Stop Signs Halt Progress on Guilford Avenue Bike Boulevard

This Saturday Baltimore City DOT will close down 32nd street and Guilford Avenue from 7am to 3pm to remove a debated traffic circle at the busy intersection. Neighbors complained that the small traffic circle did little to slow heavy traffic, and made the intersection unsafe for pedestrians. 

Guilford Avenue received a bike boulevard treatment in 2011. The treatment included traffic circles at various intersections, sharrows, and bike friendly speed humps throughout the avenue from University Parkway to Mt. Royal Avenue. Even in its imperfect state, the low stress route has become a popular and necessary north/south connector for bicyclists, with ridership increasing dramatically on the corridor after installation and growing annually since. There was always talk about adding various improvements, but little was added after the first phase of construction. 

When community meetings were first held in 2010, residents were shown photos of similar traffic calming treatments from around the country. Circles featured vertical treatments like plantings or sculptures. As neighbors began taking ownership of these new public spaces, DOT responded by banning any vertical treatments citing safety issues with emergency vehicles being able to pass through intersections. This policy decision grossly undermined the effectiveness of the circles. 

32nd and Guilford Traffic Circle 

A traffic circle in Minneapolis on a similar sized street to Guilford Ave

32nd Street leads to a very popular pocket park just East of Guilford Avenue. Pedestrian safety is paramount, as many families in the neighborhood walk through this intersection during the evening rush hour to play in the park. East bound car commuters like to use 32nd Street as a cut-through to avoid waiting on the light cycle at 33rd Street and Greenmount Avenue. 

When several members of the Abell Community Association reached out last summer to get Bikemore's opinion on solutions to the unsafe intersection, we made the following recommendations to DOT: 

• Remove four parking spots to increase the size of the crosswalks and re-stripe larger crosswalks to improve visibility. 
• Create vertical elements and reflective signage in the traffic circle so that these visual elements slow traffic. 
• Create a concrete "channel" or small median leading up to the circle that makes the turning radius narrow and expands the footprint of the circle, again slowing traffic. 
• Install bike friendly speed humps (humps with small channels for bikes to pass through) leading up to the intersection in all directions. 

Despite DOT staff supporting our recommendations, and working with us to remove the policy that restricted vertical elements in the circle, several neighbors chose to instead advocate for removal of the circle and installation of a four-way stop.

Bikemore attempted to persuade these neighbors to reconsider by offering a small grant to assist with adding plantings to the circle. We have since learned that these neighbors held a meeting in the field last fall with Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke and Former DOT Director William Johnson, where they demanded removal of the circle and installation of the four-way stop. Councilwoman Clarke was not made aware by these neighbors or Director Johnson that a different treatment was recommended by Bikemore and DOT's traffic and bicycle staff.

While we worked to stay informed about the project through December, communication from DOT eventually dropped off. 

So you can imagine our surprise when a few weeks ago four new stop signs were installed. This countered our recommendations to maintain the spirit of the bike boulevard, while addressing residents' very valid concerns of pedestrian safety and traffic speeds. Furthermore, not being able to review plans and weigh in on changes to one of the city's only decent bike facilities felt like a slap in the face--especially when the direction of this project could have been easily raised in any of the multiple meetings we've had with employees involved since we last spoke about it in December. 

In so many ways 2016 is truly the Year of the Bike in Baltimore. Construction begins on Maryland Avenue and many additional elements of the Downtown Bike Network in late June. Bike Share will launch this fall. The city keeps pursuing--and winning--grant dollars for projects to improve bike connectivity. So why insist as an agency on taking two steps back with each step forward? 

According to an email we received from Councilwoman Clarke, neighbors in the Abell Community advocated for bike friendly speed humps in conjunction with the four way stop, and of course as seen in the photos of the new treatment, standard speed humps were installed. DOT cannot even use their standard excuse of responding to neighborhood pressure, because even the neighbors didn't get exactly what they requested. 

