Farewell Danielle!

Today Bikemore says goodbye to our beloved colleague Danielle Parnes. Danielle joined Bikemore in the Fall of 2016, and this year will be heading to graduate school at UCLA to study transportation planning. You can read Danielle’s farewell in her own words here. While it would be impossible to summarize the impact she has had on our organization, we wanted to share our deep appreciation for her and her work with the broader Bikemore community. 

From design and communications, to programming and events, every time you interacted with Bikemore online or in person, Danielle’s creativity and talent was behind it. She has cultivated countless relationships in the community fostering our ability to serve as many people as possible. She elevated our work, ensuring that everything we did was polished and professional. 

She joined Bikemore when it was still very young. She helped put in place so many systems of operation that have allowed us to grow as an organization. Every spark of an idea we had, Danielle brought it into existence in a way far beyond what we could have ever imagined. 

In the past year she served as mentor and supervisor to our two newest staff members Menelik and Clarissa. She’s been a trusted partner when frustrations arise, and always has an ability to reflect back the true meaning of our work--joy. Biking is a wonderful expression of joy. It connects us to our City and the people we love. And it is through biking that we got to meet Danielle. 

She is going to bring so much to the field of transportation planning. She has been our guiding light helping to ensure we critically examine our work through a lens of equity, and it is that perspective that is most needed when designing our public spaces. 

We invite you to join us in expressing our thanks and well wishes. We have created an online card for folks to sign, write a note, or share photos. You can see that here. 

To Danielle, we are so grateful you chose Baltimore to be your home these past few years. We are all better for it. 

With love, 

Liz, Jed, Menelik, and Clarissa 

Staff Transitions at Bikemore - A Note from Danielle

By Danielle Parnes, Director of Community Partnerships

With lots of bittersweet feelings, I wanted to let our Bikemore community know that June 19th will be my last day at Bikemore. This fall I will begin my studies at UCLA for a degree in transportation planning. 

When I came to Bikemore it was with eagerness and honestly a fair bit of naivety. I had previously been involved with non-profit work that shied away from being “too political” and I was attracted to the idea that the leadership at Bikemore wasn’t afraid of that. Bikemore understood that the policies in place and the elected officials who often have the final say are equally as important, if not more, than providing direct services. 

Over the last four years, alongside our staff, board, volunteers, supporters and partners, Cranksgiving grew from 70 to over 200 riders. Our Mobile Bike Shop grew from me and a Zipcar to having a full time program manager. We passed the Complete Streets Bill and endorsed our first Mayoral candidate (who won!). We grew from three staff members to five. 

Through both the wins and challenges I’ve seen Bikemore grow. We’ve questioned the idea of what bike advocacy should look like, what equity in transportation means, what authentic community organizing feels like, and who should be leading conversations. And while we’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg in this questioning of the status quo here in Baltimore and in bike advocacy across the country, these are the questions that I will bring forward with me in my future studies and work. 

While we can’t rely on many of our typical rituals of transition that require us to be together in person, I’m leaving with so much gratitude. Gratitude to our staff, board, volunteers, donors, supporters and partners who have given me the opportunity to be a part of this growth, challenged me, and trusted me.

Questions to Ask When Designing for Distance

Photo credit: @nswartsell

Baltimore City is beginning to reopen certain businesses as long as they follow specific guidelines around physical distancing. This has led many public and private organizations, companies, and agencies to consider what outdoor dining and street closures could look like. Restaurants especially have to rethink how to maintain capacity to make opening economically viable, while keeping customers spread apart. 

While this can be viewed as an opportunity to reimagine public space to prioritize people instead of traffic, we must also think critically about how Black people, people experiencing homelessness, people experiencing mental health challenges, and other marginalized communities are prioritized and made to feel safe in these public spaces. The City of Baltimore currently requires that businesses seeking a permit for outdoor dining or street closures must address the following: ADA Compliance, CDC guidelines, waste disposal, pest control, and possess an alcohol control plan. 

