Take Action: Street Cuts Policy Update

A closure of the protected bike lane on Cathedral Street that is no longer legal under the Complete Streets Ordinance.

Baltimore City Department of Transportation is currently updating their Street Cuts Policy. You may not know what exactly that means, but there is a 100% chance you’ve been affected if you walk, bike, take transit, or drive in Baltimore City.

The Street Cuts Policy governs utility work on our roadways, bike lanes, and sidewalks. Prior to the Baltimore Complete Streets ordinance, it was common to see closures like the one in the image above— closures that prioritized keeping the road open for car travel and parking, even if it meant closing a bike lane or sidewalk.

The Complete Streets ordinance changed that, requiring detours to follow the modal hierarchy that puts pedestrians and bicyclists first. We’ve seen successful implementations of the ordinance on Aliceanna Street just before Boston Street or on Charles Street by 33rd Street, where construction is ongoing but safe pedestrian and bicycle access has been maintained.

While these projects are a start, Baltimore City Department of Transportation still needs to update their official guidance to reflect the Complete Streets Ordinance. This will ensure that future projects led by both the city and contractors will also comply with the Complete Streets law — that’s why we need to update the Streets Cut Policy. 

We have reviewed the draft of the new policy, and we would like it to include more specific guidance for maintaining access to sidewalks and bike lanes during construction, more aggressive timelines for restoring and repaving streets after work is finished, and to make sure crossings and traffic calming we stripe on that restored street is even better than what was there before and restores any community funded art that may have been damaged or removed.

Our sample language for recommendations is below, and we encourage you edit as you see fit and submit comment before February 22nd.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment on the Draft Street Cuts Policy.

1. This is an opportunity to not only see street restorations, but street improvements. Whenever a complete streets treatment/vision zero treatment like a crosswalk or curb extension is affected, the entire treatment should be fully restored and if possible, enhanced. For example, a standard crosswalk should be restriped fully as a continental crosswalk, even if only a partial section of crosswalk was cut.

2. Art in the ROW and all other decorative treatments that enhance an intersection or street need to be replaced/restored in-kind.

3. Same side detours must be required for sidewalk or bicycle lane closures. This should only be allowed to be overruled by a written exemption and explanation from the Director.

4. When same side detours are in place, they should meet or exceed the level of separation provided previously. For example, separated bike lane detour shall continue to be separated by a vertical element like flex posts, or water or jersey barrier. There should be minimum widths of 5 feet or greater for a one-way bike detour and 8 feet or greater for a two-way bike detour, just as there are minimum widths for sidewalk detours.

5. When a written exemption for a same side detour is made by the Director, the approved detour shall meet or exceed the level of comfort for the detoured facility. For example, a separated bike lane detour must include separation on the entire detour, it can't just be signage to use an adjacent street non-separated bike lane.

6. The 120 day period for full restoration is too long. This needs to be substantially reduced, to 60 days or less.

7. Fines should be dramatically increased, and escalate significantly for continued violation by contractors. This revenue will be needed to hire more inspectors.

We're hiring: Development Director

Bikemore is excited to grow our team! We’re hiring for a Development Director - some with a vision, strategy, and skills who is excited to share Bikemore’s mission with funders and supporters and play a crucial role in growing our organization.

WHO WE ARE

Bikemore advocates for policies and infrastructure that create thriving neighborhoods in Baltimore. We focus on improving safety and increasing access to sustainable, affordable, and reliable transportation. 

Bikemore’s advocacy has resulted in increased investments in Complete Streets at both the state and local level. Our Mobile Bike Shop has fixed hundreds of bikes in neighborhoods that don’t have brick and mortar stores. We host education programs where people learn and practice city bicycling safety. We show up for Baltimore residents and serve as a liaison between community members and city agencies.

