FAQs: Riding my Bike During COVID-19

Can I still ride my bike?

Yes! While we strongly support the stay-at-home and social distancing guidelines set out by Maryland state leadership and the CDC, riding for commuting or exercise is allowed. 

If you are riding your bike: 

• Follow social distancing by only riding solo or with members of your household

• Follow the recommended 6 feet distance, leaving as much space between you and others

• Be extra courteous when passing others walking or biking, announcing that you’re passing and leaving as much space as possible

• Consider those who are essential workers and need to commute

• Ride consciously and carefully, taking care not to take risks that would need medical resources

Please visit the CDC CDC or WHO pages for the most up-to-date recommendations. 

Should I wear a mask?

The CDC now recommends that everyone wears a mask when in public. Check out these resources for information about wearing masks while exercising:

• Exercising Outdoors With a Face Mask

• Wearing a Mask While Running?

Can I drive to a park or trail to ride?

Making as few trips as possible is recommended, but if there is not a safe place for you to ride for exercise within biking distance from your house, you can drive to a park.

Are parks open?

Yes, most parks in Baltimore remain open, but have closed or have restrictions on areas with potential for gathering or spreading disease. Visit Baltimore Rec and Parks for details on city parks, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources for state parks.

• Visits to parks should be for exercise, do not congregate.

• We recommend visiting quieter and larger parks like Druid Hill, Carroll Park, Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, Clifton Park, and Herring Run which offer more space to spread out. The Lake Montebello loop is also now closed to cars.  

Do I need to do anything specific if I’m bike commuting to an essential job?

While some employers are providing letters to employees, you should not be asked to show proof that you are riding to an essential job. If this happens to you, let us know.

How should I prepare for a ride now?

It’s even more important to be prepared and self-sufficient since many businesses are closed to the public now. It’s harder to stop in somewhere for something you may need. 

We recommend you: 

• Bring a flat kit, tools, water, snacks, and basic first aid kit so you’re able to take care of yourself

• Plan your route so you don’t need to stop anywhere

• Bring personal hygiene items (hand sanitizer, tissue, wipes, etc) so you can wash your hands before and after you touch anything in public, as you might unexpectedly need to touch or interact with someone to help some else in need 

• Plan timing for bathroom/water/food needs

• Be mindful that paths and trails, although not all, may be highly travelled, making social distancing challenging. If you arrive somewhere and it is crowded, try to be flexible and go somewhere else. 

• If you’re riding for exercise, look for less traveled and less busy areas. 

Any tips for riding to run essential errands by bike?

• Be sure to call ahead to see what their process is (e.g. if they’re doing call ahead to order, limiting the number of people inside, have different hours, etc)

• Make sure you have everything you need with you

• We know it’s harder to make big grocery runs on your bike, so check in with your community/bike-dependent friends to see if you can combine effort. If you’re driving to a store, see if you can buy things for your bike- or transit-dependent neighbors or friends.
  

How do I get my bike repaired?

• According to the Governor's directive, bike shops are deemed essential businesses and are allowed to stay open. 

• Local bike shops are mostly open with revised hours and processes to keep employees and customers safe. Most shops are offering drop off repair services, and are taking payments over the phone or via another means. Please call ahead to your shop to learn about their process. 

• If you typically stop at bike shops for air in your tires, shops are likely able to help, but we recommend calling ahead if you’re able to. If you have one, we recommend bringing a pump and flat kit with you on your ride.

How do I purchase a new or used bike?

• Most shops are still selling bikes. We recommend calling them for advice and doing research online to help determine what you’re looking for. 

How do I stay connected to the biking community?

• Caring for your community by staying home and social distancing, checking in on friends, and providing mutual aid if you can are the best ways to care for Baltimore.

• Tag #BikemoreSolo in photos of your solo or household rides!

• And keep an eye on our social media for additional virtual events and live streams.

