Your Guide to Bike Month in Baltimore!

Bike Month is celebrated in cities across the country and, simply put, it's a whole month dedicated to the tons of reasons we love to bike! From joining a group ride, to learning about Bikemore's advocacy work, or trying out biking to work — May is the month to join in! Check out the full calendar of Bike Month events here. 

Can't decide which event(s!) to attend?

Thanks to our thriving biking community, there are more than 35+ events happening — that means something is happening almost every single day of May! And we know, with so many choices it's hard to decide, so we thought we'd help you out: 

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Which events is Bikemore hosting?

Some of the events during Bike Month are organized by us here at Bikemore, and lots more are organized by volunteers and members of our community. Here are the ones we're hosting — they're all great opportunities to meet and chat with Bikemore staff and learn about how you can get involved in making Baltimore a more bikeable city.

Bike to Market Day at JFX Farmers Market
Sunday, May 7, 2017 | 7am - 12pm | JFX Farmers Market
We'll have a free bike valet, raffle, and giveaways for anyone who gets to the market by bike!

Bikemore Annual Members Meeting
Tuesday, May 9, 2017 | 7pm – 9pm | R. House
Join us to review our accomplishments from the past year, get a preview of what's to come, and share with us what you care about most.

Cyclofemme Ride
Sunday, May 14 | 11am – 2:30pm
Join the women of Bikemore for a social ride celebrating all that is great about being a woman who rides in Baltimore, as CycloFemme rides happen concurrently in cities around the world. 

Bike to Work Day: Bikemore Maryland Ave. Stop
Friday, May 19th | 7am – 9am | Bikemore
Stop by on your morning commute for free coffee, bike safety checks, and a chance to talk about the future of bicycling in Baltimore with Bikemore’s staff.

Bikemore + North Barclay Green Community Ride
Thursday, May 25 | 6pm - 8pm | North Barclay Green Community Center
Join Bikemore and North Barclay Green Community Center for a social ride and celebration! Kids and adults welcome as this is a social, no-drop ride.
 

Why donate to Bikemore during Bike Month?

Just by looking at the calendar, you can tell that here at Bikemore, we do a whole lot with just a little! Throughout the month we'll be highlighting programs we run and projects we've worked on to give you an inside look at Bikemore's work. We'll share what we've accomplished with the resources we have, and how much more we can achieve with your support. 

Plus, we consider a member anyone who has donated to Bikemore in the past year — and all members will receive a free beer ticket at our Annual Member's Meeting! 

→ Be sure to check the full calendar for the 35+ bike events going on throughout May! And don't forget to tag us in your photos from #bikemonth events on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Bike to Market Tip #1: Carrying Groceries by Bike

What's Bike to Market?

Bike to Market mixes two important aspects of a thriving sustainable city: sustainable transportation and local fresh food. This spring and summer we're partnering with the Maryland Farmer's Market Association to make it easier than ever to ride your bike to the market — demonstrating the ease of doing daily activities on bike, the value of supporting local growers, and of course, the joy you can have doing it!

We'll have three Bike to Market events, each at a different farmers markets. At each we'll provide free bike valet so you can safely and easily leave your bike while you shop, and have giveaways and a raffle for anyone who rides. And we'll be sharing our favorite tips and ideas along the way! 

First up — we'll be biking to the... 

Baltimore Farmers Market and Bazaar (JFX)
May 7th, 7am - 12:00pm

The Baltimore Farmers’ Market and Bazaar is the city’s vibrant hub for a truly local and supportive experience. Drawing crowds in the thousands, bringing together vendors and customers from all over the state, launching small businesses, and providing good local food for the community, all make for an amazing Sunday morning in Downtown Baltimore.

And if you're coming from the North, a group ride to the market will be leaving from Charmington's at 9:30am! Perfect for folks newer to city riding or those just interested in traveling as a pack, and no need to RSVP — just show up! 

How do I carry groceries on my bike?

The best set up for carrying groceries depends on your bike, how far your riding, how much you're carrying, and personal preference. Here are a few of our favorite tips and trips for carrying groceries on our bikes.

Messenger bags and backpacks, that one you probably already have in your closet, work well for short trips and smaller loads.

Bungee chords or a net can help make sure you don't lose any veggies if you hit a bump in the road.

Panniers and rear racks are great for larger and heavier loads, and for those times you get caught in the rain.

You can use front baskets with or without a front rack, depending on what kind of basket it is, and they're perfect for carrying small loads.

Baskets that attach to a back rack are the perfect size for reusable grocery bags, and they usually fold down so you can always keep them on your bike. 