Bikemore’s work has been nationally recognized and has influenced similar work across the country. Our landmark Fire Access Bill set a national precedent for how emergency vehicle access and Complete Streets policy work together. In 2019, Bikemore was named Advocacy Organization of the Year by the League of American Bicyclists. Smart Growth America recognized Bikemore's Complete Streets Policy as one of the best in the country. In 2020, Bikemore’s #IBikeIVote campaign endorsed in Baltimore City elections for the first time. Eight of the nine candidates we endorsed were victorious, including Mayor Brandon Scott, who invited Bikemore staff to co-chair his transportation transition team.

Bikemore’s three-year strategic plan is rooted in four guiding principles for designing a city for people: face-to-face interaction, sustainability, opportunity, and reimagined divides. Through community building events, study tours, partnerships with city agencies, and direct services such as the Mobile Bike Shop, Bikemore helps people reimagine how Baltimore can be designed. Our work helps make connections between improving the built environment and tackling everyday challenges people living in Baltimore face. 

Bikemore consists of a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4) called Bikemore in Action. The 501(c)(3) is primarily funded through foundation and corporate support and operates our community building and direct services. Our 501(c)(4) is funded through individual donations and allows Bikemore to engage in direct advocacy and lobbying. Bikemore’s strategic plan anticipates significant growth of both arms, including expanding work to advance equity in public transportation, zoning, and housing policy.

WHO YOU ARE

The Development Director is primarily responsible for performing duties that support development and communications. These duties include overseeing our donor relations program, managing our fundraising initiatives including public grants and corporate sponsorships. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing our non-profit fundraising campaigns, communicating with current and prospective donors and funders, and building a stronger development strategy for our organization. This position involves managing individual giving, including annual and monthly donor programs, as well as corporate and foundation sponsorships and philanthropy. If you have a strong background in non-profit fundraising and development, we encourage you to apply.

Execution of these initiatives requires strong administrative and time management skills, strength in data management, and working knowledge of nonprofit fundraising best practices. The ideal candidate is a well-organized, detail-oriented, and resourceful individual with strong task management skills who enjoys a workplace that is fast-paced and varied. You don’t need to ride a bike all the time, but you must embrace our mission that a city designed for safe biking and walking can improve the quality of life of all Baltimore City residents.

We realize job descriptions and the hiring process are imperfect. We do not hire based solely on experience. If the work sounds interesting to you and you believe you have the aptitude to develop the skills required, we encourage you to apply. We seek applicants with diverse experiences and perspectives that will help strengthen our organization. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Donor Cultivation + Stewardship (45%)

• Identify, develop and steward donor relationships across all giving categories: major gifts, foundations, corporate grants and sponsorships, and government grants. 

• Work with colleagues on campaigns and special events that inspire new people to invest in Bikemore.

• Manage the donor stewardship process to ensure donors feel valued and connected to our mission.

• Develop and cultivate prospective donors.

Grant Research and Filing (30%) 

• Prepare grant applications and funding proposals with support of program and policy staff.

• Track and meet all grant reporting deliverables.

• Research new sources of financial support. 

Development Strategy (20%)

• Work with other Bikemore leadership to set and meet revenue goals by building a strong development plan that diversifies revenue sources.

• Develop, with the support of staff, a grassroots individual giving strategy to engage small dollar donors.

• Commit to ongoing professional development in nonprofit fundraising. 

Data Management and Donation Processing (5%)

• Oversee staff and contractors responsible for operations and compliance.

• Update, add and maintain donor, member and prospect constituent records in our Customer Relationship Management System, EveryAction.

• Process check donations and send proper donor acknowledgements.

• Maintain accurate records of fundraising activities.

REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Understanding of and willingness to advocate for Bikemore’s mission, vision, values, and programs. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to effectively communicate with individuals and groups.

• Possesses strong interpersonal skills as demonstrated by compassionate, courteous, cordial, cooperative, and professional interaction with diverse groups of co-workers, external business partners, and the community.

• A history of successfully generating new revenue streams and improving financial results.

• Demonstrated ability to fundraise and cultivate relationships with the philanthropic community, individual donors, and government funding sources.

• Ability to effectively manage competing priorities and multiple tasks.

• Valid Driver’s License or State ID.

• Ability to effectively use and troubleshoot standard office equipment, applications, and customer relationship management software. 

