Big Thanks for the Big Jump Community Clean Up

The 28th St. Bridge before and after Installation of the Big Jump pathway.

From Liz Cornish, Bikemore Executive Director:

Three years ago, following a long meeting, I walked from Baltimore Community College to my house in Charles Village. I walked down Park Heights. Across the parking lot at Mondawmin Mall. Headed into to Druid Hill Park and went home across the 28th Street Bridge. Knowing that in the months to follow construction would begin on the Big Jump, a separated walking and biking path that connects two neighborhoods divided by a highway, I wanted to document my walk along the tiny sidewalk next to high speed traffic once more. 

When these photos and video popped up on my phone this week I was reminded how challenging it was to get this project installed and the community push back it received in those first months. And most importantly how noisy and scary it used to be to walk along the highway. By all measures, the Big Jump has been a big success. Even now with detours to accommodate the remaining construction on the Reservoir, this safe place to walk and bike has become essential to those who need to walk, bike, scoot, or use their mobility device to go in between Reservoir Hill and Remington. 

One of the challenges of the Big Jump is keeping it free of trash and debris. Trash from cars, debris from the overpass above, all collect in the little channel between the barriers and the sidewalk. Despite repeated requests, the City has never put it on its regular street sweeping schedule. Now with DPW services diminished due to the pandemic, it seems even less likely we will see regular cleaning of the well used path. 

Last weekend people from across Baltimore gathered and held a massive clean up on the Big Jump. This was all community led. On behalf of Bikemore, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who came out and pushed a broom and hauled some trash.

The Big Jump was my big dream from the moment I moved to Baltimore in 2015. For every academic paper or panel discussion on the harm caused by the Jones Falls Expressway, every architectural rendering of what could be, I knew there was a “right now” solution to improving safety and connectivity between two disparate parts of the City. Many people felt the same and shared that vision. And thanks to the hard work of folks like Caitlin Doolin with Baltimore City DOT, Jon Laria Chairman of the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Commission, Councilman Leon Pinkett and with critical early support from People for Bikes, it came to be. 

But it has stayed, despite all odds, because of people like you out there riding everyday.

We take care of each other when we take pride in the things that keep us safe. Transformative change has to last beyond the initial excitement. That requires the commitment of people beyond those of us who have chosen this cause as our profession. And volunteers cleaning up the Big Jump shows how the movement for streets built for people has grown: in a few years, the Big Jump went from some idea in a grant application that faced major backlash, to a treasured resource the community feels compelled to take care of. What an amazing harbinger for Complete Streets. 

Thank you to everyone who organized and contributed to last weekend’s clean up of the Big Jump. Nothing feels better than when your mission lives completely outside of yourself. And we are all deeply grateful for each and every one of you that continues to fight for bikes, be it testifying at City Hall or pushing a broom down a bike lane.

How to Vote in Baltimore City - General Election Edition

Vote in this general election! Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Voting local is the single most important thing you can do to make Baltimore a more livable city.

So, this is your reminder to vote - either to send in your ballot, drop it off at a local ballot drop-off box, or show up for early voting or day-of voting. 

If you're unsure on how you can participate and vote this year, keep reading, or forward this email to a friend!

Already received your ballot in the mail?

Awesome! Everyone who has requested a mail-in ballot earlier this Summer/Fall should have received their ballot last week or should be receiving them this week. Don't wait to send it back. Fill it out as soon as you can following the instructions carefully, and drop it off at a ballot drop-off box, or send it back. No paid postage is necessary.

Not registered yet, or didn’t receive your ballot?

You can still register on Election Day at the polling locations, listed here. 

If you're not sure of your registration status or whether or not you are receiving a mail-in ballot, check your status here. 

Want to vote early in-person?

Early voting is available at a limited number of sites from Monday, October 26th - Monday, November 2nd, from 7:00am-8:00pm. 

You can find the full list of early voting locations here.

Want to vote on Election Day in-person?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd and polls are open from 7:00am-8:00pm. A limited number of polling locations will be open, and you can go to any of them, even if they aren't in your district. The full list of them is here. 

If you need transportation to and from a polling location, you can use a Lime scooter or a JUMP bike for free. Use the code LIMETOPOLLS2020 on your Lime app. Read about the Lime to the Polls Program here.

Who should you vote for?

Candidates Endorsed by Bikemore:

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
Franca Muller Paz | 12th District

Read more about all the candidates. 

Want live help or have questions?

You can call the Baltimore City Board of Elections at (410) 396-5550 or the Maryland State Board of Elections at (410) 269-2840 on Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. A staff person will pick up the phone and guide you through your questions.

This work is made possible through Bikemore in Action, our 501(c)(4) funded by hundreds of small donations from Baltimoreans.

Want to ensure Bikemore can continue advocating for mobility for all?  
Sign up to donate $10/month to Bikemore!

