Memorial Ride and Vigil for Tom Palermo

Please join friends of Tom Palermo and the bicycle community for a memorial ride and vigil on Thursday, January 1st, 2015.

For those riding, please meet at 3:30pm at Bishop Square Park on the northwest corner of the intersection of Charles and University, adjacent from the Cathedral of the Incarnation. 

After a moment of silence for Tom, we will ride to the scene of the crash at 5700 Roland Avenue to place a white memorial bicycle in honor of Tom. Friends and members of the community who are not riding bicycles can meet us at this location. 

Due to the expected turnout for this ride we are asking that only close friends and family members of Tom make their way to Gallery 788 after the ride. The ride will now end at the crash site for other riders and community members.

Please consider making a contribution to the education fund for Tom's children.

Facebook Event Page

 

Bikemore Statement on Death of Thomas Palermo

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Tom Palermo, who was killed while riding his bicycle on Roland Avenue. Tom was a passionate bicycle builder, a father, and a friend to many people who ride bicycles in Baltimore.  

While details of the crash are still emerging, we know the driver of the car involved initially fled the scene, leaving Tom to die on the street. It is clear that dedicated bicycle lanes were not enough to keep even an experienced bicycle rider safe. 

We urge the justice system to hold the driver who killed Tom accountable for her actions.  

Bikemore will continue to advocate for Baltimore to follow the lead of other major cities and build physically-separated bicycle infrastructure to protect the growing number of people who ride bicycles for transportation and recreation.

We will update this post with further information as we receive it. Rest in Peace Tom.

MARC Adds Weekend Bicycle Car

Great news from the MTA! Now you can take a bike on the MARC train from Charm City all the way to our nation’s capital. Whether you want to see the historic sights, delve into some bipartisan gridlock, or catch a glimpse of first rate cycle tracks in Washington, D.C., the opportunity has now arrived for you and your bike to travel south together on one of MARC’s snazzy new Bike Cars.

While service is limited to weekends in this pilot phase, we see great things on the horizon for intercity multimodal active transportation (aka…Bikes!).

This was a collaboration of many folks, including the Maryland Transit Administration, Bike Maryland, WABA, and of course you - Bikemore’s dedicated members. We look forward to two wheeling it down in D.C., but we’re even more excited to showcase our beloved Baltimore to our cycling brethren from D.C., as now it will be easier for them to come see all that we have to offer by bike!

You can read more about it here from our friends at WABA (just short bike & train ride away):

http://www.waba.org/blog/2014/12/all-aboard-marc/

Bikemore will continue to work with MTA, Bike Maryland, and WABA to expand bicycle access to all MARC trains, as mandated by Maryland law. This is a great step toward a more connected region.

Bikemore Announces Interim Executive Director, Greg Hinchliffe

Bikemore is naming Greg Hinchliffe the Interim Executive Director of Bikemore. Greg is a Baltimore City resident, recently retired Captain at American Airlines, and has been a lifetime advocate for bicycle infrastructure improvement in Baltimore City.

He is a member of the Maryland Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, is the State Chair of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, a member of the Gwynns Falls Trail Council, the former Chair of the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, and he helped organize Tour Dem Parks for the past 12 years.

"Having worked with Greg for many years on bike issues both large and small, I'm encouraged with the direction Bikemore is taking. Greg not only has a solid vision for what a truly bikeable Baltimore can be, but knows how to make it a reality. I look forward to working with him in his new role at Bikemore."  - Nate Evans, Bike Maryland

Greg will continue Bikemore’s daily advocacy work while we launch a national search for a new permanent Executive Director.

If you know of anyone passionate about bicycles with a demonstrated track record of advocacy and fundraising success, please let us know. Bikemore will publish a formal announcement and job description for that position soon.
 

Thank You to Chris Merriam

From initially sparking the idea of a Baltimore-focused bicycle advocacy organization at evening meetings with a small group of dedicated volunteers, Chris Merriam grew Bikemore into a professional advocacy organization that--while still in its infancy--has moved the needle significantly on projects in Baltimore City, and recently expanded into Baltimore County with progress on the I-70 trail connections and the opening of Towson bicycle facilities.

While Chris is stepping down as Executive Director, we look forward to his continued involvement in the organizational mission, vision, and strategy as a founding member.
 

I-70 Trail Connection Success!

Saturday, October 18, 2014 will be remembered as a huge day for pedestrians and bicyclists in west Baltimore City & County. Dare we call it victory?  On that day, in front of 30 guests including Maryland state Delegates Shirley Nathan-Pulliam (candidate for Senate, MD 44) and Sandy Rosenberg (MD 41), Councilman Tom Quirk (County Dist. 1), and Pat Young (candidate for Delegate, MD 44B), Tom Hannan, Chief Program Engineer for the Baltimore Red Line, acknowledged that the Red Line’s plan for accommodating pedestrians and bicyclists did not meet the community’s demand and their own stated goal of a “direct connection between the station and the Gwynns Falls Trail.” Mr. Hannan conceded that sometimes, “we don’t get it right.” He further stated that through the persistence of the community and their refusal to take no for an answer, the Red Line has agreed to meet with the community, the State Highway Administration and other Maryland DOT officials to seriously consider the I-70 Trail Connector’s proposal to use the existing I-70 Security Blvd overpass bridge as the “direct connector” between the Red Line’s I-70 station on the west side of Security Blvd and the trail on the east side of Security Blvd.

The recommendation of the I-70 Trail Connectors includes several possibilities: keep a large section of the existing I-70 bridge over Security Boulevard and convert it to a hiking and biking bridge large enough to accommodate an elevated park or community commons over Security Boulevard; keep enough of the existing bridge for pedestrians and cyclists once the larger structure is torn down; or use existing bridge abutments for placement of a lightweight, pre-fabricated bridge specifically designed for pedestrians and cyclists. The beauty of the I-70 Trail Connector’s proposals are not simply that they provide a convenient and comfortable way to cross Security Boulevard, but that they offer the only safe way to cross this busy state road.

In addition to the elected officials, guests included Joy Goodie, Heide Grundmann, Greg Hinchliffe, and John MacDonald of the I-70 Trail Connectors. Chris Merriam, founder of Bikemore was there. Bikemore has recently brought citizen bike advocacy to Baltimore County and the I-70 Trail Connection is its first action in the County. Members of Catonsville Rails to Trails were there because they understand the importance of quality hiking and biking infrastructure and the significance of the bridge over Security Boulevard as part of the emerging, interconnected westside trail and bicycle network. Klaus Philipsen, urban planner and Red Line consulting architect rode his bike there from his home a few miles away. Parents brought children on bikes to support the efforts of the I-70 Trail Connectors and there was even a young mother with a child in a stroller who carried a sign that read, “I Don’t Want to Cross Security Boulevard in my Stroller.” Numerous residents of surrounding communities were also in attendance.

This is a story of community action, tenacity, and pushing engineers and planners to see a solution that is right there, before their eyes. As the I-70 Trail Connectors say about the safe, bridge crossing of Security Boulevard, “Its already there!” and the comment from many of those who visit the location, “It’s a no-brainer!”