Thanks to:

Things to Do Today: Write to the Parole Board

Photo by Brian O'Doherty

by Liz Cornish, Executive Director

On December 27th, 2014, Tom Palermo, beloved Baltimore bike builder, father to Sadie and Sam, and husband to Rachel was killed by Heather Cook while riding his bike. Next month, Cook is eligible for parole, after serving only one fifth of her seven year sentence.

There are two critical ways that the current system has failed in bringing justice to the Palermo family and those who knew Tom. First, despite Cook’s disregard for Tom’s life, her crime is considered nonviolent. This creates the environment for her to be eligible for parole so soon. Second, the courts themselves cannot revoke her license, that is up to the MVA. It’s possible her driver’s license could be suspended or revoked once she is released, but that has remained unclear during this process.

I did not know Tom. I moved to Baltimore a few months after his death. But over the past two years I have fought both for changes and improvements in infrastructure and for policy that aim to prevent tragedies like Tom’s from occurring.

And despite the national attention Tom’s death received, here in Baltimore I spend time defending his memory from people who would rather not be reminded of his tragic end. Multiple times I’ve had to work with the city to protect his ghost bike memorial from neighbors who would like it removed. I’ll never forget Tom’s name being invoked at the now infamous Roland Park meeting where a woman was spitting in anger over the proposed bike lane, and shouted at me that Tom didn’t need a bike lane, and he should have been wearing a helmet. To which I responded, “He was wearing a helmet, but it ended up on the floorboard of Heather Cook’s car when he was hit.”

The fact that the laws aren’t designed to respond to the type of gross negligence Heather Cook exhibited that day is why Bikemore is advocating that she not be allowed early release. It is clear that in the minds of some residents, people on bikes do not deserve safe places to ride, they do not deserve to be memorialized.

At this stage, the most effective thing you can do is write a letter to the parole board. These letters work best when they are written in your own language. You can use our letter below as a guide. Letters are due April 15th.  

The letter must include:
Heather Cook
DOC #442452
Case #15035007

Address letters to:
Maryland Parole Commission
Attn: Ms. Johnson
6776 Reisterstown Rd., Suite 307
Baltimore, MD 21215

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Fact Check: The Greenway Trails Network Plan Is Awesome, Support It.

Bikemore is part of the Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, funded by a Plan4Health grant from the American Planning Association and the Centers for Disease Control. Over the past year, our partner and lead on the project, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, has hosted over a dozen meetings with residents and stakeholders adjacent to the Gwynns Falls Parkway and 33rd Street corridor. At these meetings they discussed using these two streets to connect the Gwynns Falls Trail, Jones Falls Trail, and Herring Run Trail into an eventual 35 mile trail loop in Baltimore City where people can walk or bike safely in a dedicated space separated from mixed traffic.

One of the options proposed for 33rd Street and Gwynns Falls Parkway is a two-way, on street protected bike lane.

The other is a center-running, multi-use community path. The advantage of this option is that it could be used both by people walking and biking, as well as neighbors who just want to recreate outside their homes.

This isn't a new idea. The coalition is building on and supporting existing initiatives, including Parks & People’s One Park Concept, Baltimore City’s Growing Green Initiative, the updated Baltimore City Bicycle Master Plan, the Open Space and Parks Task Force, and a revitalized master plan for the Middle Branch. Going back further, it works to bring the original Olmsted vision for Baltimore's "Parkways" to life.

A Brief History of Olmsted Parkways

The revised Olmsted vision in The Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1914

The Olmsted Brothers Company is responsible for the design of both 33rd Street and Gwynns Falls Parkway, among other parkways and boulevards in Baltimore City. The original intent and goal of these "Parkways" was to bring "Parking" (of the green—not car—variety) into communities, and connect Baltimore's entire park system via linear parks containing designated spaces for people to enjoy the park system by foot, car, bicycle, horse, or carriage.

Rapid city growth led to push back around the size of the right of way required to implement this plan. The result was the series of narrower boulevards present in our city today. Automobile based planning decisions in Baltimore, since these boulevards' construction, have turned them into high-speed automobile corridors, far from the original intent. Luckily, we can look back at the Olmsted vision for Baltimore, as well as to more successful implementations in other cities to see how we could better reprogram this space to match the true Olmsted intent.

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The Olmsted designed Lincoln Parkway in Buffalo was planned with a multi-use, protected trail for people walking, biking, or riding.

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Lincoln Parkway in Buffalo today looks much like 33rd Street, albeit with wider medians. While beautiful, it is rarely used by people.

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The Olmsted Designed Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn in the 1930's with a multi-use median path for people walking and biking.

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Today, Eastern Parkway retains the multi-use median path for people walking, biking, playing chess, or sitting on benches.

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The Olmsted designed Brooklyn Ocean Parkway's multi-use path was split to include a "bicycle highway" in the 1890's.

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Brooklyn's Ocean Parkway retains bicycle and walking paths today.

