Making Art in the Right of Way more accessible

For a long time, the Department of Transportation has run an Art in the Right of Way program. First, let’s break down what that means. 

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) controls the Right of Way, which means that they dictate how spaces reserved for the purpose of transportation (aka roads, sidewalks, and trails) are used. This is important because that means any temporary or permanent changes on Baltimore City roadways have to be approved by DOT. It’s why people have to seek out Block Party permits to close down streets to car traffic for an event, why the MTA has to work with DOT to paint red bus lanes, and why DOT has to approve all artwork on our streets.

People have used the Art in the Right of Way program to do street murals, paint trail markers (did you know all of the green oval trail markers are painted by volunteers?), and traffic calming for years.

1 - Reverberations Crosswalk by Graham Projects; 2 - Black Trans Lives Mural by Baltimore Safe Haven; 3 - Gwynns Falls Trail marker

A few years ago, graduate students in MICA’s Social Design program asked the question: “How might we ensure pedestrians and bicyclists are seen and prioritized?” After working on multiple different types of visibility projects from reflective clothing to creatively lighting major roadways, the Made You Look team settled on creating more transparency and best practices on how to install traffic-calming art. Essentially, they sought to make the process of creating art in the right of way more accessible.

With these intentions in mind, they’ve worked with partners in the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office (MHSO), public artists, and community members throughout the past couple years on a few traffic calming projects and recently released an “Art in the Right of Way Toolkit.” They’ve also been hosting corresponding workshops open to community members to attend and learn how they can implement traffic calming projects in their own neighborhoods. 

Last week, we attended their Art in the Right of Way Workshop in the company of neighborhood leaders, public artists, and elected officials all looking to learn more about traffic calming art. During this session, the presenters and attendees emphasized the importance of community engagement from project conception to end, using a design thinking process. This means involving neighbors from the very beginning: learning from them what intersections and roads are dangerous for pedestrians, involving them in the design of the new art, and inviting them to participate in a paint day. Many attendees left the call excited to embark on a process of making their own neighborhood art. 

In the Made You Look guide, you can find best practices for: 

• How to decide on location and design of the art through a community participatory process

• How you can obtain an MOU from DOT to do an Art in the Right of Way Project

• How to prepare for installation and how to install your public art

This Wednesday at 5:30pm, they are hosting their last community shareback and closing out their third year of the design program. You can join them at Whitelock Community Farm and screenprint your own reflective streetwear, get bike repairs from BKYE Collective, and check out the new “seasonal turn” crosswalk art at Whitelock & Brookfield!

Hopefully, we’ll be seeing more colorful art that makes our streets safer in neighborhoods all around the city.

Reflections from our interns, and an announcement

Not a photo of Patrick or Sumi, but like in this photo, they’re rolling out for now.

Through the beginning of 2021 to now, Bikemore has had the privilege of hosting two interns: Patrick from UMBC and Sumi from Johns Hopkins. During their time working here, which is ending this week, they’ve been invaluable in supporting our policy communications, and adding additional capacity to our small staff of three. Here, Patrick and Sumi share some reflections. And, special announcement: Sumi will be working with Bikemore as a full-time intern during the summer as well! Get ready to see her out and about with us from June to August.

From Patrick: 

 This past semester I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work for Bikemore as a part time college intern. This experience has really helped me find a passion for things like transportation equity, housing policy and even urban development. It has allowed me to see Baltimore in a new light and think about what it could be like if we really invested our resources into creating more sustainable and equitable cities.

Combining this knowledge and curiosity with my college classes has given me the option to think about a potential masters degree in urban planning or public policy. This kind of on the ground learning makes a huge difference because it lets me experience what a nonprofit career could be like. I really appreciate this because I think that nonprofits are an essential part of any community or city and something I see myself making a career out of.

From Sumi: 

 My first day at Bikemore, I was extremely intimidated. It was hard not to be -- I was the only new intern to a relatively small and intimate company that was focused on transportation policy, an area I had no expertise on. But over the course of the past four months I've not only become more comfortable with my co-workers and confident in my ability as an intern, but I've also learned about Baltimore's history with housing and transportation. Bikemore is a bike advocacy organization, yes, but I couldn’t imagine just how intertwined our work ended up being with zoning, housing, sustainability, and historical redlining. In holding interviews, I spoke to affordable housing advocates, city council members, CEOs, and affected residents. In doing research, I learned about the Complete Streets Ordinance, Baltimore zoning laws, and redlining. It was a world I had only learned about in class, but now I was able to interact with it and make a concrete difference. 

Throughout my experience, I was surprised at how much I learned -- not only about zoning, housing, and transportation, but about non-profits in general; I learned communication skills, policy advocacy, social media engagement, and networking skills. My co-workers were always helpful and generous. And I learned so much about Baltimore that I fell further in love with the city -- I'm even considering working here full-time once I graduate. I’m happy to be able to say that I’m going to continue my work with Bikemore throughout the summer, too! I want to thank my supervisor, Clarissa Chen, for being so helpful and positive in my work at Bikemore, as well as Liz, Jed, and Menelik for being supportive, informative, and inspirational role models. I also want to shout out my other intern, Patrick, who has been so fun to work with. I'm excited to continue my work with Bikemore and Baltimore -- I feel like my work has just begun.

What does a parking cashout mean for Baltimore?

Written by Patrick Reid, UMBC student and Bikemore Intern

The Baltimore City Council passed an important new bill in March that could change how some city government employees commute. The new bill aims to study something known as a parking cashout.

Parking cashouts are an incredibly effective way to increase the use of alternative modes of commuting to work. Basically, parking cashouts give employees the cost of a dedicated parking spot as cash, allowing them to use the money to pay for alternative modes of transportation. Free parking at work is often an included employee benefit; this takes the value of parking to create incentive for using other modes of transportation. 