Surviving a COVID-19 Winter

Community engagement for 8 80 Cities’s Wintermission in Saint Paul, MN

All evidence is showing us that Baltimore is coping with COVID-19 by spending more time outside. Our parks are full with people walking, running, biking, playing sports, and lifting weights. Bike shops are sold out of bikes and have weeks-long waiting lists for maintenance. And our restaurants and retail spaces have rapidly adapted to COVID-19 by building outdoor dining spaces and sales floors.

Winter is a threat to all of these things, unless Baltimore City begins planning right now. Our businesses must be able to continue using outdoor spaces throughout the winter. While indoor spaces are reopening, many people still prefer the vastly lower risk of shopping, dining, and recreating outdoors. And until we have a widely distributed vaccine, reverting to closure of indoor spaces due to increased transmission is possible. Our citizens, many of whom lack access to a car, must have safe pathways to access public transportation, schools, recreation, grocers, healthcare, and worship. Luckily, cities to our north have long been working on plans to keep the outdoor spaces alive through winter.

Edmonton, Alberta first launched their Winter City Strategy in 2012. In November 2018, 8 80 Cities launched Wintermission: Bringing Public Life to Winter Cities, a competitive grant awarded to three cities (We encouraged Baltimore to apply). Both of these programs aim to safely activate public space through winter. While they are not COVID-19 specific, many of the strategies are directly applicable to our present environment. A few weeks ago, we shared these strategies and Winter City resources with Baltimore City leadership, and are summarizing them below.

Strategies

Re-Prioritize Snow Removal

With the introduction of work-from-home, automobile commuting patterns have changed significantly. Many of the commuters previously entering the city for jobs now work from home, while essential workers continue to commute within and across the city on public transportation. Traditionally, Baltimore City Department of Transportation has prioritized “gateway routes” for snow removal, which are the main arteries for car commuters to enter the city in the morning. This can no longer be the priority.

Baltimore City Department of Transportation should focus on improving winter transportation for pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, and local automobile traffic.

• Instead of beginning snow clearance on “gateway routes,” full-size plows should prioritize bus lanes and curbside lanes on our most frequent transit routes.

• City and contract snow removal using smaller equipment should focus on shared use pathways and bike lanes.

• The city must take on and prioritize clearance of snow on public sidewalks adjacent to transit hubs, high ridership bus stops, and on sidewalks along urban main streets and downtown.

• The city should pilot residential sidewalk snow clearing in high-density neighborhoods.

Activate our Parks and Play Spaces

Baltimore City Recreation and Parks should make it easier to play outside and provide more opportunities for outdoor activity.

• Prioritize snow removal along city trails, park paths, recreational loops, and at playgrounds and skate parks.

• Increase commercial vending opportunities at parks and facilities.

• Work with new and existing recreational partners and rec centers to encourage multi-season equipment use and outdoor recreation and lesson opportunities.

• Run the department’s hiking, biking, and other outdoor recreation programming through winter.

Keep our Businesses Alive

A multi-agency approach should focus on encouraging four season restaurant and retail patio culture.

• Building off of Design for Distancing, host a virtual summit with leaders from northern cities with robust four season restaurant and retail patio culture to learn best practices for implementation in Baltimore City.

• Simplify and remove regulations to increase year-round use of outdoor space for restaurant and retail patios.

• Create easy opportunities and develop clear, simple parameters for the use of fire in outdoor public spaces (fire pits, bonfires, heaters, etc.)

Support Safe Community-Building

The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods, the Baltimore Planning Department, and Baltimore City Department of Transportation should work together to help neighbors program outdoor community spaces.

• Similar to use of fire for restaurant and retail patios, create easy opportunities and clear, simple parameters for community use of fire in outdoor public spaces like parks, community managed outdoor spaces, and slow streets.

• Reconsider the ban on outdoor residential fires, instead creating a guide to activating and heating outdoor residential spaces including clear safety standards.

• Work with community associations to distribute information on safely activating outdoor community and residential spaces with physical distanced programming through winter.

This winter could be one of the most difficult seasons many of us have ever lived through. With looming public transit cuts, an uncertain and dangerous political climate, the pandemic still devastating our nation, and many families and businesses barely keeping their heads above water financially, Baltimore City must do everything it can to make life a little more livable for residents and give our businesses every possible chance to stay open.

While the challenges cities to our north typically face every winter pale in comparison to the challenges before us all right now, following their best practices to survive winter will make everything just a little bit easier. We strongly recommend Baltimore City move quickly to adopt winter city strategies, prioritizing those we’ve listed above.

