HB 1079 and the History of Jaywalking

In the Maryland General Assembly this session, Delegate McMillan of Anne Arundel County introduced House Bill 1079, which seeks to give local jurisdictions the authority to create a civil penalty for crossing outside of a crosswalk.

Staff from McMillan's office explained that this is in response to heavy tourist traffic in Annapolis. They believe being able to ticket tourists that cross outside of a crosswalk will improve pedestrian safety.

The bill is currently in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, after being passed on the floor of the House yesterday. Click here to tell the committee to vote NO on this bill.

Jaywalking has a storied past. In short, as cars became more prolific in cities, and death by automobile soared, communities sought to find solutions and penalties for drivers who recklessly endangered the public.

The automobile lobby fought back with a coordinated public relations effort that blamed the people who had been using roads for centuries, not the newest invention on the roadway. AAA began an "education campaign" in schools. The Boy Scouts were employed to hand out pamphlets on street corners. 

The automobile lobby won, and their message prevailed: It was the people walking who were in the wrong, they should get out of the way of cars, and if they refused they should be punished with fines or even jail time.

In the 1990's and early 2000's focus on jaywalking re-emerged as cities like New York and Baltimore used jaywalking as a way to target individuals for Terry Stops through broken windows policing. Studies now prove when you criminalize the behavior of vulnerable road users like people walking and biking, it disproportionately impacts communities of color. Layering fines in the name of safety compounds the challenges facing our communities instead of making them safer.

Back to HB 1079: if pedestrian safety is the aim, why not advocate for designing roads that reduce pedestrian injury and fatalities by lowering vehicle speed and adding sidewalks, safe crossings, and adequate lighting? Or pass out of the very same Judicial Proceedings Committee SB 0338, which would allow HAWK Signals in Maryland, a very real improvement that can be made for pedestrian safety?

Communities across the state are working hard to make places safer for biking and walking. It's good for public health, mobility, and the economy. Let's work harder on that, and let a 100 year old strategy rooted in racist and classist policy that unfairly penalizes Maryland residents and visitors for crossing the street die in committee.

Take Action on these Bills!

Next Action Steps for Repealing the Farebox Recovery Mandate

Over the last couple of weeks, you wrote to your delegates in the House to tell them to repeal the farebox recovery mandate.

The farebox recovery mandate is a state rule that says 35% of the total operating costs for MTA's Baltimore area services must be recovered from fares and other revenues. This forces MTA to be regressive, it stifles ingenuity in route planning and service delivery, and it prevents forward thinking conversations around public transport from occurring. 

Thanks to your action on the House side, this issue is now coming up for vote in the Senate, and we once again are calling on you to take action. The vote should take place today, so send your email now!
 

Tell your Senator to vote yes on SB 484 using the form below!

→ Read more about the farebox recovery mandate. 

BCDOT Revises Bike Lane Snow Removal Policy On Eve of Storm

The Snow Removal Policy conflicts with the existing Complete Streets Policy

After business hours this evening before a major snow event, BCDOT updated their policy on clearing snow from bike lanes, contradicting their own existing complete streets policy and putting the safety of people who ride bikes dead last.

In public meetings and in discussions with Bikemore prior to the issuance of this memo, BCDOT stated that standard snow removal equipment would be used to clear the Maryland Avenue cycle track at the same time the vehicular travel lanes would be cleared, and that specialty equipment was on call to remove snow in narrower protected facilities like Roland Avenue and the Jones Falls Trail. BCDOT's previous commitment was to have all protected bicycle facilities cleared within 24 hours of final snow fall. 

The new policy gives BCDOT broad leeway, stating that protected lanes may not be cleared for up to 48 hours after the last vehicular travel lane in the city is plowed.

Sidewalks, bike facilities, and bus stops on major roads should be cleared ahead of lower traffic roads. Making transit and bike travel safe and accessible can cut down on dangerous car travel while maintaining access to jobs and critical healthcare for those who do not have access to a car. 

Many other cities prioritize snow removal on sidewalks, bus stops, and in bicycle and transit lanes because they recognize safety of vulnerable road users must come before convenience of private automobile use. 

