Response to Heather Cook's Plea

Today bike advocates from Bikemore and Bike Maryland joined the Palermo family for a court appearance by Heather Cook, the episcopal bishop responsible for the death of beloved Baltimore bicyclist Tom Palermo. 

The purpose of today’s hearing, one day prior to Cook’s scheduled trial was so that Cook could enter a plea of guilty on 4 of the 14 charges. 

Cook plead guilty to automobile manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, and texting while driving resulting in death. 

The State is seeking a maximum of ten years jail time and five years probation. Sentencing will take place on October 27th at 2pm. We have written a Victim Impact Statement to the judge requesting the maximum sentence. 

While the family has declined to comment on whether or not the recommended sentence is appropriate, as advocates we have been asked to weigh in. We believe that in this incredibly painful time our best action is to support the Palermo family in pursuing whatever justice they seek. But trying to quantify what justice for Tom would look like is futile. And for us, the sooner Heather Cook begins paying for her crime the better. What we want to remain in the forefront of people’s minds is that Tom was loved by so many people who are still here on earth. His joy for bicycling, his love for his family was immense. There is no specific punishment that can somehow restore the loss of someone like Tom. 

We believe that in order for this to not happen again, as a city we must commit to stronger enforcement of negligence while operating a motor vehicle. We have to commit to having zero tolerance to distracted driving. If the city claims they can’t afford to enforce the laws the state passes, we have to stop accepting that as an acceptable response. There was a time when driving drunk was more socially acceptable than it is today. There was a time when child seats were scarce, if used at all, and seatbelt laws were just coming into fashion. The argument that getting people to put away phones while we are driving is just too hard doesn’t hold water. Culture change related to driving can happen, because it has happened in our lifetime. And Bikemore is committed to ushering in the next wave a change for Baltimore. Cook was grossly negligent in her actions, but we are all guilty of sneaking a peek at a text or email, scrolling to find our favorite song, or typing in GPS directions from time to time. What do we have to do to make that dangerous behavior a thing of the past? How many people walking, people on bikes, and people in cars have to be killed in order for us to take this issue seriously? 

We want to honor Tom and his family by ensuring families in Baltimore do not have to experience the pain and loss they have. We are working to make sure when people ride their bike, they get home safe. Will you join us? 

Bikemore Comments on the Southeast Strategic Transportation Plan

Heatmap of bicycle activity in Southeast Baltimore (via Strava)

Bikemore, the bicycle safety advocacy organization for the Baltimore metropolitan area, is pleased to see the priority which has been placed on multi-modal transportation planning in the Southeast Strategic Transportation Vision, and is encouraged that DOT continues to prioritize biking and walking in future planning efforts.

It is clear that the opportunities for increasing traffic capacity in Southeast are very limited, particularly in historic areas such as Fells Point, and further, that many of the possible capacity increases could only be accomplished at the cost of unacceptable degradation of bicycle/pedestrian accommodation and general neighborhood livability. Demand management is therefore the most promising path forward, and increasing bicycle ridership among both commuters and residents is an essential part of reducing motor vehicle demand.

We believe that dedicated facilities and easy to understand way-finding are essential to increasing and encouraging bicycle use, and we particularly support the parts of the plan that create (or improve existing facilities into) separated facilities such as cycle tracks, paths, and protected bike lanes. Research continues to show that this type of facility is necessary to significantly increase bicycling mode share.

We do have concerns with a few specific points within the plan:

We disagree with the continued designation of the President Street bike lane as a desirable facility. Not only is the quality of infrastructure poor, but it places riders in the vulnerable position of traveling alongside high speed traffic, completely unprotected, and therefore is presently used by only the most confident of cyclists. Unless the plan is for that to become an improved protected facility, it should not be considered part of the network. Parallel alternatives exist.

The installation of "share the road" signs alone does not qualify as a proper bicycle facility. Where signs are placed without any effort to calm or reduce traffic along the corridor they create a false sense that bicycling will feel safe and pleasant on that particular roadway. A prospective cyclist who has a bad experience “sharing” a busy and otherwise unimproved road may come to distrust all bicycle accommodation and be reluctant to ride.

