Q&A: Relationships post Potomac, current advocacy strategies & more

Our Q&As are our way of sharing with you questions that we've heard recently. If one person asks it, we know more of you must be curious. These questions came from our Members' Meeting held on January 10th.

It was standing room only at our Members' Meeting!

 

What's going on with the Jones Falls extension?

The Jones Falls Trail extension from Cylburn Arboretum to Mount Washington is currently under construction. It includes a bike and pedestrian bridge across Northern Parkway.

What about targeting your 501c4 work to getting good people elected to the Central committee?

Yes, we're constantly working at many levels of government, but there are definitely other folks working more targeted there.

When does the funding for the Downtown Bike Network expire?

We're working to get clarity around this. 

What is Bikemore's relationship with the City like post Potomac? Were we "iced out" because of it?

We're still in City Hall most days of the week and are definitely still invited to conversations. We did everything we could behind the scenes through collaborative methods before taking the City to court, and they seem to understand that.

Do you have any early ideas for targeted advocacy we should take for the Complete Streets Bill?

We've been working on building a broad based coalition for Complete Streets since the start, with many council members already on board. So while along with Councilman Ryan Dorsey we're leading the effort on this, we already have many diverse champions and are in a good position.

Do police have any data on the bike crime?

No, the police department doesn't categorize if bikes are involved in crime or even crashes. BPD was cooperative and supportive when we were working with them on the assault issue, but advocating for better stats, while very helpful, doesn't seem like a likely win so we're not focusing energy on it at this point. 

What about taking the Mayor on a bike ride?

We've offered before, more than happy to!

Is something going to happen with all those potholes on Druid Park Lake Drive with the Big Jump project?

Yes, if the road is reconfigured that will include repaving. We're concurrently working on a short-term pop up type project here, as well as longer term full redesign effort. 

What's strategies are currently working best to advocate in your neighborhood?

Personal notes to senior staffers that work around the mayor, like Jim Smith or Pete Hammen, seem to be particularly effective right now, and individuals that write heartfelt, personal correspondence to these individuals get responses and dialogue.

Communications and transparency from Bike Share doesn't seem to be improving since the relaunch, as promised. What gives?

Just to clarify, Bikemore does not run Bike Share. We try to support them and share our ideas with them, but we don't run it. It's our understanding and hope that this is simply a staffing issue. It's really the city's responsibility to deal with the communications side, not the operator, and there currently isn't DOT staff devoted to bike programming. It's our hope that with the hiring of a Bike Share Coordinator, the communications will be improved. We're also potentially looking into modeling the Bike Ambassador program that Philadelphia Bike Share system has in place, to employ community members to teach others about bike share. 

The Bike Share electric bikes aren't working. What's going on?

We've heard that the batteries on the electric bikes don't hold charge well with extreme cold temperatures. If they're not back up to speed after this crazy extreme cold front, we'll get back to it. We're also hopeful that with the announcement of a new major sponsor in February, there will be more accountability and solutions to issues like this.

Is dockless bike share interested in coming to Baltimore?

Yes, we think these companies are interested but understand the current state of Baltimore. Bikemore staff and board members went to DC last month to learn from their DOT staffers that worked on their current pilot program, and to talk with dockless operators. We're working on getting BCDOT to adopt a policy ahead of companies coming here so that we can ensure things like safety standards and equity are requirements at the start, as other cities have done. 

What's going on with the Bike Share station at Penn Station?

There's always a challenge when placing Bike Share on Amtrak property, because of the complicated bureaucratic nature of Amtrak. But it's been done in tons of other cities and we're hopeful it will be resolved here as well. 

On Crime and Bikes

We wanted to craft a thoughtful response to the recent assaults and robberies that are impacting the Baltimore bike community--both describing the actions we’ve taken, things we plan to do in the future, and our analysis of this issue as a policy organization. 

We are not experts in adolescent development or juvenile justice, but Baltimore is full of people who are. We’ve spent the week discussing the recent assaults and robberies with some of these experts, and will continue to engage in conversations. As a policy organization, we believe in exploring issues deeply and making recommendations based on evidence. 

Children assaulting and robbing people is a serious problem. Every human being deserves safety. But we know, without equivocation, that youth crime is a symptom of a society that has disinvested in its children to such a degree that they are left without the support necessary for healthy adolescent development. We cannot address this issue without acknowledging the structural systems that got us here, and the policy solutions that can help us emerge. 

