Hello Terps 4 Bike Lanes community! We hope everyone had a great April and start to May. Good luck to those of you who are preparing for finals and congratulations to any graduates! Here are our updates for April and May.
Remember to sign our petition if you haven’t yet, and to share with other people who hope to see bike lanes at UMD. Also, remember to report any crashes or close-calls using the Crash Reporting Form. This form is both for pedestrians and micromobility users!
2023/2024 Executive Board
We’re happy to announce and congratulate our new executive board for the 2023/2024 academic year.
- President: Nick Marks
- Vice President: Olivia Dinkel
- Treasurer: Parisi Fida
- Community Outreach Coordinator: Meaghan Hart
- SGA Liason: Ian Gould
- Social Media Director: Alexa Moore
New Projects Started
- Work with one or more of UMD’s law professors to write to the university about MD. Transportation Code Ann. § 21-1202 (2021) and UMD’s stance that all off-road cycling and micromobility usage is illegal.
- Updates: T4BL member and incoming SGA Liason, Ian Gould, has reached out to professors, but hasn’t heard back. He plans to reach out again, but if anyone has connections with law professors that may be interested in working on this project, please reach out!
- New bikeways proposals
- Updates: T4BL member, Malcolm Maas, has proposed several new potential projects for bikeways on campus. These were brought up in the last meeting of the transportation and infrastructure committee, and intend to be further fleshed out in the upcoming academic year. You can check out these proposals below! Please include comments on the proposals for further development before we present them to DOTS and FM.
Bike Maryland Legislative Update
Bike Maryland put out a report on all bills related to cycling that were a part of the most recent Maryland legislative session. They were happy to report that an amended version of HB-70 – Safe Access for All (SAFE) Roads Acts of 2023 passed. This bill requires the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to implement all possible incremental and near-term safety improvements as soon as practicable when a new approved pedestrian or bicycle safety construction or improvement project is projected to take more than 12 months to complete. The bill takes effect June 1, 2023.
MDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting
T4BL member and incoming Community Outreach Coordinator, Meaghan Hart, attended the quarterly Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting on Friday, April 28th. Her full notes can be found here. At this meeting, updates from the first phase of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master plan revisions were presented. Big takeaways from this phase include that 62% of respondents would bike more with less traffic interaction, a key barrier to biking is feeling unsafe biking on roads with traffic, and that 72% want to see more shared-use paths and protected bike lanes. We hope that this feedback will shape the future of infrastructure policy in the state. Additionally, an advocate from Frederick, MD, David Edmondson, presented the work done to create the City of Frederick Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. We hope that the City of College Park and UMD can learn from their process to create their own Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, especially with the creation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee in College Park. David also presented a map of what the whole state would look like in terms of bicycle infrastructure if NACTO guidelines were adhered to. It should be noted that this map does not include current trails, and only represents the roadways. Even with that caveat, it was a stark contrast to the current state of bicycle infrastructure and we hope that it can be a starting point for discussions on where bicycle infrastructure is lacking and how we can better connect our communities in the future.
The New City of College Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee
On May 2, 2023, the City of College Park City Council voted to establish a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) with resolution 23-R-05. This committee aims to assist in the development of City-specific bicycle and pedestrian policies in College Park. The committee will consist of 11 members, one member from each council district, one student representative, and six at large members. Our goal is to have one or more of these seats filled by Terps for Bike Lanes members! So keep an eye out for information about the application process as that comes out.
New potential projects for members
- Plan a protest bike ride to show the university how unreasonable the current infrastructure is.
- College Park is soon getting its first Capital Bikeshare station! Even more stations would significantly benefit the community and would connect College Park to the broader DC Metro area. Investigate whether or not a university sustainability grant can be used for a station on campus, and if it can be, write a grant proposal.
- Very few roads on campus have been measured for daily car traffic. Put a team together to do manual counts so that we can have an accurate description of campus traffic.
- A bike parade would be a great opportunity to get students excited about riding bikes in a safe environment. Work with DOTS to plan a bike parade. DOTS will likely sponsor, but we need students to manage the event.
- Are you a digital artist? Our logo could use an update and we need more digital assets such as a favicon for our website.
- The Diamondback accepts op-eds written by anyone in the campus community. Work alone or with others to write op-eds to help further the cause!
These are just a few examples that have been suggested, but this list is by no means exhaustive. If you have an idea that you want to try, then join our Slack and propose it!
Upcoming Local Events
DC Ride with a Pro: Rebecca Rusch Group Bike Ride
Date: Friday, May 12, 2023
Time: 10:00 AM
Where: Lincoln Memorial
Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or just starting out, this ride is designed to accommodate all skill levels. We’ll begin the ride at the Lincoln Memorial and explore the best of Washington DC’s cycling routes. At the end of the ride, you’ll have the opportunity to ask Rebecca more questions and mingle with fellow cycling enthusiasts.
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Germantown Elementary School, 200 Windell Avenue, Annapolis, MD OR Rockville Memorial Library, 21 Maryland Avenue
Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride. There are no registration fees. The ride, which is held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for and honor the lives of those who have been killed or injured.
Date: Friday, May 19, 2023
Time: Dependent on Pit-Stop
Where: Your Commute!
Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 19, 2023. Join us at over 100 pit stops in DC, MD, and VA for this FREE event for a fun and healthy way to start your day. The first 15,000 who register and attend at a pit stop receive a FREE T-shirt. Free giveaways, food, and beverages at participating locations, while supplies last.
Date: Saturday, June 10, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Where: Rhode Island Trolley Trail
Discover all the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail has to offer Saturday June 10, 2023. Activities will occur throughout the day from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., along the entirety of the 3.8 mile-stretch of the Trolley Trail. The event is free for everyone; we welcome people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate with us.
Save the Date for the WABA Vision Zero Summit
Date: Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Where: Zoom
The Vision Zero Summit brings together elected officials, decision-makers, advocates, thought leaders, and the private sector to share best practices, insights and innovations to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our region’s streets and highways. This years theme is Community Engagement and Safe Streets.