From a community bike ride in November
By Jed Weeks, Policy Director
We all want to be done with 2020. Our friends and family have lost loved ones, lost their livelihoods, and experienced new stress and uncertainty beyond what the last four years have already thrown on us. That uncertainty will extend well into 2021, even as vaccination rolls out across the country we won’t be able to change our habits of physical distancing, mask wearing, and everything else we do while trying not to explode at the next person we hear say something is “unprecedented” or “the new normal.”
So things suck, and I’m trying to focus on some of the good stuff that has happened in spite of, and in response to the pandemic.
At the start of this, we had just hired new staff to dramatically expand our in-person programming as well as grow our organizing and advocacy. Within months of being hired, their jobs changed. Despite this, Clarissa and Menelik were able to pivot to new and safe programming ideas that also directly addressed needs during the pandemic. I’m sure they’ll reflect upon these programs themselves, and all I have to add is my gratitude for all that they’re adding to Bikemore.
The explosion of biking in Baltimore and across the country has shown that there is a demand for the infrastructure and programming we advocate for, and that with investment we can absolutely create change of the scale we’ve seen in other cities and countries where bicycling has become a completely normalized mode of transportation and recreation in cities.
Businesses are finally starting to recognize that parking may not be the best use of the limited space on the street, and introducing outdoor seating and vending that research has shown for years is a better use of space that results in more sales.
And, our years of organizing to build a robust coalition voice in support of more reliable public transit is starting to pay off. Our advocacy reversed severe public transit cuts proposed by the Hogan administration that would have directly harmed essential workers, who disproportionately rely on public transportation to get to their jobs keeping the rest of us alive.
In endorsing Brandon Scott for Mayor, we chose a leader who said they were not afraid of making hard decisions, that they were ready to create and support real change in Baltimore. Our work on the transition committee and through other advocacy in these first 100 days will recommend we double down on supporting the explosion of biking, backing these small wins reclaiming space from cars, and bring a real vision for improved public transit from city leadership.
We are in for hard times to come, but I'm grateful our team and our coalition partners are doing what we can to make things a little better.
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