But for any project that moves forward, we should also ask these questions to ensure success: 

1. What is the plan to educate businesses when people who aren't patrons of the businesses inevitably use the space? Is it allowed? Will the guidance be to use de-escalation methods over law enforcement if there is a conflict between patrons and other users?

2. What public resources are being used to help businesses remain open? Are they being distributed in an equitable and transparent way? 

3. What is the outreach plan for business districts that primarily serve neighborhoods of color? Have neighbors or businesses located in these neighborhoods expressed an interest or need? 

4. Have discussions happened among the project leads and government agencies or the Mayor's office on how to implement in a manner that respects and maintains people’s right to protest? Have protest organizers been included in the process? 

5. If the goal is for businesses to operate without patrons entering their building, is there a plan to provide public restrooms? Who pays for them and for their maintenance? 

6. If the project is soliciting public participation in design, is there an outreach plan to ensure lots of different people in Baltimore are made aware of the opportunity? If the contract is awarded, are designers compensated fairly? 

Bikemore believes in equity in all policies. Policies aren’t just laws or regulations but also include rules that can be found in permit applications, public/private partnerships, and even in the ways private businesses operate. Policies often perpetuate or establish cultural norms that create an ingroup and an outgroup overtly or covertly. This can lead to discrimination. 

We are excited to see the creative ways businesses and City agencies repurpose space, and hope to collaborate with and hold accountable all involved to see that these issues are addressed. 

Through reading (some resources listed below) and conversations, these are some questions we’ve been thinking about - but we know there are more. More questions to ask, more norms to question, new ways to think. 

We’re interested in talking with others involved in these projects, and businesses or business districts trying to figure this out. Contact us at info@bikemore.net with your ideas or questions. 

Link to resources:

• ‘Safe Streets’ Are Not Safe for Black Lives by Destiny Thomas (June 8, 2020)

• Twitter thread of key works on anti-racism in transportation compiled by Keith Benjamin

• How do we respond to anti-Black racism in urbanist practices and conversations? a conversation moderated by Jay Pitter with Orlando Bailey, Tamika Butler, Anthonia Ogundele, and Will Prosper

Bikemore endorsed candidates win!

As ballot counting in the Baltimore City Democratic primary election draws to a close, we are excited to announce victories for the following Bikemore endorsed candidates:

Brandon Scott, Mayor
Bill Henry, Comptroller
Zeke Cohen, 1st District
Ryan Dorsey, 3rd District
James Torrence, 7th District
Kristerfer Burnett, 8th District
John Bullock, 9th District
Eric Costello, 11th District

This is the first year Bikemore chose to endorse candidates for office. And it made a difference, especially in the mayor's race, where the race was incredibly tight and every vote counted.

As ballot counting draws to a close, we will update our #IBikeIVote2020 page with winners in all races so you can view their candidate questionnaires.

Congratulations to our endorsed candidates on their wins, and many thanks to all the candidates that put their heart and soul into running for office. Your dedication to Baltimore shines through and you made a difference sharing your ideas and vision for the future.

And thank you to everyone who volunteered on campaigns, phone banked, talked to their friends, and voted! You made made a difference and elected visionary leaders.

We're especially thrilled for Brandon Scott's victory, and expect to work closely with his team on recommendations for #ANewWayForward for improved and equitable transportation in Baltimore City.

Black Lives Matter

Bikemore believes unequivocally that Black lives matter. Baltimore is the American birthplace of many unjust housing and transportation policies that have perpetuated white supremacy. Our job as advocates is to name these injustices and ensure they do not continue. 

Transportation advocacy, and specifically bike advocacy, are spaces dominated by white voices. These voices often fail to address how their work perpetuates racism. Bikemore is no exception. We commit to our staff, our community, and our city to always fight against racism. 

We believe in safe streets for all, which includes safety from racist policing and police brutality.