If DOT continues to make decisions that either don't consider neighbors' concerns, or only listen to a vocal minority, decisions that ignore our city's complete street policy, that erode hard won trust between the biking community--which public are they serving? 

This is why it is absolutely critical we begin to codify and enforce transportation policy that prioritizes the safety of human beings over car traffic throughput. It is essential we develop ways our Mayor and City Council can hold DOT employees accountable when they willfully ignore the requests of Baltimore residents.

They made a choice to prioritize four personal car parking spaces over maintaining one of the only comfortable bike facilities in our city, used by hundreds of riders daily. They made a choice to not give the neighborhood the best design available by listening to a vocal minority, and then failed even that vocal minority by not installing the specific facility they requested because of apathy and unwillingness. And because of these choices, those walking through the intersection were not given the best possible solution for improving pedestrian safety. 

Want to let DOT and Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke know you'd prefer to see improvements to bike infrastructure versus removal? 

Use our handy email tool and say your peace with just a few clicks. 

We're Hiring: Communications and Operations Associate

Overview

The Communications and Operations Associate will have responsibility over several areas of Bikemore's ongoing operations:

1. Communications: draft press releases, newsletters, grant proposals and external correspondence from the Executive Director
2. Events: plan and execute Bikemore's special events programming, including our annual members meeting and community engagement events
3. Fundraising: research new fundraising targets; maintain the organization's various databases
4. Operations: Design Bikemore digital and print publications; perform administrative functions typical of a startup nonprofit

Communications

1. Draft press releases, marketing materials, newsletters and external correspondence from the Executive Director
2. Strategically coordinate communications updates and activities.
3. Ensure that the Executive Director is meeting with key stakeholders, donors, and VIPs
4. Coordinate efforts to expand the organizations' relationships with government officials
5. Respond to media inquiries and facilitate interview opportunities with research staff
6. Help place op-eds and other materials in media outlets
7. Assist in shaping and executing the organization's social media strategy
8. Maintain the organization's contact databases
9. Regularly update the organization's website

Events

1. Work with Executive Director to plan and execute events
2. Coordinate event notices, invitations and participant registration
3. Liaise with VIPs to ensure event participation and provide assistance
4. Manage the preparation and distribution of event materials
5. Manage post-event communications and other follow-up
6. Handle logistics for special events programming including rides, parties, networking events, etc.

Fundraising

1. Conduct research and writing for funding proposals
2. Identify philanthropic and corporate funding opportunities
3. Draft grant reports with the assistance of Executive Director
4. Work with Executive Director to execute fundraising events

Operations

1. Work closely with management to help solve strategic and operational challenges
2. Maintain the organization's databases tracking external affairs and policy impacts
3. Design Bikemore publications including printed reports, website content, event invitations and e-mail newsletters
4. Prepare materials for staff, board and stakeholder meetings
5. Perform other duties and/or special projects as needed

Requirements and Qualifications

Qualified candidates will:

1. Have experience in Public Policy, Journalism, Mass Communications, Graphic Design or a related field
2. Personal knowledge and interest in urban planning, bike advocacy, and transportation policy
3. Be a self-starter
4. Have experience in database management
5. Have experience with google apps
6. Have experience with web design
7. Have experience with Adobe Creative Suite
8. Have experience with social media management and monitoring tools such as hootsuite and tweetdeck
9. Be able to work the occasional evening or weekend as support for special events

Schedule and Pay

This is a full time position. Weekly hours will average 40 hrs weekly with occasional night and weekend work. Salary range $30,000-$36,000.

Benefits

Three weeks paid time off. Flexible work schedule. Rad work environment. Free coffee. Room for growth in rapidly scaling non-profit.

To apply, send a cover letter and resume to jobs@bikemore.net.

New Police Deployment Begins Today on Guilford and Mt. Royal

In response to a recent uptick in assaults on people walking and biking in the Greenmount West neighborhood, Baltimore City Police have issued an order for increased police coverage for the next thirty days. Bikemore has been working closely with Baltimore City Police for months to bring awareness to this public safety issue, and are pleased to have seen a lot of engagement and action on their part in the past few weeks. You can view the new deployment plan below. 

