U.S. 

The decline of GM, Beth Steel and accelerated population loss helped lump Baltimore into this group.  Even Tony Bourdain did a Rust Belt tour that included Baltimore. (Waking up this morning to a couple inches of snow reinforces the stereotype.)   Looking at how other Rust Belt cities are developing a bike culture can be more encouraging to Baltimore riders.  Here’s a look at what’s happening in Detroit…

Detroit Bike City from Alex Gallegos on Vimeo.