There is a major gap in the SE bike network, both in the existing and planned accommodation, which is obvious from even a quick look at the maps: the barrier caused by the I-95 and I-895 elevated highways and the NS, CSX, and Canton Railroads. It is, for example, almost impossible to safely bicycle from the O’Donnell Heights neighborhood to any of the employment, retail, or entertainment opportunities of Canton, Fells Point, or Downtown. Likewise it is very difficult to bicycle from any of the more central neighborhoods to employment at Amazon or any of the other Holabird or Dundalk area opportunities. This will be difficult, to be sure, but must be included, at least as a long-term plan.

Finally, we would like to see secure bike parking be part of a comprehensive transportation plan.

Maryland Avenue Cycle Track and Downtown Bicycle Network Project Update

In a meeting with Baltimore City Department of Transportation last week, Bikemore received an update on the 2.6 mile Maryland Ave Cycle Track. Current construction timelines estimate the project to begin construction in the Spring of 2016.

Here are some important milestones for the project we are watching to ensure the project does not experience any further delays.

• Toole Design is currently putting together the PSE (plans, specifics, and estimates).

• Baltimore Department of Transportation will advertise the project by 9/9.

• Timeline for advertising is four weeks.

• This means it will be mid November when the contract is awarded.

• Given construction schedules it is unlikely whichever company is awarded the contract will begin construction before winter.

• This means a Spring 2016 construction start.

• The project is estimated to take 90 days for construction.

Included in the contract is the work to implement the Downtown Bicycle Network. This will include conventional bike lanes on Preston and Biddle and protected cycle tracks on Centre, Monument and Madison.

Additionally Bikemore has been communicating with Baltimore City DOT our recommendations for creating better connection to the Maryland Ave cycle track. BCDOT is already at work to improve signaling at Maryland and 29th st, and listening to input to improve safety and wayfinding from all routes feeding into the cycle track.

And while we are all frustrated with the delays, BCDOT deserves credit for ensuring that the plans didn’t languish in State Highway Administration final review. This is a priority of ours and theirs, and we appreciate them doing all they can within a less than perfect system to get the cycle track installed.

Despite perceptions, construction of the Roland Ave cycle track did not contribute to the delay.

Our hope is that as more of these projects get underway, the more comfortable State Highway Administration gets in quickly approving plans and empowering BCDOT to build the connected bicycle network we deserve.

When Plans Fall Short, We Say No to Projects that Put People on Bikes in Harm’s Way

Baltimore County recently released information regarding its latest bike planning project called the Towson Spokes Bicycle Improvement Plan. This past week, alongside our statewide advocacy organization and partner Bike Maryland, we notified County Executive Kamenetz that Bikemore will be opposing the plan in its current form. While communities across the country are working to implement policies and design that work toward zero traffic deaths through Vision Zero initiatives, Baltimore County continues to have zero vision when it comes to what safe bicycling facilities can be.

Here are our concerns:

• Baltimore County is investing zero local dollars toward improvements. The plan is funded through the Maryland Department of Transportation Bikeways program. This program has enabled local communities to plan, design and construct new bike projects across the state to encourage more people to bike, which reduces car traffic congestion and increases the quality of life for those areas. Communities across Maryland have contributed local dollars to make their Bikeways projects better. Baltimore County contributes no local match thus providing the bare minimum improvements which amounts to traffic sign clutter.

• The plan does nothing to increase comfort or safety of road users. We know that separate bike facilities increase safety of all road users and encourage more people to ride bikes for short trips. Where the plan does employ the use of painted bike lanes, these lanes place the rider unprotected along multiple lanes of car traffic at speeds in excess of 35 mph. Where the lane ends, people on bikes are forced to merge with high speed traffic. We believe with more thoughtful planning, many of these issues could be addressed. Bikemore cannot support any project that endangers lives just to stay under budget.

• The County created these plans in a vacuum. This project’s concept originated with Towson residents and members of the Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC). The Towson Spokes Plan was then designed by county staff without any further input from PBAC or local bike advocates, many of whom are transportation planners and engineers. PBAC members asked to review the plans before voting on funding approval, but were denied. A request to review the plans before public release was ignored by county staff. These actions negate the purpose of an ‘advisory’ committee and contribute to an atmosphere of mistrust with county staff.