We have also learned that arrests have been made this week in connection to a recent assault of a Greenmount West resident that was caught on video. It is believed those responsible were also involved in the recent assaults of people riding bicycles. 

Public safety is a critical element of a healthy, livable neighborhood. And while the issue of public safety is so much bigger than bikes, Bikemore has an important role to play in demanding our neighborhoods be safe places to walk and bike. 

As bike riders, it is important we take the time to report incidents of assault or attempted assault. Creating a record of a pattern of violence is critical to getting resources directed to the neighborhoods that need them. We recognize that response wait time, treatment by officers, or the fact that many of the perpetrators are youth may cause some to decide not to report these incidents. Add to that the complication of often having to report a crime in a different district than where the crime took place because that bike rider rode to safety, and reporting can seem fruitless. But after weeks of meetings, the major take away we at Bikemore heard is that we have to report to get the resources we need. 

Some important things to keep in mind if you are ever a victim of an assault or attempted assault: 

1. Ride to a safe place

2. Call 911 and request to report an assault. 

3. Note the responding officers names. Write it down. Also request your incident number so you can reference it later when requesting a copy of your police report. 

4. If the responding officers are not treating you with respect, or it appears they are not actually taking a written report (good indicators include not asking for your name, being dismissive of charges, offering unhelpful advice like telling you not to ride alone or at night) you have the right to request that a supervisor come to the scene and take your report. If you don't feel comfortable doing this at the time, document their name and badge number and communicate this information to Bikemore. We can alert supervisors and demand retraining of patrol officers that do not take these assaults seriously.  

5. Seek support from the bike community. Being a victim of assault can be traumatizing. Ask friends to ride with you for a few days until you regain your comfort biking alone. Don't put a time limit on how long it might take you to feel comfortable riding again--it's a personal choice. Seek professional counseling if the trauma becomes too much to handle on your own. 

As a community we need to support and embrace our bike riding youth. We need to be able to parse out the differences from children riding bikes, and children prone to committing crimes while riding bikes. We have to work diligently to give our city's youth viable alternatives to crime and violence. We need to speak up when conversations about violence turn into coded conversations about race and class. We need to support organizations whose mission is to directly support youth in our city. 

This is not an issue that has an easy solution, but we are committed to remaining engaged with neighbors, police, and lawmakers as a partner working toward improved safety of all neighborhoods in Baltimore. 

Ride safe. 

Bike Improvements Scheduled for Promenade and Potomac Street

A new signage plan for the promenade. Bike traffic was historically restricted but on May 20th the new rules go into effect. 

Some big changes are coming to Southeast Baltimore that indicate major improvements connecting those neighborhoods to Downtown. Two projects--opening access along the Promenade for bikes, and the new Potomac Street Cycletrack mean that beginning this Fall it will be possible to bike from Patterson Park to the Inner Harbor or Fed Hill almost entirely on protected facilities. 

Changes to Promenade Access and Upgrades on the Jones Falls Trail

Historically biking was restricted on the Promenade east of President Street. Beginning May 20th (just in time for Bike to Work Day!) new signage will be in place signaling the area is now open for bikes. The new signs will indicated shared bike and pedestrian use, caution bikes to move slowly in areas often congested with pedestrians, and direct people away from the Promenade to the Jones Falls Trail where between the Cheesecake Factory and the Science Center bike traffic will remain prohibited. This expands bike access on the Promenade considerably, and simplifies past rules that were hard for those new to the city to understand and even harder to enforce. 

View the entire plan including samples of new signage here. 

Additionally, the Jones Falls Trail will receive a much needed facelift with the addition of green paint indicating that is a bike facility. The Jones Falls Trail will remain a shared use path, but the addition of the green paint will help indicate to pedestrians and the numerous drivers that like to use it as a place to drop off passengers to respect and expect bike traffic. Paint treatment is scheduled to be completed Late Summer/Early Fall. 

