Current mood:

irritated

Irritated
I just sent

Dear Sir -
I wanted to say that I am disgusted by your remarks contained in the July 12, 2004 Baltimore Sun article about Critical Mass.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.bicycle12jul12,0,6519166.story?coll=bal-pe-maryland

"'I wish these protesters would at least try to do their homework,' said David Brown, a spokesman for the city Department of Transportation.

Brown said many people see the city as bike-friendly. He said last month's Tour du Park and May's Bike Jam are examples of events that have catered to Baltimore's bicyclists. Brown said the city has about 19 miles of bike lanes already established or designated to be. The city would be willing to take into account any complaints from cyclists, he said."

If Baltimore is so bike friendly, then how come there is nothing about increasing bike usage or bike lanes in the Department of Transportation's list of Goals? How come bike lanes are not listed in the Transportation System Overview?

http://www.baltimorecity.gov/government/transportation/

Who are the "many people" you refer to in the article? Are they the people who use the city and county recreational bike paths? Yes, the Gwynn Falls/Leakin Park bike path project is nice. And bike events are fun to attend. The Hike and Bike north of the city is a nice nature ride (though you have to drive to get to the trailhead). The path on Falls Road was a (very flawed) start to adding biking areas within the city (considering the path does not cover the most dangerous part of the road, includes a switchback hill that that will be impossible to ascend, and is raised as a sidewalk in parts, which is very unsafe for bikers).

But what about the people who bike in the city everyday, who live and work in the city, and instead of congesting the roads with a vehicle prefer to bike instead? What about the bike messengers who are an integral part of business downtown? College students who cannot keep a car in the city and use a bike instead? Or poor residents who cannot afford a car and instead depend on a bike (and the public transportation system, also flawed and losing ground everyday. Rate hikes? Cut routes? Not so user friendly).

I find it pathetic that I cannot bike from my home in Hampden to Waverly, early on a Saturday morning, to go to the farmers market because I am too scared to bike on city streets. Hugging a line of parked cars (or breaking the law and riding on the sidewalk) as drivers speed past is not a viable option for me - I applaud people who are brave enough to risk their safety by biking in the city, and I applaud Critical Mass for increasing awareness of Baltimore's hostility towards its biking citizens.

Sincerely,
Amy
Hampden, Baltimore



regarding this article about bike riders and Critical Mass in Baltimore City.