• Dedicated to supporting Bikemore in addressing systemic racism and other forms of oppression in our workplace, advocacy, and policy work

SCHEDULE / PAY / BENEFITS

Full Time Position: Starting salary is $55,000 - $60,000 

• Average of a 40 hour work week, includes some nights and weekends.

• Fully remote due to the current state of COVID-19 pandemic, but this may change to hybrid remote/in-person in an open office environment.

Health Insurance

• Employee health insurance plan provided. Bikemore pays 50% of monthly premiums.

• Employee paid vision and dental plans available.

• Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement provided to offset insurance costs.

Paid Time Off

• 160 hours of paid time off in addition to accrued compensation time. These hours may generally be used for vacation, sick, personal, or other leave at the employee’s discretion.

• 12 paid holidays, which may be banked and used at any time in the calendar year they may fall.

• 16 weeks paid parental leave.

• Paid jury leave.

• Unpaid military leave.

Application Process

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. 

• Candidates should email a resume and cover letter to jobs@bikemore.net. 

• Candidates may be required to provide references.

• No calls. 

Bikemore provides equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, sex or age.

Take Action: The Future of the Big Jump is at Stake

Eight Lanes of high speed traffic on Auchentoroly Terrace separating neighbors from a world class park.

Baltimore City Department of Transportation is wrapping up a study for what should come next for Druid Park Lake Drive. We need you to comment now to ensure the future design prioritizes safe access for all road users and safe crossings into the park over maintaining a highway width road for speeding cars.

Click here to access the comment form, write that you support the “Single Lane Concept” and oppose the others.

Here’s why:

The Big Jump Evaluation Report studied the city’s 2018 implementation of one lane in each direction for Druid Park Lake Drive, along with the creation of The Big Jump: a protected, ADA accessible pathway along Druid Park Lake Drive and 28th Street that allows people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, and roll along the corridor for the first time since expressway construction in the 1940s. 

The Big Jump created an ADA accessible crossing along 28th Street and Druid Park Lake Drive for the first time since expressway construction began in the 1940s.

Data shows The Big Jump increased usage of the corridor by people walking, biking, scooting, and using mobility devices. Reducing car travel lanes to one lane in each direction made crossing into the park easier, reduced crashes, had no major impact on traffic along the corridor, and did not push traffic onto adjacent neighborhood streets.

For some reason, despite this clear evidence of success, the city’s study for permanent implementation provides three options for the future: 

• One lane in each direction, the option that’s already proven through The Big Jump pilot and evaluation to work

• A confusing hybrid concept with multiple lanes

• A highway style design that basically keeps what is there, which we know does not work

The only reasonable option that will ensure a permanently safe and accessible corridor is permanently designing one lane in each direction.

Despite the evidence that one lane in each direction works, a vocal minority of people who live west of the corridor and drive on it oppose this option. In fact, they oppose all of the options, because they all keep some form of biking facility in the design. They don’t just want a highway, they want any safe access for bikes removed entirely. 

These individuals have spent thousands of dollars papering neighborhoods along the corridor with flyers that state The Big Jump has caused major backups to traffic. We know through detailed traffic analysis that this is false.

They simultaneously claim that nobody uses The Big Jump, and that it is a gentrification project only used by wealthy white people. This is also false. We know through user analysis that 66% of bike and scooter riders and 70% of pedestrians using The Big Jump are Black. Half of these users have household incomes of less than $50,000, and 27% have household incomes of less than $20,000. 

The history of this highway that plowed through communities and divided them from our city’s greatest park is explicitly racist, a design to both accelerate and accommodate white flight. It would be a travesty to maintain the status quo. 

The only acceptable path forward, the only path that advances racial justice, equity, and prioritizes safe access and connectivity to Druid Hill Park is the option to return the corridor to its pre-highway design of one lane in each direction. It also has the benefit of a pilot project and data-driven evaluation proving it works.

We can’t let a few loud voices, concerned only about their car commutes, derail a visionary plan to reconnect our communities.