Potomac Street Cycletrack

Beginning this year, construction will begin on the Potomac Street Cycletrack. The two-way parking protected lane will extend from Patterson Park all the way to Boston Street. 

The project will be installed using a phased approach. Temporary materials will be used in Phase I to support quick implementation, followed by a community input session on how the cycletrack should be improved permanently. 

Typical cross section of the new Potomac Street Cycletrack. 

At a community meeting held last month, residents came with excellent questions regarding the new construction. All in attendance were excited about the ability of the cycletrack to calm traffic on this residential street by reducing travel lanes and decreasing crossing distance for pedestrians. 

The project will result in minimal parking loss, most standard at intersections in order to "daylight" cyclists behind park cars. Bike stop signs for north bound bike traffic will be installed at intersections, including signs for East and West Bound vehicle traffic to "Look for Bikes" in both directions for drivers previously used to only looking for southbound traffic. 

Better Protected Networks

These two projects together mean huge improvements in connecting Southeast Baltimore to Downtown. Once both projects are complete it will be possible to travel from Patterson Park to the Inner Harbor entirely on protected or off street facilities. Future improvements include bike signals on Boston Street to improve connections from Boston to the Waterfront and way finding signs directing people to useful (but hidden to those not in the know) Eastern Promenade. 

Voter Registration Deadline Today! #ibikeivote

Today is an important day. April 5th is the deadline to register in Maryland and be eligible to vote in the Primary election on April 26th. If you have a Maryland license and would like to register, change your party affiliation (Maryland is a closed primary state), or update your voting district you can do so online. If you do not have a Maryland driver's license or MVA issued card, you can still register in Maryland if you consider Maryland your permanent home. You can do so by filling out this paper form, and either dropping off at a Board of Elections office, or mailing it so that it is postmarked by today. 

A couple of points to clarify the voting process: 

• Some people voting for the first time in Maryland may be asked to show ID. This doesn't need to be a Maryland State ID. This can be any government issued ID or a current utility bill, pay stub or bank statement (current is defined as within 90 days). 
• Early voting is available and a great way to avoid long lines on Election Day. Early voting is Thursday April 14th through Thursday April 21st. Polls are open 10am to 8pm. 
• Effective March 10, 2016, if you have been convicted of a felony and have completed serving a court-ordered sentence of imprisonment, you are eligible to register to vote.
• If your work schedule does not allow for two consecutive hours off between the hours of 7am and 8pm on election day, your employer is required to grant you two hours paid time off to vote. You can receive verification to provide to your employer at your polling place. 
• You can bring your kids with you! No need to worry about child care, your children can go with you to the polls! 

While Presidential politics are exciting, it's important to remember that most of our day to day quality of life decisions in Baltimore are decided by our local elected officials. Getting people in office that understand the value of complete streets and designing cities that are healthy, safe, and affordable is critical to Baltimore's future. When a candidate understands the value of biking and walking, they are exhibiting a deep commitment to environmental justice, smart land use policy, and improved public health and safety. If they are dismissive of these issues, or don't understand how transportation and land use intersects with other challenges impacting Baltimore, they may not be equipped to handle the complexities of governing a modern American city. 

Councilmanic and Mayoral elections can be won by a handful of votes. The more people we have casting ballots that hold a vision for Baltimore that is multi-modal, rooted in practices of equitable economic development, and believe that improved public health and safety require holistic solutions, the more likely it is that our elected officials reflect those same values. The ripple effect is improved appointees to run our city agencies, more local dollars invested in better designed streets, and improved policies creating a more hospitable environment for those who walk and bike. 

Do not miss a chance to let those running for office know "I Bike, and I Vote". Make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote today! 

Curious where various candidates stand on the issues? Check out the responses to our candidate questionnaire. You can also view our platform to learn where we stand on the issues.