We are angry that people have been victims of assault and robbery. It isn’t right, and it has to stop. The kids responsible also need to be held accountable. We are attempting to work with Baltimore City Police to provide any information that can help bring an end to the ongoing violence and robberies so people can feel safe again riding their bikes. Sadly the two hot spots - Maryland Ave and the Jones Falls Trail - are two of the only places to ride your bike and feel safe from speeding cars. We have to restore safety to those integral routes. We also know that policing alone cannot ensure these types of attacks won’t happen again, and that a result that places children into the criminal justice system will likely lead to additional harm and an outcome that makes our community less healthy and safe in the long term. 

Last week we recruited volunteers to hang out in the hot spots where crime was occurring to be a friendly face to folks biking by, and collect signatures to support environmental design solutions that can improve safety on the Jones Falls Trails. We are pleased to report that we have over 500 signatures to deliver to the City in support of these request. If you’d still like to sign, you can do so here. Baltimore City Police have already committed to placing a light tower on the switchbacks of the Jones Falls Trail while funding for a more appropriate lighting solution can be procured. Rec and Parks has committed to clearing the brush to improve sight lines. And we are in the beginning stages of conversations with community partners that may be able to support the placement of an emergency call box. Thanks to everyone that volunteered. 

We are currently working with the Community Conferencing Center to provide an alternative path toward accountability for these crimes. If you have been a victim of these recent assaults and robberies and would like to learn more about the restorative justice techniques they use, send an email to liz@bikemore.net. We will be organizing an information session so those who have been impacted can learn more about the choices available to them if they are able to identify the kids who have been committing these crimes. This method does not make light of the seriousness of the crimes, but acknowledges the real harm that comes from sending a child through the criminal justice system, and the lack of autonomy and restitution a victim can experience in the criminal justice system. If you want to have a say in how a crime committed against you is resolved, Community Conferencing can provide that pathway, and in no way rules out the option of pressing charges later if a satisfactory resolution is not reached. 

As Bikemore, we are here advocating for the safety of all people on bikes. What makes this particular situation so sad, is that a healthy city is one where children are free to ride bikes with their friends around the neighborhood. When a crime pattern creates suspicion of children riding bikes together, that has serious impacts on every family in the city. We can only imagine the difficulty some families experience in having to refrain from allowing their child to ride a bike--for fear of being attacked, robbed, or profiled by police. It also forces us to confront the very real disparity that is evident by people who have mobility, transportation choice, and relative wealth biking through neighborhoods full of people that do not. Regardless of the intent of these crimes, that disparity is at its root. And it has no simple solutions. 

We want to share some short term and long term strategies we are working on to both help put an end to these crimes, and be unwavering in our position of advocating for the health and safety of all people in Baltimore--especially our city’s children. In this instance that means following the lead of those who are making a difference in the community preventing, intervening, and restoring justice for crimes committed by children. 

How to Stay Safe in the Short Term: 

• Keep riding. The more of us out there in the afternoons and evenings, the more difficult it is for someone to be a victim. 
• Use resources like social media (the Unofficial Bikemore Forum and Women Bike Baltimore are good examples) to find a riding buddy that has a similar commute. 
• Avoid stopping along your commute to engage with folks especially in hot spots like Maryland Ave north of Lanvale and Falls Road. Keep pedaling. 
• Stay alert. No headphones, use a super bright front light, and if you’re able--use a camera. 
• If you are confronted, remember property is replaceable. Keep yourself safe and retreat. 
• Make a report. Call 911 when you’re in a safe place. If you are unable to wait for an officer due to the lag folks often experience when trying to report a crime not in progress, you can make a report in person at a station or online. 
• Record your bike’s serial number and follow up after making a report to ensure that information is included. If it’s stolen this can help it be recovered and/or help lead police to the people committing the assaults and robberies. 
• In the end, you’re in charge of your safety. Follow your gut and make decisions that are right for you. That can also mean not riding for awhile. We support you. 