Additional Resources

How to Ride Safely Amid Coronavirus Concerns, Bicycling Magazine
Using Trails and Outdoor Spaces Safely in the Wake of COVID-19, Rails-to-Trails
Solidarity Guide to: Cycling Mutual Aid During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Cyclista Zine

It's Past Time to Close Some Streets

Oakland Slow Streets will close 74 miles of streets--10% of the city street network--to through traffic to promote social distancing.

Berlin, Bogotá, Brookline, Burlington, Calgary, Charleston, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Duluth, Edmonton, London, Louisville, Maumee, Minneapolis, Montgomery County, Montreal, New York City, Oakland, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Portland, Saint Paul, San Francisco, St. Louis, Stuttgart, Vancouver, Victoria, Vienna, Washington, DC.

These are just some examples of cities actively closing streets in parks or adding space on streets for people walking and biking to promote safe physical distancing.

Baltimore has come together in many amazing ways in the COVID-19 response. Inter-agency collaboration to get meals to residents is just one success. We need that same level of collaboration and vision from the mayor’s office on transportation. The mayor’s office should instruct Baltimore City Department of Transportation to coordinate with other agencies on a plan that reorganizes street space.

We live in an old city with narrow sidewalks, park paths, and other structural issues that make physical distancing as a pedestrian or bicyclist difficult. Physical distancing must be taken seriously, and the city must take steps to add space for pedestrians and bicyclists in our parks and on our roads to keep residents safe.

30% of our city lacks access to a car. In our formerly red-lined communities, lack of access to a car can be over 70%. 39% of our transit riders are essential workers, folks who must go to work during the pandemic and are walking to and from their transit stops every day. The number one origin and destination for scooter trips right now is Johns Hopkins Hospital. And, our parks are filled to the brim with people just trying to get out of the house for healthy exercise.

Based on these statistics, the plan should prioritize pedestrian and bike routes to job hubs and recreation, utilize the Baltimore Complete Streets equity assessment for route selection, and include input from hospitals, unions, and other essential employers as well as organizations distributing food and other essential goods. And, we must pay careful attention to what enforcement looks like, as no street closure should involve policing.

The National Association of City Transportation Officials agrees. They have released a COVID-19 Rapid Response Toolkit for cities, detailing actions in the transportation sector that should be taken right now to help prevent the spread of disease. 

The NACTO recommendations call for pop-up bike lanes, conversion of signals so pedestrians don’t need to push buttons, adjusting signal timing to slow cars, and most importantly, closing or limiting through traffic on select streets for physical distancing. 

We hope to see the mayor’s office instruct the Department of Transportation to coordinate with other agencies to implement NACTO’s Rapid Response Toolkit. The life safety of Baltimore City’s residents—a population particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to high rates of asthma, obesity, and other underlying health conditions from lack of access to exercise and poor air quality—is depending on their swift action.

Role of Scooters During Covid-19

What does scooter ridership look like during COVID-19 look like?

During this pandemic, access to reliable and safe transportation is becoming even more critical, both for our essential employees, and for those needing to access basic needs like food and health care.

Meg Young, the Shared Mobility Coordinator for DOT, recently updated us on what the scooter ridership data is showing — and it’s clear that scooters are providing needed transportation in Baltimore.

Image courtesy of BCDOT

The image above shows Johns Hopkins Hospital replacing the Inner Harbor as the top origin and destination for scooter trips.

Image courtesy of BCDOT

The top graph in the image above shows that when winter hit, fair weather riders dropped. But rides originating in the equity zones stayed steady or increased, demonstrating that riders in equity zones are using scooters as their primary commute option whereas others are often using them more as a choice.

The bottom graph in the image above shows that while choice ridership plummeted at the start of the COVID-19 response, ridership within the equity zones held firm or increased.

What are scooter companies doing to support essential workers?

While Lime has suspended their service in all markets, other companies are stepping up to support health care workers.

Jump and Spin have re-deployed scooters located in the usually popular downtown area to grocers, hospitals, and transit hubs.

Jump scooter rides are currently free for all employees of essential industries. Ask your HR rep for a Jump code to sign up with. And if they don’t already have the code, tell your HR rep in any essential business to fill out this form.

Spin is also providing free 30-minute rides to all health care professionals and hospital employees. You can find more details and sign up here.

