Bikemore endorsed candidates win!

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As ballot counting in the Baltimore City Democratic primary election draws to a close, we are excited to announce victories for the following Bikemore endorsed candidates:

Brandon Scott, Mayor
Bill Henry, Comptroller
Zeke Cohen, 1st District
Ryan Dorsey, 3rd District
James Torrence, 7th District
Kristerfer Burnett, 8th District
John Bullock, 9th District
Eric Costello, 11th District

This is the first year Bikemore chose to endorse candidates for office. And it made a difference, especially in the mayor's race, where the race was incredibly tight and every vote counted.

As ballot counting draws to a close, we will update our #IBikeIVote2020 page with winners in all races so you can view their candidate questionnaires.

Congratulations to our endorsed candidates on their wins, and many thanks to all the candidates that put their heart and soul into running for office. Your dedication to Baltimore shines through and you made a difference sharing your ideas and vision for the future.

And thank you to everyone who volunteered on campaigns, phone banked, talked to their friends, and voted! You made made a difference and elected visionary leaders.

We're especially thrilled for Brandon Scott's victory, and expect to work closely with his team on recommendations for #ANewWayForward for improved and equitable transportation in Baltimore City.

Black Lives Matter

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Bikemore believes unequivocally that Black lives matter. Baltimore is the American birthplace of many unjust housing and transportation policies that have perpetuated white supremacy. Our job as advocates is to name these injustices and ensure they do not continue. 

Transportation advocacy, and specifically bike advocacy, are spaces dominated by white voices. These voices often fail to address how their work perpetuates racism. Bikemore is no exception. We commit to our staff, our community, and our city to always fight against racism. 

We believe in safe streets for all, which includes safety from racist policing and police brutality.

#BikemoreSolo: Ride to a local bike friendly business!

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To end Bike Month, we’re partnering with Bike Party to support the businesses that support us. This week’s challenge is to go on a ride to a local business!

We know that bikes benefit local businesses in tons of ways. Having bike friendly streets, like protected bike lanes, can increase local business along those routes, and that increasingly employees want to work at places that are accessible by bike. And people who bike or walk are more likely to stop in at a local shop on their way home than if they were driving.

“Protected bike lanes can be part of street redesigns that greatly boost retail performance. After the construction of a protected bike lane on 9th Avenue, local businesses saw a 49 percent increase in retail sales. On other streets in the borough, the average was only 3 percent.” — NYC DOT, 2012  - Measuring the Street, via PeopleForBikes

Read more about how bikes improve business in The Complete Business Case for Converting Street Parking Into Bike Lanes from CityLab.

And there are countless ways that local businesses support us - from hosting bike events, to advocating for bike friendly streets in their neighborhoods, to sponsoring events. Now more than ever we want to show our love to our local businesses.

Here are some local businesses that have hosted Baltimore Bike Party or supported Bikemore for ideas for where to ride:

We’d love to hear about other bike friendly businesses! Do they have great bike parking? Do they support neighborhood advocacy to make their neighborhood a safer place to ride? Do they support their employees who ride to work? Post a photo of your ride on social media and share why they are your favorite bike friendly business!

How to Vote by Mail in Baltimore

Voting local is the single most important thing you can do to make Baltimore a more livable city. 

Due to COVID-19 this year’s primary election is now on June 2nd and is vote by mail. With the added complications, it’s even more important to get out the vote, and tell your friends!

Contact us with questions or concerns: info@bikemore.net

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Volunteer!

Field organizing for political campaigns has to be completely reinvented due to COVID-19. Since campaigns can’t reach voters at their doorsteps, they have had to pivot to organizing primarily by phone and text. We are helping organize volunteers to make calls and texts for our endorsed candidates, and we need your help. Just a few hours of volunteering a week can reach thousands of potential supporters.

Sign up to volunteer to help Brandon Scott’s campaign.

Spread the Word!

Make a personal ask to your friends to help elect progressive leaders - share with them how to vote or who you’re voting for. Share our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram posts.

Or use the images below as headers on Facebook or Twitter to help spread the word!

Weekly Update: Slow Streets, WYPR interview, and more!

WHAT WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR

  • #IBikeIVote2020: Our meet and greet last week with Brandon Scott, our endorsed candidate for mayor, had 50 participants and 1,000 viewers on Facebook Live. Watch it here.

    This election will be won by volunteers making phone calls and texting. Click here to volunteer!

  • Slow Streets: Baltimore City Council will vote on a Slow Streets bill tonight. The bill, introduced by Council President Scott, will mandate 25 miles of Slow Streets be immediately implemented across all 14 council districts with prioritization through an equity lens.

    Our Executive Director Liz Cornish was on WYPR talking about the role of transportation during the epidemic. Listen here.

  • Delivering Food by Bike: 30+ volunteers have made 200+ deliveries of food by bike through our partnership with Civic Works!

VIRTUAL EVENTS

BIKE MONTH | #BIKEMORESOLO

  • May is Bike Month! Join us social distancing cycling group on Strava, tag us with #bikemoresolo on your rides, and complete our weekly bike challenges!

  • Weekly bike challenge: Go on a ride that creates an interesting shape on the map! Check out WallyGPX for inspiration.

WHAT WE'RE READING, WATCHING + LISTENING TO

TRANSIT + BIKE SHOP STATUS

  • Bike Shops: Bike shops are open. Call your shop for specifics. Baltimore Bicycle Works on Falls Road is still open during the Falls Road construction. The shop is easily accesses by bike and foot from both directions, and accessed by car only from the south on Falls Rd.

  • Scooters: Lime has redeployed scooters in Baltimore. Spin scooters are free for all healthcare workers, and Jump is offering free rides to all essential business workers. For Spin, sign up here. For Jump, ask your HR rep for a code or ask them to fill out this form.

  • Transit: Click here for the latest MTA status.

Our work is wholly supported by our donors. Help us make Baltimore a better place to ride a bicycle. 

Donate to Bikemore