How to Create Safety in the Long Term

Correcting the impacts of generational poverty that cause people to remain with little access to healthy food, healthcare, and opportunity costs money. As an American society we often tend to think about these things as personal problems. These problems however are rarely personal failings, but often structural. Someone with power made a decision that made it more difficult for certain people to attain health and safety. A city with people who aren’t healthy is not safe. This means ensuring our children have access to proper health care--including trauma informed care, nourishment, and opportunities that foster development is directly tied to making our city safer. This is how you prevent crime. 

source: Open Budget Baltimore 

Baltimore instead chooses to invest heavily in policing rather than the things we know prevent crime. We spend 53% more on policing than we do on schools. 82% more on policing than transportation--when we know access to transportation has proven critical to escaping poverty. 96% more on policing than on recreation. In times of high crime, the narrative of policing being our only option in reducing crime perpetuates this imbalance. In a strong Mayor system like we have, the Mayor is responsible for setting those amounts. The City Council has limited authority to make other advisory recommendations and authorize cuts. . Because Baltimore has a relatively low voter turnout compared to cities of similar size, and our Mayor is often decided during the Democratic Primary among a broad field--it is nearly impossible to elect a Mayor to whom the majority of Baltimoreans cast their ballot. Without a voter mandate, leadership has no incentive to listen to advocates or organized groups of citizens.  

Achieving different outcomes for Baltimore means radically shifting how we invest our tax dollars. That type of leadership is politically risky. We have not elected a politically risky Mayor, and our chances of doing so in the near term due to the nature of our elections is unlikely. It’s why as a city we must seriously consider shifting how we budget. Revising our City Charter so that City Council has more authority could lead to the the type of innovation necessary to evoke change. This was something discussed last year, but was a political non starter. With the new crop of younger, more progressive council members, perhaps it’s time to revisit. 

While the people that ride bikes in the city are incredibly diverse, the ones directly engaged in bike advocacy are less so. This means that relative to the city, the people we reach most with our blog or social media posts are likely wealthier, better educated and have better health. It is out of that privilege and the incredible compassion that comes from experiencing this city that we love up close from our bike that we must approach these complex situations with mindfulness. We aren't the right people to lead on this issue, but we are able to lift up the work of others and ensure we are not contributing to further harm. No one of us is directly responsible for the trauma and disparity that exists right now in Baltimore, but we all can do more as citizens to fight for things that help bring stability, health and safety to all of our neighborhoods. 
 

Jones Falls Trail Incidents - Volunteers Needed

This past weekend, there were several documented incidents involving youth assaulting users of the Jones Falls Trail in the vicinity of the switchbacks between Falls Road and the Stieff Silver building. Over the years, flare ups of these incidents are infrequent enough that police patrolling and brush clearance have been ineffective, but frequent enough that we must make structural changes to the trail. 

Short Term

This week we are stationing volunteers on the switchbacks between Falls Road and the Stieff Silver Building on Wyman Park Drive. You'll be stationed with a group of volunteers to have added presence and eyes on the street and trail. You'll also be asking folks that are passing to sign a petition demanding immediate brush clearance and trail improvements including lights, cameras, and an emergency call box.

Scroll to the bottom of this page to sign the petition now or to sign up to volunteer.

Long Term

Baltimore City has applied for a Maryland Bikeways grant to redesign the Jones Falls Trail along the Falls Road corridor. Bikemore is serving on the steering committee for this project, hosted by Central Baltimore Partnership, and will advocate for improved trail security as part of the redesign. Initial public meetings around this project will occur this winter and early spring, and we will encourage you to attend and advocate for changes you would like to see on this portion of the trail. 

Bikemore is also part of the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network Coalition, advocating for the creation of a connected trail loop network in Baltimore by combining existing trails with new connections. This project would dramatically increase trail usage/eyes on the street while allowing us to invest in trail maintenance and technology to increase safety.

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Online Petition

I demand Baltimore City immediately add the section of Jones Falls Trail between Falls Road and Stieff Silver on Wyman Park Drive to regular police patrol, remove and cut back brush on the switchbacks, and install lighting, cameras, and emergency call boxes.

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Bikemore and Bike Maryland Respond to State's Attorney Press Conference

Photo by Brian O'Doherty

On the behalf of citizens in Baltimore and across the state, Bikemore and Bike Maryland appreciate the efforts of the Baltimore Police Department and State’s Attorney’s office in pursuing justice for Tom Palermo and his family. The death of a bicyclist in a car collision is a terrible event, but preventable if all road users slowed down and committed their full attention to the operation what can be a deadly weapon when wielded incorrectly.