Weekly update: Advocacy during a pandemic

Lack of sidewalks in Druid Hill Park prevents safe social distancing and forces pedestrians and bicyclists to share lanes with speeding cars.

A note from Executive Director Liz Cornish:

Advocacy doesn’t stop in an emergency. Instead it must increase. 

We’re fighting for you right now. During emergencies like this, policy decisions are made quickly and often without time to face scrutiny from the public. 

39% of Baltimore transit riders work in essential industries. These are the people caring for the sick, ensuring we all have food on our table, and stocking stores with needed supplies. In the rush to respond to COVID-19, the government ordered local bus service to be canceled. We immediately worked to undo this service cut. And we successfully worked to ensure that bike shops could remain open for those relying on bikes to get to work. We will continue to advocate for transportation options that get essential employees to work while keeping transit operators and riders safe.

We’re fighting for your future. Emergencies like this often overwhelm decision makers. They abandon commitments to transportation equity, building green infrastructure, or improving public health.

For years we have been working side by side with key leaders to ensure their decisions consider people who rely on transit, walking, and biking. After the pandemic, it’s going to be even more critical to invest in transit, pedestrian, and bike infrastructure, just like people are fighting to invest in economic recovery for individuals and businesses. We remain focused on these issues not because they are nice to include, but essential to provide equitable transportation. 

My hope is that in deciding where to give during this unprecedented emergency, you consider supporting Bikemore’s transportation advocacy. 

We have already succeeded in preventing decisions from city and state leaders that would have endangered citizens. And we remain committed to your safety and mobility throughout this crisis and beyond. 

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Weekly Update

TRANSIT + BIKE SHOP STATUS

• Bike shops are open. Call your shop for specifics. 

• Spin and Jump scooters are free for all healthcare workers. Ask your HR rep for a Jump code or sign up with Spin here.

• Click here for the latest MTA status.

WHAT WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR

• Lake Montebello recreation loop is partially closed to cars to increase space for social distancing. 

• We are continuing to advocate for more street closures in places where there are lots of people walking, biking, or waiting for transit.

WHAT WE'RE READING, WATCHING, + LISTENING TO

• Liz, our Executive Director, is reading We Will Never be the Same (you have to translate it!) 

Weekly Update: Bike shops stay open + Virtual Bike Leaders Breakfast

TRANSIT + BIKE SHOP STATUS

• After an advocacy campaign from Bikemore, Bike Maryland, Bike AAA, and WABA, bike shops are recognized as essential businesses and are allowed to remain open in Maryland and DC.
 Most local shops are modifying their service, and asking you to call before dropping by.

• Click here for the latest MTA status. 40% of MTA ridership are essential services employees, and many others rely on transit to access food, supplies, and healthcare. We are continuing to advocate MTA maintain service while taking steps to keep both riders and operators safe. 


WHAT WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR

• According to Governor Hogan's Stay at Home directive today, biking for commuting to essential jobs and for exercise, while observing social distancing recommendations, is allowed. We will continue to advocate for this. 

• We’re asking you to report dangerous street conditions using the OurStreets App. 

• We’re advocating BCDOT turn on default pedestrian crossings at intersections near grocers, hospitals, parks, and food distribution centers so high volumes of people don’t have to push the same buttons to cross the street. 

• We’re advocating for BCDOT study of additional park and neighborhood road closures to create space for social distancing where sidewalks are narrow and lots of people are walking or biking for transportation or recreation.

VIRTUAL EVENTS

• Friday, April 3rd, 8am - 9am
  Bike Leaders Breakfast / Register here

• Saturday, April 4th, 11am - 12:30pm
  Town Hall on Public Transit: During Pandemic + Beyond / Register here

WHAT WE'RE READING, WATCHING, + LISTENING TO

• Clarissa, our Operations Coordinator, is listening to 99% Invisible: Post-Narco Urbanism

• Jed, our Policy Director, is listening to The War on Cars: Field Dispatches from Four Continents

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Want to ensure Bikemore can continue advocating for mobility for all?