Please click here to access the comment form, write that you support the “Single Lane Concept” and oppose the others.

This Year’s Capital Budget (and a brief update on how far behind we are)

In 2017, the Baltimore City Planning Commission adopted the Separated Lane Network Plan, a five year implementation strategy to construct 77 miles of separated and supporting bike facilities that would connect over 80% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods to all ages and abilities infrastructure, a term for streets on which anyone from ages 8 to 80 would feel comfortable riding.

Five years and a mayoral scandal including outright and illegal hostility to bikes later, we do not have much to show for this plan. Of the 77 miles of separated and supporting bike facilities proposed to be built by the end of 2022 in the plan, only about 2 miles of substandard supporting facilities have been constructed, and about 2 miles of existing separated facilities have been removed. 

This map from the Separated Bike Network Plan shows all facilities that were supposed to be installed by the end of 2022. Only the projects circled in green have been completed, and the project circled in red removed.

At first glance this year’s Capital Improvement Program, the city’s capital budget, includes some major investments in biking. Separated, all-ages facilities will come to Eutaw Place and Bush Street, making major connections between Druid Hill Park, The Big Jump, and the Downtown Bicycle Network with the former and the Middle Branch Trail, Casino Entertainment District, and Carroll Park with the latter. Other projects to be constructed this year include separated, all-ages lanes on Central Avenue, and multiple smaller projects designed to fill gaps in the network such as extending the Mount Royal separated lanes to North Avenue and Guilford Avenue.

But digging into these reveals a harsh reality: 

• The Eutaw Place separated lanes were supposed to be installed in the first year of the Separated Lane Network Plan implementation, five years ago in 2018. 

• Bush Street and the Rapid Enhancement Program–the multiple smaller projects referenced above–were due to be installed in 2020 and 2021. 

• Large retrofits like Central Avenue shouldn’t have had to be retrofits at all, but designs that included all-ages bike facilities from the start. 

• Other projects listed in this year’s Capital Improvement Plan, such as the Wolfe/Washington separated lane, are forecasted for construction in 2025, nearly a decade later than the Separated Lane Network Plan prioritization. 

• The bike program itself is funded at $500,000 this year, half of the plan’s recommendation.

At this point, the Separated Lane Network Plan is old enough that Baltimore City Department of Transportation is undertaking an update. But plans don’t matter if the city budget completely ignores them. In the year we are supposed to be approaching our 77th mile of construction, net zero miles of infrastructure from the plan is an abject failure of city government. 

We applaud leadership at Baltimore City Department of Transportation for beginning to turn this program around, to make good on projects promised five or more years ago. But we are too far behind our peer cities, too far behind nearly everywhere else in North America, let alone across the globe. In this same period of time, Memphis built over 70 miles of bike infrastructure. New Orleans is on track to achieve 75 miles in less than 3 years. 

We know that Mayor Brandon Scott and the leadership at Baltimore City Department of Transportation–unlike past administrations and leadership–truly believe that Baltimore needs to invest heavily in walking, biking, and public transit. That’s why we were proud to endorse Scott for mayor. But belief must result in action–and action means a budget reflective of those beliefs.

This year, Mayor Brandon Scott and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation should, at minimum:

• Double the Bike Program funding in the CIP from $500,000 to $1,000,000

• Commit to hiring additional bike program staff, including a dedicated trail planner.

• Commit to advancing all current bike projects in the CIP to this or the next fiscal year.

• Release an update to the Separated Lane Network Plan for adoption by the Planning Commission.

• Identify a dedicated funding stream of local dollars to fund every year of the plan going forward. Lock-boxing automated enforcement revenues to complete streets retrofits instead of funneling those revenues to police would be a good start.

• Commit to utilizing a multi-million dollar local match to leverage state and federal funding for design and construction of large segments of the updated Separated Lane Network.

We can’t settle for less. 

We will be submitting a version of this summary as testimony at the Baltimore City Department of Transportation’s CIP presentation before the Planning Commission on Thursday, January 13th at 12:00pm.

If you are interested in participating and commenting yourself, you can attend online here.