Big Jump Detour for Druid Hill Reservoir Construction

Background

The ongoing Department of Public Works construction project in Druid Hill Park to install tanks to store treated city drinking water is moving to a phase of pipe construction to connect the two tanks our water system. The pipe will cross Druid Park Lake Drive at Linden Avenue, and follow the roadway along the median east to the JFX on-ramps. To make this connection, DPW will need to dig a trench in the median of Druid Park Lake Drive.

In between the original plans for this construction and today, Baltimore City Department of Transportation received a grant from People For Bikes called The Big Jump, to install a temporary shared use pathway along Druid Park Lake Drive and across the 28th Street bridge, a road diet and protected bike lanes on Huntingdon Avenue and 25th Street, a bike boulevard on 27th Street, and bike lanes on Remington Avenue.

Of those grant funded projects, only the most important one—the connection across Druid Park Lake Drive and the 28th Street bridge—has been constructed. The shared use path, installed in June 2018, allows people to walk, bike, skate, and use a wheelchair or mobility device to safely cross from Reservoir Hill to Remington for the first time.

The Detour

The trench work for the Druid Hill Reservoir will require detour of The Big Jump for approximately one year, and work will begin as soon as September 28, 2020. Motor vehicle traffic will move to the existing travel lane utilized by The Big Jump from Linden Avenue to the Mount Royal Avenue slip lane. Water filled barriers along this portion of roadway will be replaced with concrete barriers. The Big Jump will be relocated to an adjacent 8 foot sidewalk, which DOT is working to clear of weeds and debris.

The existing Big Jump route is shown in red. The detour route is shown in green.

The Big Jump will follow an 8 foot sidewalk from Linden Avenue to Lakeview Avenue. DOT is working to mow and clear debris.

At Lakeview Avenue, The Big Jump will move to the northern side of the street adjacent to Lakeview Towers, repurposing an existing parking lane. It will then cross over to the existing pathway on the 28th Street bridge through a newly created curb cut underneath the existing non-ADA accessible pedestrian overpass from Druid Park Lake Drive to 28th Street. To facilitate safe crossing at this location, the Mount Royal slip lane will be closed to motor vehicle traffic with physical barriers—a huge safety improvement.

The Big Jump detour from Lakeview Avenue past the Lakeview Towers to the Mount Royal slip lane.

The Big Jump detour will connect back to the original Big Jump path through the Mount Royal slip lane, which will be closed to motor vehicle traffic.

What’s next

While the sidewalk element of this detour is not ideal, there are very encouraging opportunities that the trench work unlocks. Since the existing water filled barriers are being replaced with concrete barriers through the duration of the detour, it’s possible we could keep the concrete barriers in place when The Big Jump returns to the street, improving safety and reducing maintenance. It’s also possible to reconfigure and resurface the motor vehicle travel lanes along Druid Park Lake Drive. This will further reinforce The Big Jump as a semi-permanent pathway.

Also coming up is the release of the Big Jump evaluation report. It’s exciting in that it reveals The Big Jump had almost no effect on traffic conditions—one of the major vocal complaints from drivers.

Long-term, Baltimore City Department of Transportation has committed to a corridor realignment study to propose a complete redesign or removal of the highways that separate Druid Hill Park from communities. None of this work would have been possible without community partners and the leadership of Councilman Leon Pinkett. Neighbors and advocates are organizing around the corridor realignment study under the banner of The Access Project: Druid Hill Park. You can read more at TAP Druid Hill.

Will you join us?

Neighbors biking and walking alongside Lake Montebello and the closed street around it, taken this summer.

Being Bikemore looks different in a pandemic. First off, we miss you. It felt strange to go a whole summer without programs that get us out in the community connecting with all of you. That part of our work temporarily went on hold, but our work to make Baltimore a better place to walk, bike, and take transit remained constant. 

The pandemic has put into relief why access to transit and safe places to bike is essential for public health. How do you get to a place that is distributing emergency food? How do the 40% of transit riders that qualify as essential workers continue to get to their job when the State threatens to eliminate whole bus routes?

The pandemic has also led us to examine public space. Can we help keep businesses open if we turn a parking space into outdoor dining?  What about places you can play and stay active? Are there enough in every neighborhood?

These are policy issues that demand consistent advocacy. Every day we work to ensure that the policy decisions that determine our quality of life during the pandemic take into account the people impacted the most, but who are often considered the least. 

One bright spot in all this is witnessing so many people biking. We see it everywhere. New faces in the bike lane. People from all walks of life biking around Lake Montebello. Parents trying out biking with their children for the first time. It’s been inspiring to see folks starting their own bike movement. 

We want to ensure that you can remain connected to Baltimore through safe streets, trails, intersections, and public transportation - during and beyond this pandemic.

You can help build streets for people. Whether it’s a one- time donation or committing to $5 a month, your donations make up a third of our operating budget. We are ready to fight. Will you join us? Please consider a donation to Bikemore today.