Enticing local business leaders to support sustainable initiative can sometimes seem like a daunting task, especially when many have their profit margins to consider. But a cashout program is a win-win situation. Employees receive a cash benefit,  and employers can save costs and even receive a tax credit. A study by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) illustrates how these savings work in an example below. 

The table shows just how beneficial the parking cash out program would be for businesses who are looking to not only support sustainability and increase transit usage but also just cut down on their costs. By using the tax credit and maximizing the amount of money given to the employees who opt into the program the employer saves $7,500 while the employee makes an extra $50 a month or $600 over a year. 

The program is economically sound, but would it actually contribute to an increased use of alternative modes of commuting like bikes or transit?

According to a study in Washington D.C., it absolutely would. Looking at a sample of 987 Washington commuters who were faced with the prospect of not receiving free parking at their place of work, we see clearly some potential changes in behavior. For these commuters the options of biking or walking increased 15% while public transit usage increased by 31%. The number of commuters saying that they would get to work by “car alone” would fall by a staggering 50% to less than a quarter of surveyed commuters choosing to commute by car if the parking was not free!

What these numbers look like in practice is a cleaner, more connected city that can shift focus away from cars and instead on new modes of transportation like bikes and public transit. It means a more environmentally sustainable future and many more options for commuting. The Washington-based survey data in addition to the economic report from MDOT show the feasibility of a parking cash out program for all stakeholders involved.

While the current proposal only looks at the city government, a broader rollout of a cash out program could really make a big difference in Baltimore. What the city needs are bold new ideas and the courage to pursue them. This program could have a really meaningful impact if it was rolled out to more industries throughout Baltimore. We have the chance to transform the way that Baltimoreans commute, to make it environmentally conscious, safer and even put a little extra money into each paycheck in the process. 

My last day at Bikemore, my parting ask to you

Today is my last day as Bikemore’s Executive Director.

Feeling nostalgic, I went through my old files and found my original offer letter dated March 29, 2015. Completely unplanned and immensely poetic, I’m leaving on the exact date I accepted the position six years ago.

The recognition Bikemore has received over the past six years has been humbling and something I take deep pride in. From our influence on policy, opportunities to travel, and national awards, these experiences were wild and always felt outsized for what was supposed to be a small local bike advocacy organization, one where I began as the sole employee.

My story at Bikemore turned out to be much bigger. There was tragedy. In the past six years I have mourned the loss of six people killed while riding their bike. There was joy. Celebrating the completion of the Maryland Avenue Cycletrack and the Big Jump--both award winning infrastructure projects. There were major wins. The drama that ensued in the fight to keep the Potomac Street bike lane is the stuff of legends. Complete Streets becoming law will transform Baltimore’s streets far into the future.

I’m grateful for all of the support these past six years. I’m awestruck and indebted to Bikemore’s talented staff. I am especially grateful for Jed Weeks, who has been more like a compatriot than a coworker and who will be taking on the important role of Interim Executive Director while Bikemore launches a national search for my replacement.

Bikemore’s future success depends on all of us chipping in, so this is my final ask to you: help me shore up my legacy and sign up for a monthly donation right now.

This forms makes a donation to our 501(c)(4), our greatest need. To donate to our 501(c)(3), donate on this page.

Over 100 people already give monthly. If we were to get just 400 more, a third of Bikemore’s operations would be fully funded. So $5, $10, or $20 a month is all it takes.

We even made a cool animation to demonstrate how these donations add up:

Thank you for giving. Thank you for a wonderful six years. Bike people are the best people.

Liz Cornish

Liz Cornish to depart Bikemore after six years

Today we announce that after six years of service, Liz Cornish is stepping down from her role as Executive Director of Bikemore. Liz joined Bikemore as the sole staff person in 2015 and has since grown the organization to four full time and two part time staff members. 

Bikemore is now considered a leader in transportation policy and has received local and national recognition for our work during Liz’s tenure. She has made the city a safer place to walk, bike and use transit, all while being an exemplary community advocate and coalition builder. Liz will be missed, but we are grateful for her contributions to Bikemore and Baltimore. This is an exciting time for both Liz and for our organization. We look forward to our continued growth to serve the residents of Baltimore, and to continue partnering with Liz in our important work.

In April, Liz will join South Baltimore Gateway Partnership as the Enhanced Services Director where she will work with South Baltimore communities to strengthen and improve neighborhood parks, public spaces, and recreation programs. She is especially looking forward to her continued involvement in the creation of the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network. South Baltimore Gateway Partnership serves as a lead partner in the development of the Middle Branch portion of the 35-mile trail loop. 

The Board of Bikemore celebrates the amazing contributions Liz Cornish has delivered for Baltimore area residents, accelerating advocacy for a more equitable and livable city for all. Under her leadership the organization has more than doubled, both in size and impact, with Liz advocating for safe access to our shared public spaces and roadways, piloting innovative projects like the Big Jump, pivoting Bikemore to deliver food during the pandemic, advancing transportation policy across the region, and ushering in the landmark Complete Streets bill to ensure prioritization of pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users in planning and roadway design for Baltimore City. The impact of her leadership cannot be overstated.

As Liz transitions to her new role, Bikemore board and staff will be working in the coming weeks to ensure continuity of operations and initiate a search for a new Executive Director. We look forward to continued collaboration with Liz as well as the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership as we work to build a more connected Baltimore.

From the Bikemore's Board of Directors

Patrice Kingsley, President
Jim Brown, Vice President 
Ashiah Parker, Treasurer
Lily Mitchell, Secretary
Danielle Ford, Kyle Harrer, Collin Hayward, Christian Kansler, Drew Smith, and David Wolfe