Our people are our greatest resource: Reflection from Ethan Abbott

Ethan (right) and Molly at our 5th Annual Cranksgiving in 2019

Today, we’re sharing a story from Ethan Abbott, who is the Project Manager of Baltimore Greenway Trails Network at the Rails to Trails Conservancy. We wanted to take this chance to share how our connections to partners in the community make our work possible.

The more I live and work in Baltimore, the more I realize just how important your resources are. Working in Baltimore often means living and dying by your ability to leverage your resources to the best of your ability. When I talk about resources, I’m referring to one thing and one thing only – other people. It’s all about who you know and who you can count on, whether it’s city residents, community groups, volunteers, or other local nonprofits. Without these relationships, our work isn’t possible.

I started working at Rails-to-Trails in March 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. Not the easiest thing to do during a quarantine, especially when your work involves community outreach, maintaining a coalition of invested stakeholders, and creating new partner relationships. Still, I wasn’t too bothered by this, because I knew that I already had relationships with a plethora of people in Baltimore, which helped me move with more finesse - this included Bikemore.

Working with Bikemore was easy because we knew each other through my work at Baltimore City Recreation & Parks - we were simply friends working in a new capacity. We hit the ground running with our collaborative efforts. Last November, Clarissa, Jed, and I began discussing the different ways that we could capitalize on the momentum and the groundswell of support in this Southeast corridor of the Baltimore Greenway, while still being cognizant of the COVID-19. As we thought about potential programs, our conversations were filled with uncertainties like, “Can we have a programming event around this? Maybe a socially distant guided bike tour? Do social distancing guidelines still count if we’re going to be outdoors?”

In the end, we safely hosted two VIP bike tours last November that showcased the progress along the eastern corridor of the Baltimore Greenway, and pushed our local leaders to action. Local community and business leaders, Maryland State Delegates, and Baltimore City Council members joined us on these rides. Bikemore, through their relationship with Lime, brought e-bikes for the guests to use at no additional cost. This year, we continued our joint programming through community group rides in South Baltimore along the Gwynns Falls Trail, a group ride along the Jones Falls Trail with Blue Water Baltimore, and hikes in Herring Run Park with Friends of Herring Run Parks and Impact Hub. Some of these were existing partners, and some were newly formed relationships, but all critical to helping us push forward our mission.  

I also want to highlight how pivotal these relationships can be even when you’re not directly involved in the work that your partners are doing. Rails-to-Trails wasn’t involved in the Lake2Lake project and traffic-calming installation at 33rd & Hillen, but we’re grateful for the groundwork it lays for the larger connection that we advocate for with the Baltimore Greenway, which builds upon this concept as it aims to connect the city’s prominent park systems together. The work done by Baltimore City’s Department of Transportation, Black People Ride Bikes, Graham Projects, and Bikemore is a tremendous accomplishment and will serve as a model for Rails-to-Trails as we continue to engage local communities and work with community partners.  

Throughout the past two challenging years, these partnerships have been what make my work possible. It’s essential that we cherish our people - whether that’s individuals, nonprofits, businesses - and recognize what they bring to the table and what we’re able to learn from them.  

Rails-to-Trails can’t keep advocating for the Baltimore Greenway without continual support from our coalition of partners like Bikemore. Bikemore can’t continue to be the transportation advocates they are today without the continual support and collaboration of organizations with similar or overlapping goals.

If there’s one takeaway, let it be this: None of this work is done in a vacuum. None of this work can be done in a vacuum, and more importantly, none of this work can be done without you - the people. Remember just how powerful of a resource a person can be, and I implore you to take this mindset to heart if you haven’t already. 

Today, I’m asking you to show your support for our work and start a donation today - even $5 a month allows Bikemore to keep advocating alongside us and host programming where Rails to Trails can bring the vision of the Baltimore Greenway to neighborhoods around the city.

By Ethan Abbott

This form will make a donation to Bikemore in Action, our 501(c)(4); these funds are unrestricted and can be used for advocacy. To make a charitable donation, click here.