We invite the Bikemore Community to TAKE ACTION by doing the following:

• Attend the Public Input Meeting this Thursday July 16.

• Contact County Executive Kamenetz and express your opposition to the Towson Spokes Plan as designed and demand more funding and better planning to improve bicycling in Baltimore County.

Bike Riding Shines a Light on Inadequate Policing

Riding a bike can make you vulnerable, but compared to other risks we engage in on a daily basis, it is statistically as safe as walking down a flight of stairs. But the perceived risk often feels much greater, and it is ultimately what stops most people from choosing to ride a bike. In Baltimore, while infrequent, the threat of a robbery or an assault is real, particularly in the areas of town where popular bike routes pass through like the Guilford Bike Boulevard, Falls Road, and the Gwynns Falls Trail.

This week, an Op-Ed by Connor Meek appeared in the Baltimore Sun and told his story of being assaulted on the Gwynns Falls Trail, having his bike stolen, and his deplorable encounter with Baltimore City Police in attempting to report the crime.

Within one day of the Op-Ed appearing, Baltimore Police have now updated their policy to ensure all stations will be open 24 hours a day. We commend Colonel DeSousa for taking swift action to correct this egregious wrong.

Bikemore is committed to the safety of all people who choose to travel by bike. And while we work to ensure our streets are properly designed with the safety of people on bikes in mind, we must also work to ensure they are safe from physical harm or loss of property due to crime. In the past we have made clear attempts to work with police to improve police visibility along popular bike routes, and worked diligently to engage with neighbors to build positive relationships. Some efforts have been successful, while others petered out due to lack of engagement from officers assigned to the task.

While we work to increase the number of people choosing to ride bikes, what we also see are people being placed into positions of vulnerability, particularly with respects to crime and the police, that they may not have experienced before. This inevitably “shines a light” on bad policies and behavior that has been impacting citizens for years. The key is to both recognize that these experiences are not unique to people on bikes, but as a community we have a responsibility to use our political voice to leverage real change that can have impacts that reach far beyond bicycles.

Moving forward, we want to outline our next strategy for working with Baltimore City Police Department and building relationships with the communities located along popular routes.

• We have reopened the lines of the communication with police. We have requested meetings with leaders on the force to discuss shortcomings in current policy and alerted them to the increase in assaults and theft along popular routes.

• While youth are often the perpetrators of these specific crimes, we recognize youth violence and crime is a complex and intersectional issue. When you cast all Baltimore youth as criminals, you perpetuate stereotypes and become complicit in the systems of structuralized racism and oppression that can be found at the root of our city’s youth violence problem. To combat these attitudes and to provide a fun, safe space for all of us to ride bikes together, Bikemore is partnering with the 29th St. Community Center and the North Barclay Green Community to host two community bike rides this summer.

• In the coming weeks we will be sitting down with city leaders to understand how best to move forward to enact real change. We believe that Meek’s Op-Ed shined a light at an opportune time, and Bikemore intends to use this momentum to keep the lights on. We will be seeking out organizations in the community who have been working on these issues with whom we can partner and lend our voice, and develop concrete ways to mobilize you--people who bike--so that you can lend your voice as well.

Actions you can take today:

• RSVP to one of our community rides and invite your friends! Join us on July 28 & August 11.

• Volunteer to be a ride marshall, sno-cone maker, or general helper on one of the upcoming rides.

• Make a donation to Bikemore to help us cover the costs of staff time working with youth to plan the rides and of course providing delicious sno-cones!

• Donate the use of a loaner bike for one of the youth leaders at 29th St Community Center to use for the month of July. We need three, all youth are approximately 5’9”. Bikes would be stored at the center, and only used under the supervision of Bikemore staff. Email liz@bikemore.net with any questions or leads.

• Send us an email if you have been a victim of a crime while riding your bike. Please include any relevant details including location and time of day, and whether you filed a police report. We will be collecting these stories to help make the case for improved police presence on popular routes.

We will not undo years of inadequate policing instantaneously. But know that Bikemore takes the concerns around crime and police misconduct perpetrated against people who ride bikes seriously and are committed to evoking change.

P.S. Help us collect state wide incidents by utilizing Bike Maryland's Incident Reporting Tool.