When drivers choose to drive distracted and impaired, they are completely disregarding the value of the people around them. They choose the cell phone call, the text message, or the time they didn't spend sobering up to be more valuable than the lives of the people they may kill or injure. This is a choice, and our society cannot tolerate it when they choose to drive impaired. Children buckled in the backseat, pedestrians crossing the crosswalk, and bicyclists using the bike lane are in peril when our community allows this to happen. We stand with the State’s Attorney’s office as they make a stand against distracted and negligent drivers.

We would like to remind everyone that when you hit-and-run you are choosing to deny that victim immediate care. Slow down; pay attention; and treat all vulnerable road users like you love them…because someone does.

If Possible, Record Video of Interactions with Police

Our friends at Greater Greater Washington recently posted a story where a person riding his bicycle was assaulted by someone in a pickup truck and then ticketed by police. In light of that incident, Jed Weeks, Bikemore’s Board Chair, shares his experience with the Baltimore City Police from last September:

On September 28th, 2013 at 2:15am I was riding my bicycle home from the end of the Baltimore Bike Party after-party with my girlfriend riding several yards behind me.

As we were riding northbound on Huntingdon Avenue, approaching 29th Street, the driver of a black Mazda 6 blared her horn, revved her car’s engine, and swerved her vehicle at my girlfriend, nearly striking her.

This vehicle pulled up alongside me at the intersection of Huntingdon and 29th Street where I was waiting at the red light. I gestured at the driver of the vehicle with an incredulous hands-in-the-air motion and yelled “What do you think you are doing?”

At this point I saw a passenger in the Mazda hand a pair of scissors to the driver, who then exited the vehicle holding the scissors, and began to scream that she would “f**king kill us.”

I called 911 as the driver reached back in her vehicle and grabbed various objects and hurled them at me, culminating with an open bottle of water that struck me in the chest and drenched me. The driver of the Mazda got back in the car, and ran the red light, turning left onto West 29th Street and disappearing.

Minutes later, several police cars and a paddy wagon arrived. Police Officer Pitts refused to take a report of the assault at the scene, saying “the driver may have just been a DUI and may not have purposely swerved at you.” When I said I was not satisfied with her response to my request for a report, Officer Pitts implied if I were to be any more difficult, I may end up in the back of the paddy wagon myself.

At this point I asked for the officer’s badge number and my girlfriend and I rode back to her house 2 blocks away. I then wrote an email to Lt. Colonel DeSousa, the Chief of Patrol, who had tailed Baltimore Bike Party that evening in his cruiser. He immediately responded, saying the officer should have filed a report, and forwarded my correspondence to the Commander of the Northern District. Several days later, Detective Plater from the Northern District called me to go over my story from the evening. He said he would interview Officer Pitts and get her side of the story, and then get back to me. About a week later he called me with a police report number, and told me that Officer Pitts had been disciplined for failure to write a report at the scene.

I was very pleased with the attentive nature of the police officers I dealt with in the follow-up to this incident, and I requested a copy of my police report, which I received a month after filing my official request and payment for a copy of the report.

The report claimed “that an unknown black female driving a red car, possibly a Mazda, threw water at [my] face after [I] banged on her car window and yelled at her to exit her car.”

That did not happen, and I never said it happened.

So, I followed back up with Northern District. Unfortunately, Officer Pitts maintains I said it was a red car, and that I said I instigated the incident (as outlined above). According to the Police (and despite my girlfriend backing my story), this comes down to a he said/she said situation, and Northern District cannot change the report as written, nor can they take any further action with Officer Pitts.

The police officers in leadership roles that I have spoken with seem to take poor performance from officers in their department very seriously, but without physical proof they are unable to take appropriate action.

As a result of this drawn out interaction, I suggest video recording all interactions with Baltimore Police patrol officers, no matter how insignificant. If I had recorded my incident, there would be proof that Officer Pitts was being untruthful, and I am 100% confident the commanding officers and detective I spoke with would have acted quickly and professionally to deal with unprofessionalism and dishonesty in their ranks.

Record your interactions with police if possible, and contact Bikemore if you are treated inappropriately by the police.