Project FAQ /Fact Check

While this is an exciting project that will serve all of Baltimore, and which has the potential to address a number of health, access, transportation equity, historic preservation, and quality of life issues for the whole city - some residents have expressed concerns about potential changes to the public space. A few others have spread false information about the project. 

This is just one piece of a 35 mile trail vision. If this one stretch fails to materialize like the rest of the trail, the economic, public health, and transportation benefits of the entire trail system are in jeopardy.

We address some of the concerns here:

Some neighbors say this will remove green space

The proposed multi-use path, one option being explored on the corridor, will enhance green space. Currently, the medians serve as a green barrier to high speed automobile traffic. Activating this space with a multi-use path is one step in reclaiming the street for all road users.

The proposed median path would actually add active green space by lengthening medians and closing some of the "u-turn" locations between the existing medians to reduce high speed car traffic cutting through neighborhoods.

In addition to the median path, additional trees, shrubs, and rain gardens would be implemented to control and treat stormwater. Currently, the median has soil that is severely compacted and does not effectively treat storm water. 

But some neighbors said you'll pave the median and kill all the trees

While a paved surface is the most ADA compliant and accessible surface, no decisions have been made about trail materials. There are many options. A "floating trail" can rest on the current median surface, and there are many other permeable paver solutions. The Indianapolis Cultural Trail is an example of a "floating trail" surface that is permeable and does not disturb existing plantings. A soft surface trail also allows water infiltration without tree root damage. 

The next round of study for this project will include specific planning and specifications for tree care as well as trail surface. There are many examples across the country of trail and path construction coinciding with tree care and maintenance. 

This would be dangerous for everyone

The current design of these roadways is dangerous for everyone. The floating unprotected bike lanes are substandard, the sidewalks have too many street crossings, and the wide travel lane allows cars to drive too fast. 

The proposed redesign would be engineered to the highest safety standards to protect trail users, residents, and people driving along the corridor. All crossings would prioritize the safety of trail users. Traffic calming would be a significant part of the design of the entire corridor. 

This plan isn't historic or destroys the Olmsted Vision

See the above background on the Olmsted vision for these parkways. This plan introduces many elements of the historic Olmsted vision, and will ultimately achieve the Olmsted goal of connecting Baltimore City's major parks via parkways that can be safely enjoyed by city residents by foot, car, horse, or bike.

So, what can I do if I support this plan?

#FillTheRoom for the next
33rd Street Open House

April 25th | 6:00 - 7:30pm
29th Street Community Center

RSVP and invite your friends and neighbors here!

 

How can YOU volunteer with Bikemore?

Bikemore was built from the ground up by volunteers, and with our small but mighty staff we still rely heavily on volunteers today! On Saturday we held a volunteer training to kick-off a busy spring full of opportunities for you to help out — and also to kick-off our new online volunteer sign up page. 

But if you missed it...

What does being a volunteer for Bikemore look like?

Throughout the year there are a variety of ways volunteers support Bikemore — everything from planning a route for a bike ride, to showing up at Department of Transportation meetings, to knocking on doors to get the word out about a project. We have a broad view of how we define "volunteer," because to us showing up at your community meeting and sharing your perspective as a person who bikes is just as crucial as helping to organize a bike ride. 

Here's a quick low-down on the types of volunteer roles we typically have. If you like talking to people, you like planning logistics, or you just like to ride your bike — we probably have something for you!  

BIKEMORE BOOTH
We set up our tent at a community event and talk to people about Bikemore! You might help with set up or clean up, talk to people about what Bikemore does, or answer questions about biking in Baltimore. You'll always be paired with a Bikemore staff or board member if there are questions you don't know the answer to. 

 

RIDE
We organize rides to bring people together, to explore particular areas or issues, and to enjoy Baltimore by bike together! You might help check people in, act as a ride marshal to keep riders on route, or help with route planning beforehand.

ADVOCATING
We show up (and #FilltheRoom!) at BCDOT meetings, community meetings, hearings, and other relevant events to make our voices heard. You might learn about a new project or an issue, and provide your input from the perspective of someone who bikes and walks. We try to let you know what Bikemore's stand on the issue is beforehand if we have specific recommendations.  

BIKE VALET
We provide bike valet parking, where people can safely leave their bikes at busy events. You'll help check bikes in and out, and might help with setup or clean up. 

How do I find out about volunteer opportunities? 

You can now always find upcoming volunteer opportunities here or by clicking "Take Action!" on our homepage. As new meetings and events are organized, we'll always be updating it so check back often. 

You can also sign up to be added to our volunteer mailing list here. If we're in particular need for volunteers, we'll send out a request to that list. 

Volunteering with Bikemore is a great way to connect with the biking community, and have a real impact on making Baltimore a more bikeable, walkable, livable city — and we couldn't do it without you!