Toronto begins multiple round mechanical sidewalk clearing in high volume pedestrian areas after 3 inches of snow has fallen. The city commits to complete plowing of all priority bike lanes and cycle tacks on arterial roads within 6-8 hours, and full snow removal to bare pavement within 48-72 hours. 

This last minute policy change is yet another example of BCDOT's Director prioritizing the movement of cars over the safety and movement of people. It's why we launched our #DirectDOT campaign to call for new leadership, and why we're working hard to pass a progressive Complete Streets Ordinance.

Repeal the Farebox Recovery Mandate!

As transportation advocates, it is sometimes necessary to zoom out on an issue and look to understand why Baltimore City has not seen the level of transportation investment of our peer cities. 

Repealing the fare box recovery mandate is the first wall people who care about progressive transportation reform must knock down in order to further the debate on how and where we make investments in public transport. 

So whether you ride a bike or take a bus, we urge you to contact your lawmakers and tell them to support HB0271, which will repeal MTA's farebox recovery mandate.

Tell your legislators to vote YES on repealing the farebox recovery mandate:

More On Repealing the Farebox Recovery Mandate

The farebox recovery mandate is a state rule that says 35% of the total operating costs for MTA's Baltimore area services must be recovered from fares and other revenues. This mandate only applies to MTA's services in Baltimore, not other jurisdictions. This mandate on public transport service in the Baltimore area is just one of three aggressive mandates nationwide, and it is the highest mandate in the country. 

The MTA has never met the farebox recovery mandate. But since they're legally mandated to try, they have had to focus on cost cutting instead of service improvements that could bring additional revenue and ridership. This forces MTA to be regressive, it stifles ingenuity in route planning and service delivery, and it prevents forward thinking conversations around public transport from occurring. 

If we want to advance the dialogue in our city and state around progressive transportation funding and safe, reliable access for all road users, we have to start by addressing this major barrier. 

Thank you to Delegate Brooke Lierman for introducing HB0271. Co-sponsors include Delegates Anderson, Barron, Beidle, Branch, Clippinger, Ebersole, Glenn, Hayes, Hettleman, Korman, Lafferty, R. Lewis, McCray, Oaks, Robinson, and M. Washington. 

Other advocates for this bill include: Get Maryland Moving, the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition, the Baltimore Community Foundation, and the Baltimore Sun Editorial Board. 

Our Next Campaign: Complete Streets

Separated bike lanes on Guadalupe Street in Austin, TX. Photo courtesy of the Plantizen, City of Austin.

In Bikemore’s short history we’ve managed to deliver tangible wins for people who bike. But the bike has always been a tool to tell a bigger story, to do bigger work. We value principles, standards, and policies that make cities healthy, safe, vibrant places to live. The time has come for us to be bolder in our advocacy and think beyond a single bike lane or a crosswalk. We must seek comprehensive policy reform for how we design our streets.

Today we launch our campaign for an improved Complete Streets Policy for Baltimore. Partnering with lead sponsor Councilman Ryan Dorsey, we are building a coalition of diverse stakeholders who believe all neighborhoods deserve streets that prioritize the safety of people over the movement of cars. Complete Streets save lives by preventing chronic diseases, reducing injury and death from traffic crashes, and improving environmental health — while stimulating economic development and ensuring access for all people.

This legislation builds on an existing resolution established in 2010. The previous bill lacked specificity and contained significant loopholes that resulted in little forward progress since its enactment. Millions of dollars were spent on road improvement projects that did little to improve the safety of people who walk and bike. Our new policy does two key things: It creates a framework to distribute resources for Complete Streets through a lens of racial equity, and creates a policy that requires that design solutions consider all modes of travel — not just driving in a car. This means more bike lanes, better sidewalks, safer intersections, cleaner bus stops and more street trees.

How can you help?

Sign on to support our Complete Streets legislation and read our policy brief. This is the best way to get advocacy alerts related to Complete Streets. Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for requests for testimony and prompts to encourage your representatives to support this ordinance.

And lastly, consider a donation to Bikemore. Your financial support will determine the scale of our campaign. Complete Streets are better for everyone, regardless of if you choose to walk, bike, take the bus or drive a car. Let’s make sure we have the resources to build widespread support for this common sense legislation.